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Kotomora

憎

hate, detest

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes14

Readings

On'yomi

  • ゾウ

Kun'yomi

  • にく.む
  • にく.い
  • にく.らしい
  • にく.しみ

Meaning

憎 centers on intense dislike: hating or detesting someone or something.

Most common words using 憎

20 of 40
  • 憎むにくむ
    N3

    to hate; to detest

  • 憎しみにくしみ
    N1

    hatred

  • 憎悪ぞうお
    N1

    hatred; abhorrence; loathing; detestation

  • 憎いにくい
    N3

    hateful; detestable; abominable; vexing; provoking

  • 生憎あいにく
    N3

    unfortunately; sorry, but ...

  • 愛憎あいぞう
    N1

    love and hate

  • 憎たらしいにくたらしい

    odious; hateful; awful; horrid; revolting

  • 憎らしいにくらしい
    N2

    odious; hateful; detestable; horrible

  • 憎まれ口にくまれぐち

    abusive language

  • 憎まれ役にくまれやく

    thankless role; ungracious part

  • 心憎いこころにくい

    refined; admirable; superb

  • お生憎様おあいにくさま

    sorry

  • その罪を憎んでその人を憎まずそのつみをにくんでそのひとをにくまず

    condemn the offense, but not the offender; detest the sin, but weep for the sinner

  • 可愛さ余って憎さ百倍かわいさあまってにくさひゃくばい

    the greatest hate proceeds from the greatest love

  • 坊主憎けりゃ袈裟まで憎いぼうずにくけりゃけさまでにくい

    if you dislike someone, you will end up hating everything he stands for; hate a priest, and you will hate his very vestments

  • 嫌中憎韓けんちゅうぞうかん

    Dislike China, Hate Korea; publishing genre of anti-Chinese and Korean books and magazines

  • 小憎らしいこにくらしい

    provoking; rather annoying

  • 小面憎いこづらにくい

    cheeky; saucy; pert

  • 怨憎会苦おんぞうえく

    the pain of meeting people one dislikes

  • 愛憎併存あいぞうへいそん

    ambivalence

Explore all words using 憎 →

Study

Etymology

憎 combines 忄 (heart/mind) with 曾, which likely contributes the sound and may have originally suggested a piled-up or accumulated feeling, leading to the idea of deep-seated hatred.

Meaning mnemonic

The heart radical 忄 beside 曾 suggests a heart burdened with piled-up negative feelings: that is hate.

Reading mnemonic

For ゾウ, imagine a zoo filled with animals you detest: zoo -> ゾウ, and your heart fills with hate.