Quadruple VS
Synonym Boundary: "悪い", "わるい", "不良", "不運"
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
不運
ふうん (fuun)
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", "不運" 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.
- 不運 (ふうん (fuun) - Level: N2): Maps to "bad luck, misfortune" and is used when 予期せぬ悪い出来事や、自分の意図しないところで生じる不幸な状況を指します。形容動詞「不運な.
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 "不運"
彼は不運にも事故に巻き込まれてしまった。
He unfortunately got caught up in an accident.
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.".