ずるい

also: こすい

ず

る

い

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

ずるい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	ずるい	ずるくない
Polite	ずるいです	ずるくないですalso ずるくありません
Past polite	ずるかったです	ずるくなかったですalso ずるくありませんでした
Past	ずるかった	ずるくなかった
Te-form	ずるくて	ずるくなくて
Adverbial	ずるく
Conditional	ずるければ	ずるくなければ
Tara conditional	ずるかったら	ずるくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

sly; cunning; unfair

usually written using kana alone

Describes a person or action that is crafty, sneaky, or self-serving in a way that feels unfair. Common in everyday speech.

ずるいよ！一人ひとりだけ先さきに食たべるなんて。
That's not fair! Eating ahead by yourself.
彼かれはずるい手てを使つかって勝かった。
He won using a sneaky trick.

i-adjective

stingy; miserly

usually written using kana alone

Only with reading こすい

Rare reading こすい used mainly in older or dialectal speech for a stingy, tight-fisted person. Not common in modern standard Japanese.

あの人ひとはこすいから、絶ぜっ対たいにおごってくれない。
That person is so stingy, they'd never treat you.

See all 39 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉だけ〈事こと〉なんてずるいit's unfair that only [someone] gets to [do/have something]
自じ分ぶんだけお菓か子しをもらうなんてずるいよ。
It's not fair that only you get to have the snacks.
ずるい手てを使つかうto use an underhanded trick
彼かれは勝かつためにずるい手てを使つかった。
He used an underhanded trick to win.
ずるいことをするto do something sneaky or cheat
テストでずるいことをしてはいけない。
You mustn't cheat on the test.

Kanji

狡cunning, sly, crafty

Related words· 10

狡こう猾かつ sense 1
狡猾 is a formal, literary word for calculated cunning, while ずるい is the everyday word for sneaky or unfair behavior.
ケチN3sense 2
ケチ is the common modern word for stingy, while ずるい (in its rare こすい reading) is an old-fashioned or dialectal term for the same trait.
卑ひ怯きょうN2sense 1
卑怯 emphasizes cowardly or dishonorable unfairness with strong moral condemnation, whereas ずるい is a lighter, more casual complaint about unfairness.
狡ずる賢がしこいN1sense 1
ずるがしこい stresses cleverness combined with slyness, while ずるい focuses simply on the unfair or sneaky act itself.

Show 6 more

悪わる賢がしこいN1
ずるい is a casual, everyday word for unfair or sneaky behavior, while 悪賢い stresses clever, calculating cunning behind the dishonesty.
あざといN1
ずるい is a broad word for 'unfair' or 'sly', while あざとい specifically describes calculated, pushy self-serving behavior.
横おう着ちゃくN1
ずるい focuses on being sly or unfair, while 横着 in its impudent sense emphasizes brazen shamelessness rather than cleverness.
あくどいN1
ずるい is a milder, everyday word for being unfair or sneaky, while あくどい describes behavior that is more seriously vicious or crooked.
卑ひ劣れつN1
ずるい means 'sly' or 'cunning' in a self-serving way and is milder and more colloquial than the harsher condemnation in 卑劣.
せこいN1
ずるい emphasizes unfair cunning or cheating, whereas せこい more often just means cheap or petty without necessarily being deceptive.

Opposites

正しょう直じきN3sense 1
正直 means honest and straightforward, the opposite of ずるい's sly, self-serving behavior.
まっすぐN5
ずるい describes someone sly or dishonest, the opposite of a まっすぐ (straightforward, honest) personality.

Don't confuse with

ずる
狡い(ずるい) is the adjective meaning 'sly/unfair', while ずる is the related noun for the act of cheating or the person who cheats.

Word family

ずる
cheating; foul play; sneaky act · cheater; sly person; cunning fellow
ずるける
shirk duties; be idle; play truant · come loose; come undone; get untied

Written forms

ずるいUsage76%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
狡いUsage13%
rarely-used kanji form
- ずるい
  Rarely used kanji form; learners should prefer kana.
- こすい
ズルいUsage7%
search-only kana form
こすいUsage3%
Kana spelling for the rare reading こすい, used only for the 'stingy' sense.
ズルイUsage1%
kana-only spelling

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. The reading ずるい may be related to the mimetic word ずるずる (slipping, dragging), suggesting a slippery or evasive character. The kanji 狡 is an ateji applied later.