Japanese word

最悪

Pronunciation

Romajisaiaku

Meaning

  • nounthe worst

Example

これは最悪です。ko re wa sai aku de su

This is the worst.

Illustration for 最悪 (the worst)

More examples

今日は最悪の日でした。kyō wa sai aku no hi de shi ta

Today was the worst day.

Core concept

Presents something as having reached the most negative point possible in a given situation, which gives it the sense of the worst or terrible.

Common phrases

  • 最悪の場合sai aku no ba ai

    in the worst case

  • 最悪の事態sai aku no ji tai

    worst-case situation

  • 最悪の結果sai aku no kek ka

    worst result

Similar words

最低saitei: The lowest level of quality or behavior, often judged as unacceptable.

Definition in Japanese

物事の状態や結果がこれ以上ないほど悪いこと。mono goto no jō tai ya kek ka ga ko re i jō na i ho do waru i ko to

Word origin

最悪 (saiaku) combines 最 (sai, "most") with 悪 (aku, "bad"), so its literal structure expresses the greatest degree of badness.

Usage tips

  • The short exclamation 最悪 (saiaku) is common in everyday speech when a situation suddenly goes badly, so it often appears without a following noun.

Other meanings

  • terriblena-adjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 最悪さsaiakusaawfulnessnoun

Word lists with this word