ずるい

• Reading: ずるい
• Romaji: zurui
• Kanji breakdown: 狡 (kou/zurui) — cunning, sly
• Pronunciation: /zɯ.ɾɯ.i/

Meaning

Sly; cunning; unfair; sneaky. Describes a person or action that gains advantage through dishonest or self-serving means at others' expense.

An i-adjective expressing moral disapproval of selfish cleverness. Often used when someone benefits by bypassing rules, exploiting loopholes, or shifting burdens onto others. Commonly heard as a child's accusation (ずるい！That's not fair!) but equally applied in adult contexts—politics, business, and personal relationships. Distinct from 賢い (clever, neutral or positive); ずるい always implies a breach of fairness. Often written in hiragana; kanji 狡い is found in formal and literary texts.

Examples

1. 自分だけ先に抜け出しておいて後始末は人任せなんて、本当にずるい。 Slipping out early by yourself and leaving the clean-up to everyone else — that's really not fair.
2. 規則の抜け穴を巧みに利用するあのやり方は、合法でもずるいと感じる。 That way of skilfully exploiting loopholes in the rules feels unfair, even if it's technically legal.
3. ずるい人は短期的には得をしても、長期的には信頼を失っていく。 Sly people may benefit in the short term, but over time they lose the trust of those around them.

Usage Guide

Context: social behaviour, criticism, fairness, children, ethics

Tone: negative

Origin & History

The kanji 狡 combines 犭 (animal radical) and 交 (intertwine), evoking the cunning of a wily animal. The word has roots in classical Japanese and appears in literature from the Heian period onward to describe sly behaviour.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal