Quadruple VS
Synonym Boundary: "悪い", "わるい", "不作", "不作法"
All represent the core concept "bad", but require precise selection.
Japanese Option A
悪い
わるい (warui)
N5 / CEFR
Japanese Option B
わるい
悪い (warui)
N5 / CEFR
Japanese Option C
不作
ふさく (fusaku)
N2 / CEFR
Japanese Option D
不作法
ぶさほう (busahō)
N2 / CEFR
Quadruple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
When expressing "bad" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "悪い", "わるい", "不作", "不作法" based on context.
- 悪い (わるい (warui) - Level: N5): Maps to "bad, wrong" and is used when Describes something negative, poor quality, or incorrect. Can also be used to apologize informally.
- わるい (悪い (warui) - Level: N5): Maps to "bad, evil, wrong" and is used when A general i-adjective for "bad".
- 不作 (ふさく (fusaku) - Level: N2): Maps to "bad harvest, crop failure" and is used when 主に農業において、作物の収穫が少ないことや全くできないことを指します。比喩的に、成果が上がらない期間を指すこともあります。.
- 不作法 (ぶさほう (busahō) - Level: N2): Maps to "bad manners, impoliteness, rudeness" and is used when 社会的な場面でのマナーや礼儀が欠けている行為や態度を指します。相手に失礼な印象を与えることがあります。.
Context for "悪い"
天気が悪いです。
The weather is bad.
Context for "わるい"
今日は天気が悪いです。
The weather is bad today.
Context for "不作"
今年は雨が少なかったので、米が不作だった。
This year, there was little rain, so the rice harvest was poor.
Context for "不作法"
食事中に携帯電話をいじるのは不作法だ。
Playing with your cell phone during a meal is bad manners.
Synonym Mastery Challenge
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "天気が ＿＿＿ です。" (Meaning: "The weather is bad.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "悪い" is correct here because it represents "bad, wrong" in the context: "The weather is bad.".