How to say "mad" in Japanese

• 無謀むぼうCommon
  na-adjective, nounA common word covering 'mad' in 'a mad scheme': plans and undertakings that are reckless, rash, or ill-advised. It has nothing to do with anger or insanity.
• マッド
  prenominal modifierA loanword from English meaning 'mad; crazy; ridiculous'. Less common, and seldom the word you want to call someone mad: it turns up chiefly in borrowed expressions.
• 狂おしいくるおしい
  i-adjectiveCovers 'mad (with grief, love, etc.)': emotion so overwhelming that one feels on the verge of insanity. It describes inner turmoil, not anger or recklessness.
• ＭＡＤマッド
  nounNot 'mad' the adjective at all: this is the acronym ＭＡＤ, mutual assured destruction, the nuclear deterrence doctrine. It matters only in discussions of nuclear strategy.
• 頭が変あたまがへん
  expression, na-adjectiveCovers 'mad' meaning crazy or mentally disturbed — literally 'one's head is strange', it is said of a person whose mind is off, not of anger or recklessness.

For 'mad', choose by sense: 無謀 for a reckless mad scheme, 「狂おしい」 for madness born of grief or love, 「頭が変」 for a person whose mind is off, 「マッド」 as the loanword, ＭＡＤ only for mutual assured destruction.

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

• 無謀むぼうreckless
• マッドmad
• 狂おしいくるおしいmad (with grief, love, etc.)
• ＭＡＤマッドMAD
• 頭が変あたまがへんcrazy
• 気が変きがへんinsane
• 相互確証破壊そうごかくしょうはかいmutual assured destruction