Chinese word

可恶

Pronunciation

Pinyinkě wù

Meaning

  • adjectivehateful

Example

这人真可恶，总是说谎。zhè rén zhēn kě wù zǒng shì shuō huǎng

This person is really hateful and always lies.

Illustration for 可恶 (hateful)

More examples

那种可恶的行为让人难以接受。nà zhǒng kě wù de xíng wéi ràng rén nán yǐ jiē shòu

That kind of hateful behavior is hard to accept.

Core concept

A person or thing that provokes strong dislike and anger and seems beyond excuse.

Common phrases

  • 真可恶zhēn kě wù

    really hateful

  • 可恶的行为kě wù de xíng wéi

    hateful behavior

  • 太可恶了tài kě wù le

    so hateful

Similar words

讨厌tǎo yàn: Annoying or unpleasant enough to make people want to avoid it.
可恨kě hèn: So morally wrong that it makes people angry and eager to condemn it.
讨人厌tǎo rén yàn: Likely to be disliked because of an unpleasant personality or troublesome behavior.
恶心ě xīn: So unpleasant in appearance or behavior that it causes disgust or nausea.

Definition in Chinese

令人极为讨厌或生气，值得被责备或憎恨的样子。lìng rén jí wéi tǎo yàn huò shēng qì zhí de bèi zé bèi huò zēng hèn de yàng zi

Word origin

可 (kě, "worthy of") + 恶 (wù, "to hate") presents the target as worthy of hatred, which gives the word its strong condemning force.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 可恶 (kěwù, "hateful") can stand alone as an emotional outburst, so it is stronger than a calm description of a minor annoyance.

Other meanings

  • unforgivableadjective
  • annoyingadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word