How to say "uneasy" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 心もとないこころもとないi-adjectiveUneasy in the sense of anxious and unsure: worry because a situation is unsettled or may not turn out well, such as concern over someone's future or an uncertain outcome.
- 不安げふあんげna-adjectiveDescribes someone who looks or seems uneasy — the visible air of anxiety in a person's expression or manner — rather than naming the feeling itself.
- 心中穏やかでないしんちゅうおだやかでないexpression, i-adjectiveLiterally 'not calm at heart': strong inner agitation or upset, the ill-at-ease feeling you have when something has shaken or disturbed you emotionally.
- 気味が悪いきみがわるいexpression, i-adjectiveThe creepy kind of unease: the feeling that something is eerie or uncanny and gives you the creeps. It is seldom the word for anxious worry about the future.
- 気味の悪いきみのわるいexpression, i-adjectiveThe same creepy, skin-crawling unease as 気味が悪い, in the form used when the phrase comes before a noun; like it, this is not the word for anxious unease.
Use 「心もとない」 for anxious unease over something uncertain, 「不安げ」 for a person who looks uneasy, 「心中穏やかでない」 for inner agitation or upset, and 「気味が悪い」 or 「気味の悪い」 for creepy, eerie unease.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
