Translation guide
Describes writing that is low in quality, skill, or clarity. The best Japanese expression depends on whether you mean bad handwriting, poorly composed text, or a clumsy writing style.
The physical act of writing characters is messy, illegible, or unattractive.
Directly means 'bad handwriting' or 'poor penmanship'. Commonly used to describe someone's messy or illegible writing.
His handwriting is so bad I can't read what he's written.
Literally 'characters are unskillful'. A casual, everyday way to say someone's handwriting is poor.
I'm embarrassed by my poor handwriting.
Means 'characters are messy/dirty'. Emphasizes the untidy appearance rather than lack of skill.
The handwriting is so messy it's a struggle to read.
The content or structure of the writing is bad, regardless of handwriting.
Means 'poor writing' or 'wretched prose'. Used for badly written sentences, essays, or stories. Often self-deprecating.
This novel is a model of poor writing.
Literally 'writing/composition is unskillful'. A straightforward way to say someone's writing ability is poor.
A humble, formal term for one's own poor writing. Often used in letters or prefaces.
The writing is grammatically correct but stylistically awkward, unnatural, or hard to read.
Describes writing that feels stiff, awkward, or unnatural. Often used for non-native or inexperienced writing.
His English composition is still awkward writing.
Means 'hard-to-read writing'. Focuses on the reader's difficulty rather than the writer's skill.
Specifically means 'bad writing' in terms of style or composition. Often used in literary or academic criticism.
悪筆 (あくひつ) is strictly about handwriting. 駄文 (だぶん) is about the content being worthless or poorly written. 悪文 (あくぶん) is about the style being bad, often in a literary sense. Don't mix them up.
He writes poor prose in bad handwriting.
The phrase 'poor writing' can't always be translated word-for-word. For example, 'poor writing skills' is naturally 文章力が低い (ぶんしょうりょくがひくい) or 文章を書くのが下手 (ぶんしょうをかくのがへた), not a direct equivalent of 'poor writing'.
My writing is poor, so I can't express what I want to say well.
Please forgive my poor writing.
This report is full of hard-to-read writing.
その作家の悪文は批評家から酷評された。
The author's poor writing was severely criticized by reviewers.