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忌まわしい (いまわしい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

忌いまわしい

い

ま

わ

し

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

i-adjective

abhorrent; detestable; repugnant

Expresses strong moral or emotional revulsion toward an act, event, or memory. Often used for things that feel deeply wrong or unforgivable.

彼かれの犯おかした罪つみは忌いまわしいものだった。
The crime he committed was abhorrent.
忌いまわしい記き憶おくを思おも

い

出だ

し

たく

ない

。

I don't want to recall those detestable memories.

2

i-adjective

ominous; inauspicious; unlucky

rare term

Rare, somewhat old-fashioned use for something that feels ill-omened or foreboding. Modern speakers more often use 不吉な or 縁起の悪い.

忌いまわしい夢ゆめを見みて、朝あさから気き分ぶんが沈しずんだ。
I had an ominous dream and felt down from the morning.

Written forms

忌いまわしいUsage68%
Standard kanji spelling; the kanji 忌 carries a sense of taboo or abhorrence.
いまわしいUsage32%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.

Kanji

忌mourning, abhor, detestable

Similar words

憎にくい
憎い focuses on personal hatred or resentment toward a person or action, while 忌まわしい emphasizes a more abstract, moral revulsion or sense of taboo.
不ふ吉きつ
不吉 is the common modern word for 'ominous' or 'unlucky'; 忌まわしい in this sense is rare and carries a stronger emotional charge of abhorrence.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 忌む (imu, 'to avoid as taboo, to detest') with the adjectival suffix わしい, which often adds a sense of strong emotional quality. The kanji 忌 is associated with taboo and abhorrence.