How to say "hard-boiled" in Japanese

• ハードボイルドCommon
  na-adjective, nounCovers the figurative sense: a hard-boiled (i.e., tough, unsentimental) person, attitude, or style, often in fiction. It is a loanword describing character or genre, not food.
  あいつはハードボイルドなやつだ。↗

  He is a hard boiled egg.
• 固ゆでかたゆで
  no-adjectiveThe literal, culinary sense: boiled until firm, typically an egg. It is less common than ハードボイルド, but for cooking contexts this is the word you want.
  彼女かのじょは、卵たまごを固かたゆでにするのがすきだ。↗

  She likes her eggs hard-boiled.

Use 「ハードボイルド」 for the figurative sense of a tough, hard-boiled person or style; use 「固ゆで」 only for food that is literally boiled until hard, such as an egg.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• ハードボイルドhard-boiled (person, style, etc.)
• 固ゆでかたゆでhard-boiled