まずい

• Reading: まずい
• Romaji: mazui
• Pronunciation: /ma.zɯ.i/

Meaning

Bad-tasting; unpalatable; awful. Describes food that tastes bad.

An i-adjective meaning bad-tasting or unpleasant. Beyond taste, まずい is commonly used to mean 'bad' or 'problematic' in a situation — まずいことになった means things have gone wrong. The kanji 不味い exists but hiragana is standard. Conjugates regularly: まずくない, まずかった. Considered direct, so softer alternatives like おいしくない are often preferred.

Examples

1. この料理はちょっとまずいです。 This food tastes a bit bad.
2. 冷めたピザはまずくなる。 Cold pizza doesn't taste good.
3. まずい店には二度と行きません。 I'll never go to a bad restaurant again.

Usage Guide

Context: food, taste, daily life

Tone: negative

Origin & History

From まず (poor, inferior) plus い. The kanji 不味い combines 不 (not) and 味 (flavor), literally meaning 'without good flavor.'

Cultural Context

Era: Edo

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal