やましい

• 読み: やましい
• ローマ字: yamashii
• 発音: /ja.ma.ɕiː/

意味

Guilty; having a guilty conscience; shady. Describes a feeling of inner unease caused by doing something one knows to be wrong.

An i-adjective expressing moral discomfort — the awareness that one has acted dishonestly or wrongly. Commonly appears in the phrase やましいところはない (I have nothing to hide / my conscience is clear). The word sits between simple embarrassment and overt guilt, capturing the nagging sense that one's conduct cannot bear scrutiny. Often used in legal or ethical contexts.

例文

1. 彼の目が泳いでいたのは、やましいことがあった証拠だったのかもしれない。
2. やましいところは一切ないと断言できるなら、堂々と証言すればいい。
3. 後ろめたさとやましい気持ちが交錯し、素直に謝ることができなかった。

使い方ガイド

場面: ethics, legal contexts, personal reflection, interpersonal conflict

トーン: introspective

起源と歴史

The kanji form is 疚しい, from 疚 (ku/yama) suggesting festering inner pain. The hiragana form is standard in modern writing. The root relates to illness and inner corruption — implying that moral wrongdoing festers like a wound from within.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: General