Translation guide
Expressing strong dislike or hatred in Japanese, ranging from casual aversion to deep-seated loathing.
Express that you strongly dislike something or someone, often in everyday conversation.
The most common and natural way to say you strongly dislike or hate something/someone. Used in casual and neutral contexts.
私は虫が大嫌いです。
I loathe insects.
彼のことが大嫌い。
I can't stand him.
Simply means 'dislike'. Less intense than 大嫌い, but can still convey strong aversion depending on context.
私は納豆が嫌いです。
I dislike natto.
Literally 'cannot endure', used when you find something unbearable or intolerable.
彼の態度には我慢できない。
I can't stand his attitude.
Express a profound, often long-lasting hatred or loathing, stronger than everyday dislike.
To hate deeply, often with a sense of resentment or grudge. Can be used for people or abstract things.
彼は裏切った友人を憎んでいる。
He loathes the friend who betrayed him.
To feel disgust or strong aversion. Often used in more formal or written contexts.
彼女は不正を嫌悪している。
She loathes injustice.
An idiomatic expression meaning to be disgusted or to feel revulsion, literally 'insect saliva runs'. Strong visceral reaction.
彼の顔を見ると虫唾が走る。
The sight of him makes me sick.
Express contempt or scorn, often combined with a sense of moral superiority.
To despise or scorn someone, looking down on them as inferior or contemptible.
彼は嘘つきを軽蔑している。
He despises liars.
To scorn or despise, often with a nuance of disdain. Slightly more literary than 軽蔑する.
彼女は弱い者を蔑むような人ではない。
She is not the kind of person who despises the weak.
Express strong moral or principled hatred, often in formal or written language.
To abhor or detest, often with a sense of taboo or moral repulsion. Used in formal contexts.
多くの文化では殺人を忌み嫌う。
Many cultures abhor murder.
Literally 'to spit out and discard', meaning to detest utterly. Very strong and formal.
そのような行為は唾棄すべきだ。
Such an act should be utterly detested.
English 'loathe' often implies a deep, visceral hatred. In Japanese, directly translating with a single word can sound overly dramatic or unnatural in casual speech. Use 大嫌い for everyday strong dislike, and reserve words like 憎む or 嫌悪する for more intense or formal contexts.
嫌い (kirai) is the standard word for 'dislike'. 大嫌い (daikirai) intensifies it to 'hate' or 'can't stand'. In many situations where an English speaker might say 'loathe', 大嫌い is the most natural equivalent.
私はピーマンが嫌いです。
I dislike green peppers.
私はピーマンが大嫌いです。
I loathe green peppers.
早起きは大嫌いだ。
I loathe getting up early.
彼女は偽善を憎んでいる。
She loathes hypocrisy.