English–Japanese

“hateful” in Japanese

Japanese

Also憎らしい (nikurashii)

Pronunciation

Romajinikui

Example

あの人が憎いです。a no hito ga niku i de su

I hate that person.

Illustration for 憎い (hateful)

How to say “hateful” in Japanese

“Hateful” in Japanese is 憎い (nikui).

Describes a target of deep personal hatred or resentment, not merely ordinary dislike.

Full entry for 憎い: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 憎い

昔の友人が幸せに暮らしているのが憎いです。mukashi no yū jin ga shiawa se ni ku ra shi te i ru no ga niku i de su

I hate that my old friend is living happily.

Tips for using 憎い

  • In conversational Japanese, 憎い演出 (nikui enshutsu) describes a deliberately effective touch that earns grudging admiration rather than expressing literal hatred.

Other Japanese words for “hateful”

あの人の態度が憎らしいです。a no hito no tai do ga niku ra shi i de su

That person's attitude is hateful.

“hateful” in other languages