手厳しい・手きびしい|てきびしいtekibishii[4]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. i-adjectiveharsh (criticism, treatment, etc.); severe; hard; strict

• Synonym厳しいきびしいNeutralSame word as 「厳めしい」 above, also written 「厳しい」. Read いかめしい it means imposing or stern-looking; only read きびしい does 「厳しい」 mean strict or severe in general.
• Synonym過酷かこくWrittenWritten/formal; excessively harsh — conditions such as 「過酷な労働」, but also treatment or judgments such as 「過酷な評価」.
• Synonym酷こくWrittenWritten/formal; usually 「〜に酷だ」, meaning the demands on someone are excessive. Harsh and unfair toward a person, not severity in general.
• Synonym手ひどいてひどいNeutralColloquial; severe and vicious, stressing how heavy the blow or damage is, as in 「手ひどい失敗」. About the force of the impact rather than stern words.
• SynonymこっぴどいCasualColloquial, with an exaggerated ring; mostly seen in 「こっぴどく叱られる」, to get a real dressing-down.
• RelatedきついNeutralColloquial; harsh or tough in a way that wears you out, and it also covers tight clothes. Much broader than the unsparing treatment of 「手厳しい」.
• Related厳格げんかくWrittenWritten/formal; strictness in enforcing rules with no slack — rigid discipline. Not necessarily about criticism or how people are treated.
• Related険しいけわしいNeutralAlso means rugged, precipitous terrain. For people and affairs: a stern expression or grim situation. Focuses on how things stand, not on treatment.
• Related冷厳れいげんWrittenWritten/formal; cold, stern and unrelenting, typically in 「冷厳な事実」 — facts that admit no evasion. Describes a cold sternness rather than harsh criticism.
• RelatedいかめしいWrittenWritten/formal; imposing and forbidding in appearance, or strict like tight security. About looking stern, not about harsh criticism.
• Related酷烈こくれつWrittenWritten and rarely used; stresses severity at its extreme and mostly describes harsh natural conditions.
• Related峻厳しゅんげんWrittenWritten but rare; a stern, unbending attitude that allows no exceptions. About inflexible strictness rather than harsh treatment of people.
• Antonym甘いあまいNeutralAntonym: lenient or soft — literally sweet. Where 「手厳しい」 shows no mercy, 「甘い」 goes easy.
• AntonymぬるいNeutralColloquial antonym: lukewarm and half-hearted, not strict. Treatment too mild to bite — the opposite of unsparing 「手厳しい」.
• Antonym緩いゆるいNeutralAs 「緩い」 (an alternative writing): loose and lax, rules not enforced thoroughly. The opposite of strict 「手厳しい」.

Use 「手厳しい」 for unsparing criticism or treatment, as in 「手厳しい批判」. For strictness in general, 「厳しい」 (read きびしい) is the everyday choice, with the formal 「厳格」 for rule-bound discipline and 「過酷」 for brutal conditions or judgments. 「きつい」 and 「こっ酷い」 are colloquial; 「酷烈」 and 「峻厳」 are rare written words for extreme severity; 「甘い」, 「温い」 and 「緩い」 are the lenient opposites.

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

1. 非常ひじょうに厳きびしい。容赦ようしゃないさま。