How to say "resentment" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 恨みうらみnounThe word you want for resentment as a lingering grudge against someone who has wronged you. It covers personal bitterness and malice — a feeling nursed toward a person rather than an issue.
- 憤りいきどおりnounResentment blended with anger: indignation stirred by injustice or wrongdoing. Choose it when the feeling is outrage at how things are, not a private grudge against one person.
- nounA loanword for the philosophical notion of ressentiment, familiar above all from discussions of Nietzsche. For ordinary resentment or a grudge, this is not the word you want.
- 憤慨ふんがいnoun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbIndignation first: the flare of outrage at something outrageous or intolerable. Its 'resentment' sense is this angry, morally charged feeling, not a grudge quietly nursed over the years.
- 仇あだnounAt heart a word for an enemy and for enmity; its 'resentment' is the hostile grudge held between adversaries. For the feeling of resentment itself, this is seldom the word you want.
For resentment as a personal grudge use 「恨み」; for angry indignation at injustice choose 「憤り」 or 憤慨; 仇 points to enmity between adversaries; 「ルサンチマン」 is the borrowed term for the philosophical concept.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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