後ろめたい

• Reading: うしろめたい
• Romaji: ushirometai
• Kanji breakdown: 後ろ (ushiro) — behind, back; めたい — uneasy, uncomfortable (adjectival suffix)
• Pronunciation: /ɯ.ɕi.ɾo.me.ta.i/

Meaning

Guilty; ashamed; having a guilty conscience. The uneasy feeling that something one has done — or failed to do — was wrong.

An i-adjective describing a subtle, lingering sense of moral discomfort or guilt, even when the wrongdoing may be minor or ambiguous. It differs from 恥ずかしい (embarrassed) by its moral quality, and from 罪悪感 (sense of guilt) by being less formal and more subjective. The nominalised form 後ろめたさ is also common. The image is of something lurking behind one's back, the conscience following silently.

Examples

1. 親に嘘をついた後、何日も後ろめたい気持ちが続いた。 After lying to her parents, she felt guilty for days.
2. 友人より先に内定を得たことが、どこか後ろめたかった。 Getting a job offer before her friend made her feel somehow guilty.
3. 何も悪いことはしていないのに、後ろめたさを感じるのはなぜだろう。 Why do we feel a sense of guilt even when we haven't done anything wrong?

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, interpersonal relations, ethics, psychology

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The root 後ろ (ushiro) means 'behind,' suggesting the feeling of something lurking at one's back — the metaphor of a guilty conscience following you. The adjectival ending めたい conveys a subjective unease or discomfort directed inward.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal