悪あく

善ぜんと悪あくgood and evil
悪あくの手てthe wrong hands; hands of evil
悪あくに傾かたむくbe inclined to evil; tend toward wrongdoing
悪あく人にんどもwicked people; bad guys; rascals
悪あく木ぼく盗とう泉せんa virtuous person does not compromise their principles even in hardship

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無む悪あく不ふ造ぞうdoing as much evil as one wants
悪あくに染そまるto be steeped in vice; to become corrupted by evil
悪あくは延のべよdon't rush when in doubt; look before you leap

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Kanji

悪bad, vice, rascal
惡bad, evil

Related words

邪じゃ悪あく sense 1
邪悪 emphasizes a sinister, malicious quality of evil, while 悪 is the broader, more neutral term for moral wrongdoing.
悪あく役やく sense 2
悪役 specifically means the villain role in a story or film, whereas 悪 alone can refer to the abstract idea of a bad character.
悪あく人にんN1sense 2
悪人 names a concrete bad person, while 悪 used for 'villain' is a more literary or abstract way to refer to the same role.
悪あく党とう sense 2
悪党 suggests a scoundrel or gang of criminals with a slightly informal, storytelling flavor, while 悪 as 'villain' is more abstract.

Opposites

善ぜんN3sense 1
good; goodness; right; virtue
正せい義ぎN1
悪 (evil) is the moral opposite of 正義 (justice), the classic good-versus-evil contrast.

Don't confuse with

悪あく意いN1sense 1
悪 refers to abstract moral evil or wickedness, while 悪意 specifically means malicious intent behind a particular act.
アクN1
悪 (あく, evil/bad) is a completely different word that shares the same pronunciation as アク and is sometimes mistakenly written in place of it when describing a strong personality.

Word family· 161

最さい悪あくN3
the worst; worst possible · awful; terrible; horrible · in the worst case; if worst comes to worst
悪あく魔まN3
devil; demon; fiend · Satan; the Devil · Māra; evil forces hindering enlightenment
悪あっ化かN2
deterioration; worsening; aggravation
悪

Written forms

悪あくUsage100%
Standard kanji form; high-frequency in news and general use.
惡あくUsage<1%
out-dated kanji form
Out-dated kanji form (kyūjitai); rarely used in modern Japanese.

Etymology

The kanji 悪 is composed of 心 (heart) and 亞 (subordinate), originally suggesting a twisted or inferior heart. The reading あく is the on'yomi, derived from Middle Chinese.

あく

質しつ

N1

malicious; vicious; underhanded · shoddy; inferior; poor-quality

悪あく夢むN1

nightmare; bad dream

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悪あく意いN1
ill will; malice; spite · bad meaning; negative connotation · bad faith; malice (law)
罪ざい悪あく
crime; sin; vice
悪あく影えい響きょう
bad influence; negative influence; harmful effect
邪じゃ悪あく
wicked; evil
悪あく役やく
villain; baddie; villain's role
凶きょう悪あく
atrocious; heinous; vicious
悪あく人にんN1
bad person; villain; scoundrel
悪あく用ようN1
misuse; abuse; use for a bad purpose
悪あく徳とく
vice; immorality; corruption
悪あく事じN1
evil deed; wrongdoing; crime; vice · misfortune; calamity
悪あく党とう
villain; scoundrel; rascal
悪あく霊りょう
evil spirit; malevolent ghost
善ぜん悪あくN1
right and wrong; good and evil
悪あく性せい
malignant; virulent; pernicious
悪あく天てん候こう
bad weather; severe weather; poor weather conditions
悪あく行ぎょう
misdeed; wrongdoing; wickedness
極ごく悪あく
heinous; atrocious; extremely wicked
悪あく循じゅん環かんN1
vicious circle; vicious cycle
悪あく臭しゅう
bad smell; stench; foul odor
劣れつ悪あく
poor; bad; inferior; low-quality
害がい悪あく
harm; injury; evil influence
悪あく女じょN1
wicked woman; evil woman · ugly woman
改かい悪あくN1
change for the worse; worsening revision; deterioration
悪あく評ひょう
bad reputation; infamy; unfavorable criticism
粗そ悪あく
coarse; crude; inferior

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