also: こすい
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 |
Describes a person or action that is crafty, sneaky, or self-serving in a way that feels unfair. Common in everyday speech.
That's not fair! Eating ahead by yourself.
彼はずるい手を使って勝った。
He won using a sneaky trick.
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.
あの人はこすいから、絶対におごってくれない。
That person is so stingy, they'd never treat you.
It's not fair that only you get to have the snacks.
He used an underhanded trick to win.
You mustn't cheat on the test.
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.
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.
ずるい emphasizes unfair cunning or cheating, whereas せこい more often just means cheap or petty without necessarily being deceptive.
Rarely used kanji form; learners should prefer kana.
Kana spelling for the rare reading こすい, used only for the 'stingy' sense.