小癪

• 読み: こしゃく
• ローマ字: koshaku
• 漢字の分解: 小 (shō/ko) — small, minor; 癪 (shaku) — irritation, annoyance, spasm
• 発音: /ko.ɕa.kɯ/

意味

Impudent; cheeky; annoying; saucy. Used to describe someone who acts above their station or behaves in an irritatingly presumptuous way.

A na-adjective often used by someone older or of higher status to describe a younger person or subordinate who speaks or acts with unwarranted confidence. Carries both irritation and a hint of grudging acknowledgement of the person's boldness — the impudence is petty yet strangely difficult to dismiss.

例文

1. 小癪なことを言うな、とベテランの職人は若者をたしなめた。
2. 小癪にも彼は上司の意見に堂々と反論してみせた。
3. あの子の小癪な態度が、なぜか憎めないのだ。

使い方ガイド

場面: interpersonal, criticism, humour, workplace

トーン: irritated

起源と歴史

Compound of 小 (ko, small/slight) and 癪 (shaku, irritation/bile). The 小 prefix adds a nuance of petty or minor irritation, suggesting the impudence is somewhat trivial yet still aggravating.

文化的背景

時代: Edo Period

世代: Older adults

社会的背景: General