悪い|わるいwarui[2]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. i-adjectivebad; poor; undesirable
   「顔色かおいろがわるいけど具合ぐあいが悪わるいのかい」「そういうわけでもないよ」↗

   "You look pale. Are you sick?" "Not exactly."
2. i-adjectivepoor (quality); inferior; insufficient
   私のステレオはあなたのより音質おんしつが悪わるい。↗

   My stereo set is inferior to yours in sound quality.
3. i-adjectiveevil; sinful
   すいません。あなたに悪わるいことをしました。↗

   I'm sorry. I did you wrong.
4. i-adjectiveugly; not beautiful
   建物たてものは落書らくがきだらけで見た目みためが悪わるい。↗

   The graffiti-covered building is ugly to look at.
5. i-adjectiveat fault; to blame; in the wrong
   あなたのおっしゃることは認みとめるにしても、私はやはりあなたが悪わるいと思おもいます。↗

   Even given what you say, I still think you are to blame.
6. i-adjectivebad (at doing something)
7. i-adjectiveunprofitable; unbeneficial
   これは悪わるい話はなしではないでしょう？↗

   This isn't an unappealing proposition, is it?
8. interjection, i-adjectivesorry; (my) bad; unforgivable
   悪わるいけどお豆腐とうふ買かってきてくれない？↗

   I really shouldn't ask, but could you go get some tofu for me?

• Synonym不良ふりょうNeutralFor poor quality or condition, as in 「不良品」 or 「体調不良」; also describes delinquents, as in 「不良少年」. Slightly formal, and not a free substitute for 「悪い」.
• Synonym粗悪そあくWrittenFor goods that are crudely made and of poor quality, as in 「粗悪品」. Written/formal prose; typically said of products and materials.
• Synonym悪質あくしつNeutralFor malicious or nasty in nature, as in 「悪質な詐欺」; also for shoddy goods. Stronger than 「悪い」 and leaning written/formal.
• Synonym劣悪れつあくWrittenFor extremely poor conditions or environments, as in 「劣悪な環境」. Written/formal prose.
• RelatedひどいNeutralFor cruel, outrageous, or severe things, as in 「ひどい雨」 or 「ひどい人」. Stronger than 「悪い」; very common in speech.
• Related邪悪じゃあくWrittenFor wickedness of heart; strong in degree and found mostly in stories and written prose.
• RelatedまずいNeutralFor bad-tasting food, or for a situation turning bad, as in 「それはまずい」. Common in colloquial speech.
• Related非道ひどうWrittenFor inhuman, heartless acts that defy reason, as in 「非道な行い」. Written/formal prose.
• Related不正ふせいNeutralFor dishonesty or wrongdoing that breaks rules, as in 「不正行為」. Focuses on rule violations rather than general badness.
• Related最悪さいあくNeutralFor the worst case, as in 「最悪の事態」; in speech often an exclamation like 'that's the worst'.
• Related不当ふとうWrittenFor unreasonable or unjust treatment, as in 「不当な扱い」. Used in legal contexts and for how people are handled.
• Related不法ふほうWrittenA legal term for unlawful acts, as in 「不法投棄」. Says something breaks the law, not just that it is bad.
• Related有害ゆうがいNeutralFor things that harm health or the environment, as in 「有害物質」. Emphasizes actual harm, not general badness.
• Related粗末そまつNeutralFor crude, humble things, as in 「粗末な食事」; also for treating things carelessly, as in 「物を粗末にする」.
• Related言語道断ごんごどうだんWrittenA four-character word for behavior so outrageous it is beyond words, as in 「言語道断の行為」. Written/formal prose.
• Related不健全ふけんぜんWrittenFor unhealthy or abnormal states, as in 「不健全な関係」. Written/formal prose.
• Related嘆かわしいなげかわしいWrittenFor lamentable, deplorable things; expresses the speaker's own sorrowful reaction. Written/formal prose.
• Related極悪ごくあくWrittenFor extreme wickedness, as in 「極悪非道」 or 「極悪人」. Written/formal prose; much stronger than 「悪い」.
• Related邪よこしまWrittenRead 「よこしま」. For wicked, crooked thoughts or intentions, as in 「邪な考え」. Written/formal prose.
• Related極道ごくどうNeutralFor a life of vice and wrongdoing, as in 「極道者」; also refers to the criminal underworld.
• RelatedあくどいCasualColloquial. For underhanded, overly sly methods, as in 「悪どい商売」; also for colors or flavors that are too heavy or garish.
• Related腹黒いはらぐろいNeutralFor scheming, black-hearted people, as in 「腹黒い人」. Applies only to a person's inner character, not to things.
• RelatedよからぬWrittenA prenominal word, typically set before a noun, for improper or unsavory things, as in 「良からぬ噂」. Written/formal prose.
• Related不道徳ふどうとくWrittenFor immoral acts, as in 「不道徳な行為」. Covers only the ethical dimension of badness.
• Related不届きふとどきWrittenFor rule-breaking or insolent behavior, as in 「不届き者」. Has an old-fashioned flavor; written/formal prose.
• Related下劣げれつWrittenFor base, vulgar character or speech, as in 「下劣な言葉」. Written/formal prose.
• Antonym良いよいNeutralThe antonym of 「悪い」: good or fine; also 'sufficient' or 'that will do'.

For plain 'bad' or 'no good', 「悪い」 is the default. For poor quality use 「不良」 or 「粗悪」; for malicious or nasty character 「悪質」; for rule-breaking or illegality 「不正」 or 「不法」; for severity 「ひどい」; for the worst 「最悪」. The rest are narrower: 「劣悪」 poor conditions, 「まずい」 bad taste, 「有害」 harmful, 「粗末」 crude or careless, 「腹黒い」 scheming people, and the written words 「邪悪」「非道」「極悪」「下劣」「言語道断」 etc. for strong condemnation in formal prose. The antonym is 「良い」.

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

1. ものごとがきちんとしていない様子ようす
2. 他ほかのものより劣おとっている様子ようす
3. 疾病しっぺいなどの状況じょうきょうが思おもわしくない様子ようす
4. うまくいかない。失敗しっぱいしている。
5. 不都合ふつごうである。場ばにそぐわない。
6. 間違まちがっている。
7. 道徳どうとくや法ほうなどに照てらして問題もんだいがある。正ただしくない。不善ふぜんである。
8. 責任せきにんがある。原因げんいんである。
9. 申し訳もうしわけない。すまない。
10. （補助ほじょ形容詞けいようし）してよくない。いけない。