嫌らしい

• Reading: いやらしい
• Romaji: iyarashii
• Kanji breakdown: 嫌 (iya/ken) — dislike, unpleasant
• Pronunciation: /i.ja.ɾa.ɕiː/

Meaning

Unpleasant; disagreeable; nasty. Also carries connotations of being lewd or indecent.

An i-adjective with two distinct senses. The first is broadly negative — describing something repulsive, slimy, or off-putting in character (嫌らしい性格). The second, very common colloquially, means suggestive, lewd, or perverted (嫌らしい目で見る). Context determines which meaning applies. The word is considered quite direct and potentially offensive.

Examples

1. あの人は嫌らしい笑い方をする。 That person has a nasty way of laughing.
2. 嫌らしい質問ばかりして相手を困らせた。 They kept asking disagreeable questions and made the other person uncomfortable.
3. 虫が嫌らしい動きをしていて気持ち悪かった。 The bug was moving in a creepy way that made me feel sick.

Usage Guide

Context: criticism, disgust, character description, colloquial speech

Tone: negative

Origin & History

From 嫌 (iya, dislike/unpleasant) + らしい (rashii, -like/seeming). Literally 'seeming unpleasant' — having the quality of being disagreeable or repulsive.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal