Translation guide
Describes someone who is easily annoyed, irritable, or often in a bad mood. Japanese has many nuanced words for this, ranging from temporary grumpiness to a permanently disagreeable personality.
Describing a person who is often in a bad mood or quick to anger.
Describes someone who is hard to please, moody, or easily upset. Often used for a person with a prickly personality.
He is a bad-tempered person.
He has a bad-tempered look on his face.
Means quick to anger, short-tempered. Emphasizes the tendency to get angry easily.
She has a short-tempered personality.
Literally 'in a bad mood'. Used for a temporary state of being bad-tempered or grumpy.
The boss is bad-tempered today.
A noun or na-adjective meaning 'bad mood' or 'sullenness'. Often used to describe someone's demeanor.
He was sitting there looking bad-tempered.
Means short-tempered, quick to anger. Often used as a noun or na-adjective.
A short temper leads to loss. (proverb)
Describing a person whose default disposition is unfriendly, sour, or ill-natured.
Means mean-spirited, malicious, or deliberately unkind. Stronger than just bad-tempered; implies intent to hurt.
Don't say bad-tempered things.
Literally 'one's nature is twisted'. Describes a fundamentally bad-tempered, warped personality.
That person is bad-tempered by nature.
Describing a temporary bad mood caused by physical factors like lack of sleep or food.
Describing someone who takes offense quickly or is overly sensitive.
The English phrase 'bad-tempered' does not have a single direct equivalent. Using 悪い気性 (warui kishou) is unnatural. Choose a word based on whether the mood is temporary or permanent, and whether it involves anger, meanness, or just grumpiness.
機嫌が悪い (kigen ga warui) refers to a temporary bad mood, while 気難しい (kimuzukashii) describes a person's inherent difficult personality. Use 機嫌が悪い for 'He's bad-tempered today' and 気難しい for 'He's a bad-tempered person'.
Means nervous, high-strung, or touchy. Often implies being easily irritated by small things.
She is touchy and gets angry quickly.