Japanese word

愚痴

Pronunciation

Romajiguchi

Meaning

  • nouncomplaint

Example

彼はいつも会社の愚痴を言います。kare wa i tsu mo gai sha no gu chi o i i ma su

He always complains about his company.

Illustration for 愚痴 (complaint)

More examples

今日は友達に仕事の愚痴を聞いてもらいます。kyō wa tomo dachi ni shi goto no gu chi o ki i te mo ra i ma su

Today, I will have a friend listen to my complaints about work.

Core concept

Centers on voicing personal dissatisfaction as an outlet, often without a concrete request for change.

Common phrases

  • 愚痴を言うgu chi o yū

    voice a complaint

  • 愚痴をこぼすgu chi o ko bo su

    grumble

  • 愚痴を聞くgu chi o ki ku

    listen to complaints

Similar words

苦情kujō: A formal complaint about a problem made to the person or organization responsible for it.
文句monku: An informal expression of dissatisfaction or objection directed at a person or situation.

Definition in Japanese

不満や苦労などを、解決を求めるよりも繰り返し口にすること。fu man ya ku rō na do o kai ketsu o moto me ru yo ri mo ku ri kae shi kuchi ni su ru ko to

Word origin

愚痴 (guchi) is a Sino-Japanese Buddhist term combining 愚 (gu, "foolishness") and 痴 (chi, "delusion"); it originally meant ignorance or delusion and later came to mean voiced dissatisfaction.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, 愚痴 (guchi) often describes personal grumbling shared with a listener, while 苦情 (kujō) usually refers to a more formal complaint about a problem.

Other meanings

  • grumblenoun

Related words

  • 愚痴るguchirugrumbleverb

Word lists with this word