苦い

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
にが
Grade: 3
kun’yomi

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Japonic *ninka; cognate with Proto-Ryukyuan *niga.

First cited to a text from 858.

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of "苦い"
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Continuative (連用形) 苦く がく

Terminal (終止形) 苦い
Attributive (連体形) 苦い
Key constructions
Informal negative 苦くない がくない
くない

Informal past 苦かった がかった
かった

Informal negative past 苦くなかった がくなかった
くなかった

Formal 苦いです いです
Conjunctive 苦くて がくて
くて

Conditional 苦ければ がければ
ければ

Adjective

(にが) (nigai-i (adverbial (にが) (nigaku))

  1. bitter
    (にが)コーヒー
    nigai kōhī
    bitter coffee
    (にが)経験(けいけん)
    nigai keiken
    bitter experience

Inflection

Antonyms

Related terms

See also

Basic tastes in Japanese · 味覚(みかく) (mikaku) (layout · text)
(あま) (amai) ()っぱい (suppai) (しょ)っぱい (shoppai) (にが​) (niga​i) (から​) (kara​i) 旨味(うまみ) (umami)

References

  1. ^ ”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten) (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
  4. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN