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ひどい Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ひどい

ひ

ど

い

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

i-adjective

cruel; heartless; harsh

usually written using kana alone

Describes actions, words, or treatment that are cruel, unkind, or harsh toward someone.

彼かれは私わたしにひどいことを言いった。
He said cruel things to me.

そんなひどい扱あつかいは許ゆるせない。

I can't forgive such harsh treatment.

2

i-adjective

violent; intense; severe

usually written using kana alone

Used for natural phenomena, physical conditions, or events that are severe, intense, or violent.

昨日きのうはひどい嵐あらしだった。
There was a terrible storm yesterday.
ひどい痛いたみで動うごけない。
I can't move because of the severe pain.

3

i-adjective

terrible; awful; very bad

usually written using kana alone

General evaluation that something is very bad, poor, or of low quality.

この映えい画がはひどい出で来きだ。
This movie is terribly made.
彼かれの字じはひどくて読よめない。
His handwriting is so bad I can't read it.

4

i-adjective

excessive; unreasonable; outrageous

usually written using kana alone

Indicates that something is beyond reasonable limits, often implying unfairness or excess.

See also: 酷く

この値ね段だんはひどすぎる。
This price is outrageous.
ひどい要よう求きゅうを押おし付つけられた。
They forced unreasonable demands on me.

Written forms

ひどいUsage88%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 酷い is also common but less frequent.
酷ひどいUsage10%
Common kanji spelling, though kana is more frequent overall.
ヒドイUsage1%
search-only kana form
ヒドいUsage<1%
search-only kana form
非ひ道どいUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; not recommended for learners.

Kanji

酷cruel, severe, atrocious
非un-, mistake, negative
道road-way, street, district

Similar words

残ざん酷こく
残酷 is more formal and specifically means 'cruel' or 'brutal', often used for acts of cruelty, while ひどい is broader and more colloquial.
凄すごい
凄い can mean 'terrible' in some contexts but is more commonly positive ('amazing'); ひどい is almost always negative.

Etymology

Derived from the classical adjective ひどし, meaning 'cruel' or 'severe'. The kanji 酷 carries the meaning of 'cruel' or 'severe', while 非道い is an ateji-like usage emphasizing 'unreasonable' or 'unjust'.