いじめ

い

じ

め

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

bullying; teasing

usually written using kana alone

Refers to persistent bullying or teasing, especially in school or workplace contexts. Can range from mild teasing to severe harassment.

学がっ校こうでのいじめは深しん

刻こく

な

問もん

題だい

だ

。

Bullying at school is a serious problem.

彼かれはいじめに耐たえられず、学がっ校こうをやめた。

He couldn't stand the bullying and dropped out of school.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉がいじめに遭あうto be bullied (by someone)
彼かれは学がっ校こうでいじめに遭あっていた。
He was being bullied at school.
いじめを受うけるto suffer/receive bullying
彼かの女じょは同どう級きゅう生せいからいじめを受うけていた。
She was subjected to bullying by her classmates.
いじめをやめるto stop bullying (someone)
先せん生せいはいじめをやめるよう注ちゅう意いした。
The teacher warned them to stop the bullying.
いじめの被ひ害がい者しゃvictim of bullying
彼かれはいじめの被ひ害がい者しゃだった。
He was a victim of bullying.
〈場ば所しょ〉でいじめが起おきるbullying occurs at (a place)
そのクラスでいじめが起おきていた。
Bullying was occurring in that class.

Kanji

虐tyrannize, oppress
苛torment, scold, chastise

Related words

嫌いやがらせN1
嫌がらせ is a broader term for harassment or malicious acts, while いじめ specifically implies persistent, often group-based bullying, especially among children.
虐ぎゃく待たい
虐待 refers to serious physical or psychological abuse, often in domestic or institutional settings, whereas いじめ covers a wider range from mild teasing to harassment among peers.
仲なか間ま外はずれN2
いじめ is active bullying or harassment, while 仲間外れ specifically means being excluded or left out of a group.

Don't confuse with

いじり
弄り refers to casual fiddling or playful meddling, whereas いじめ means cruel bullying, so learners should not confuse the two despite the similar いじ- sound.

Written forms

いじめUsage85%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 虐め and 苛め are less common.
イジメUsage14%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
虐いじめUsage1%
Kanji form; 虐 means 'oppress' or 'tyrannize'.
苛いじめUsage1%
Kanji form; 苛 means 'torment' or 'bully'.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 苛める/虐める (いじめる, 'to bully'), which is the transitive form of 苛む/虐む (いじむ, 'to torment'). The noun form いじめ is the continuative form (連用形) of いじめる.