Japanese word

皮肉

Pronunciation

Romajihiniku

Meaning

  • nounsarcasm

Example

彼の皮肉は、すぐに分かりました。kare no hi niku wa su gu ni wa ka ri ma shi ta

I understood his sarcasm right away.

Illustration for 皮肉 (sarcasm)

More examples

彼は冗談のつもりで言いましたが、皮肉に聞こえました。kare wa jō dan no tsu mo ri de i i ma shi ta ga hi niku ni ki ko e ma shi ta

He meant it as a joke, but it sounded sarcastic.

Core concept

It expresses a judgment indirectly by making the apparent meaning differ from the intended one.

Common phrases

  • 皮肉を言うhi niku o yū

    make a sarcastic remark

  • 皮肉を交えるhi niku o maji e ru

    mix in sarcasm

  • 皮肉が分かるhi niku ga wa ka ru

    understand sarcasm

Similar words

嫌味iyami: A remark that expresses criticism in an unpleasant and often indirect way.
当てこすりatekosuri: An indirect remark that criticizes a particular person without naming them openly.
諷刺fūshi: A form of criticism that exposes faults through humor, exaggeration, or indirect expression.

Definition in Japanese

言葉を額面どおりとは異なる意味で用い、相手や状況をあざけったり批判したりすること。koto ba o gaku men dō ri to wa koto na ru i mi de mochi i ai te ya jō kyō o a za ke tta ri hi han shi ta ri su ru ko to

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 皮肉 (hiniku, "skin and flesh") consists of 皮 (hi, "skin") and 肉 (niku, "flesh"), and its image of the outside relates to a criticism that is not stated directly.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may associate sarcasm only with a speaker's tone, but Japanese also uses 皮肉な結果 (hiniku na kekka) for a situation with an ironic outcome.

Other meanings

  • ironynoun
  • cynicismnoun

Related words

  • 皮肉るhinikurube sarcasticverb
  • 皮肉屋hinikuyasarcastic personnoun

Word lists with this word