How to say "spite" in Japanese

• 悪意あくいCommon
  no-adjectiveThe core word for spite as ill will or malicious intent toward someone. Use it when the sense is genuine malice rather than a momentary reaction, as in holding or harboring spite against a person.
  あなたの周まわりの人々ひとびとの普通ふつうの行おこないに悪意あくいがあると考かんがえてはいけない。↗

  Don't read evil intentions into the ordinary actions of people around you.
• 悔し紛れくやしまぎれ
  na-adjective, no-adjectiveCovers spite or vexation that boils out of frustration — doing something nasty to vent resentment. It suggests a petulant, lashing-out quality rather than deep-seated malice, and is less common than 悪意.
• 意趣いしゅ
  nounSpite understood as a grudge held over some offense or slight. Often found in the set phrase 意趣遺恨, it frames spite as resentment rooted in a specific wrong received.
• 悪念あくねん
  nounSpite as an evil thought or malicious motive stirring within someone. It points to the inner disposition rather than an act, and is a less common, somewhat literary way to express the idea.
• 意趣遺恨いしゅいこん
  nounA four-character compound meaning grudge, spite, malice, or rancor. It emphasizes accumulated resentment over past wrongs, often in contexts like warning against bearing someone ill will; less common as an everyday word.

For spite as deliberate malice use 悪意; 「悔し紛れ」 covers spiteful acts done out of frustration; 意趣, 悪念, and the yojijukugo 意趣遺恨 are less common choices tied to grudges or malicious motives.

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

• 悪意あくいill will
• 悔し紛れくやしまぎれspite
• 意趣いしゅgrudge
• 悪念あくねんevil thought
• 意趣遺恨いしゅいこんgrudge
• 毒どくill will
• 毒気どっきmalice