Quadruple VS
Synonym Boundary: "悪い", "わるい", "不良", "不作"
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
不良
ふりょう (furyō)
N3 / CEFR
Japanese Option D
不作
ふさく (fusaku)
N2 / CEFR
Quadruple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
When expressing "bad" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "悪い", "わるい", "不良", "不作" 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".
- 不良 (ふりょう (furyō) - Level: N3): Maps to "bad, poor (quality); delinquent (person); defect" and is used when Can be a noun meaning a defect or a delinquent person.
- 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。.
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 "不良"
この製品には不良がありました。
This product had a defect.
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.
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.".