🦅 Project Eagle
Quintuple VS

Synonym Boundary: "悪い", "わるい", "不作", "凶作", "悪癖"

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

凶作

きょうさく (kyōsaku)
N2 / CEFR
Japanese Option E

悪癖

あくへき (akuheki)
N2 / CEFR

Quintuple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "bad" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "悪い", "わるい", "不作", "凶作", "悪癖" 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。.
  • 凶作 (きょうさく (kyōsaku) - Level: N2): Maps to "bad harvest, poor crop, crop failure" and is used when Refers to a poor agricultural yield due to unfavorable weather, disease, or other factors, indicating a severe reduction in harvest..
  • 悪癖 (あくへき (akuheki) - Level: N2): Maps to "bad habit, vice" and is used when A specific term for a harmful or undesirable habit that is often difficult to break, such as smoking, nail-biting, or procrastination..
Mixing these up can easily lead to unnatural translations. Refer to the bilingual context cards below to master the boundaries!
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 "凶作"
今年は長雨のせいで米が凶作だった。
This year, the rice crop was poor due to the long rain.
Context for "悪癖"
彼は早起きできないという悪癖がある。
He has a bad habit of not being able to wake up early.

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.".

💡 Practice with AI! Live

Don't just read. Practice speaking this grammar with our interactive AI coach for free!

Try AI Speaking 👉