Translation guide
How to express that something is done poorly, severely, or in an undesirable way.
Describing an action done with low quality or skill.
Adverbial form of 下手 (unskillful). Used when someone does something poorly due to lack of skill.
彼はギターを下手に弾く。
He plays the guitar badly.
Adverbial form of まずい (bad, unskillful, awkward). Often used for cooking or handling situations poorly.
彼女は料理をまずく作った。
She cooked the meal badly.
Adverbial form of 悪い (bad). General term for doing something in a bad way, but less common for skill; more for results or conditions.
試験が悪くできた。
I did badly on the exam.
Indicating a high degree of negative impact or intensity.
Adverbial form of ひどい (terrible, severe). Used for serious damage, injury, or emotional states.
彼は事故でひどくけがをした。
He was badly injured in the accident.
Means 'greatly' or 'very much'. Can be used for being badly mistaken or affected, but slightly formal.
Means 'considerably' or 'quite'. Used to emphasize degree, often with negative adjectives.
彼はかなり酔っている。
He is badly drunk.
Describing a situation that turns out poorly or goes wrong.
A common phrase meaning 'things don't go well'. Used for plans, attempts, or situations ending badly.
計画がうまくいかなかった。
The plan went badly.
Means 'unfortunately' or 'the bad thing is'. Used to introduce an undesirable outcome.
まずいことに、電車が遅れた。
Badly, the train was delayed.
Expressing a strong want or requirement.
Standard intensifier meaning 'very'. Used with adjectives like 欲しい (want) or 必要 (need).
私は水がとても欲しい。
I want water badly.
Casual intensifier meaning 'really' or 'extremely'. Common in spoken Japanese.
彼にすごく会いたい。
I want to see him badly.
Feeling bad about one's actions.
Means 'feeling bad' or 'thinking it's wrong'. Used to express remorse.
彼は悪いと思って謝った。
He felt badly and apologized.
Formal expression meaning 'to feel sorry' or 'to feel apologetic'.
私は申し訳なく思っています。
I feel badly about it.
While 悪く (waruku) can mean 'badly', it is not always natural. For skill, use 下手に (heta ni) or まずく (mazuku). For severity, use ひどく (hidoku). Overusing 悪く may sound awkward.
彼は英語を悪く話す。
He speaks English badly. (unnatural)
彼は英語を下手に話す。
He speaks English badly. (natural)
私は大いに間違えた。
I was badly mistaken.