生憎

• 読み: あいにく
• ローマ字: ainiku
• 漢字の分解: 生 (sei/nama) — life, raw; 憎 (zou/niku) — hateful
• 発音: /a.i.ni.kɯ/

意味

Unfortunately; unluckily. Used when circumstances are unfavourable or disappointing.

Functions as a na-adjective, adverb, and noun. Most commonly used adverbially at the start of a sentence to express regret about a situation beyond one's control. Often paired with polite forms like 生憎ですが when declining requests or delivering bad news.

例文

1. 生憎、明日は予定が入っています。
2. 生憎の雨で花見は中止になった。
3. 生憎ですが、その商品は売り切れです。

使い方ガイド

場面: business, customer service, apologies

トーン: apologetic

起源と歴史

Written with kanji 生 (life/raw) and 憎 (hateful), the word originally conveyed the nuance of something hatefully inconvenient. The kanji are ateji — chosen for sound rather than meaning.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal