How to say "nasty" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- i-adjectiveCovers 'nasty' in the sense of distasteful or off-putting: behavior or remarks that make you feel uncomfortable or disgusted. It can also carry a lewd overtone.
- 意地悪いじわるna-adjective, nounCovers 'nasty' in the sense of mean-spirited: a person, or their behavior, that is unkind, ill-tempered, or malicious — someone who enjoys teasing others or playing tricks.
- na-adjectiveCovers 'nasty' in its plain sense of unpleasant or horrible — weather, a smell, a feeling, or a situation you dislike. It expresses a personal feeling of aversion toward the thing.
Use 「いや」 for the general sense of something unpleasant or horrible, 「いやらしい」 for behavior or things you find distasteful or off-putting, and 意地悪 for a person who is mean-spirited or malicious.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- いやらしいunpleasant
- 意地悪いじわるmalicious
- えげつないdirty
- いけ好かないいけすかないnasty
- 傾性けいせいnasty (i.e. nastic movement of a plant)
- 性格が悪いせいかくがわるいnasty
- 性格悪いせいかくわるいnasty
- 陋劣ろうれつmean
- 腹汚いはらぎたないblack-hearted
- 意地悪いいじわるいill-natured
- たちが悪いたちがわるいof bad character
- たちの悪いたちのわるいof bad character
- 嫌みたらしいいやみたらしいdisagreeable
- きしょーgross
- 嫌みったらしいいやみったらしいdisagreeable
- 汚らわしいけがらわしいfilthy
- 人が悪いひとがわるいill-natured
- こっぴどい(really) terrible
- いやunpleasant
- 最低さいていawful
- えぐいnasty
- あくどいcrooked
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
