Refers to shrewd, often underhanded intelligence used to deceive or manipulate. Typically negative in connotation.
He is a politician skilled in cunning.
He outwitted his opponent by using his craftiness.
悪知恵 is more colloquial and refers to 'mischievous cleverness' or 'bad wisdom', often used for petty tricks, while 奸智 is more formal and implies deeper, more sinister cunning.
策略 is a neutral term for 'strategy' or 'tactics', which can be used in both positive and negative contexts, whereas 奸智 always carries a negative, deceitful nuance.
Standard kanji spelling for 'cunning' or 'crafty wisdom'.
Variant using 知 (knowledge/wisdom); less common but still seen.
Rare variant using 姦 (wicked/adulterous); may carry a stronger negative nuance.
Compound of 奸 (wicked, cunning) and 智 (wisdom, intellect). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has been used to denote 'crafty intelligence' in literary and formal contexts.