Word
意地悪
Meaning in Englishmean, malicious, unkind
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
意地悪 means 'spiteful' or 'mean-spirited.' It describes a person who intentionally treats others badly to hurt or upset them, driven by petty malice rather than anger or misunderstanding.
Main meanings
- primary sense: describing intentional cruelty or unkind behavior toward others, often over small matters
- usage with nouns or phrases: 意地悪な人, 意地悪な言動, 意地悪をする; used for both people and actions
- register: common in everyday speech; can be pejorative but not the strongest insult
How to use it
Used in casual to semi-formal speech to describe a person or behavior that is intentionally cruel or petty. Common patterns include 意地悪だ, 意地悪な人, 意地悪な言動; often used to describe explicit intention to hurt, mock, or embarrass someone.
Variants and close terms
- いじわる (ijiwaru) — synonym: same meaning, commonly used in speech
- ひどい (hidoi) — stronger sense of cruelty
- 思いやりがある / 優しい (omoiyari ga aru / yasashii) — antonym
Composition
- 意地: temper, stubborn will
- 地: ground/earth; here contributing to the sense of a trait
- 悪: bad
Etymology
Native compound formed from 意地 meaning will or temper and 悪 meaning bad; pronunciation ijiwaru arises from the standard kun readings joined in a common formation, with no external loanword influence.
Word class
adjective (na-adjective, 形容動詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
意図
ito
intention, aim, design
N1
意欲
iyoku
will, desire, ambition
N1
改悪
kaiaku
deterioration, changing for the worse
N1
天地
tenchi
heaven and earth, the universe
N1
同意
doui
agreement, consent; same meaning
N1
地獄
jigoku
hell
N1
下地
shitaji
groundwork, foundation
N1
悪しからず
ashikarazu
don't take me wrong, but..., I'm sorry
N1
悪化
akka
deterioration, worsen
Kanji