苦い

• 読み: にがい
• ローマ字: nigai
• 漢字の分解: 苦 (niga/ku) — bitter, suffering
• 発音: /ni.ɡa.i/

意味

Bitter. Describes the taste of unsweetened tea, coffee, medicine, and certain vegetables.

An i-adjective for bitter taste. Also used figuratively in expressions like 苦い経験 (bitter experience) or 苦い顔 (a pained expression). Green tea and black coffee are commonly described as 苦い. Conjugates regularly: 苦くない, 苦かった.

例文

1. この薬は苦いけど飲んでください。
2. コーヒーが苦くて飲めません。
3. 苦い野菜は子どもに人気がない。

使い方ガイド

場面: food, taste, medicine

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

The kanji 苦 combines the grass radical (艹) with 古 (old), suggesting the bitterness of withered plants. Used in Japanese since ancient times for both literal and figurative bitterness.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal