What is the Kanji for "Evil"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Evil", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Evil" is "悪".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Waru".

Its onyomi reading is "Aku".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "心" means "Heart" and can be read as "Shin" and "Kokoro". And The kanji "亜" means "Asia" and can be read as "A" and "Tsu".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "悪" mean in japanese?

"悪" means "Evil".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

悪い: "Bad". The Japanese adjective '悪い (わるい)' means 'bad'. This adjective is used to describe something of poor quality, undesirable, or morally wrong. It can be applied to a wide range of subjects, such as behavior, character, health, or the condition of an object. For example: That food tastes bad - (その食べ物は悪い味がする). She has a bad attitude - (彼女は性格が悪い).

悪: "Evil". The noun '悪(あく)' means 'evil'. It refers to immoral, unethical, or wicked behavior, character, or actions. It can be used to describe people, deeds, or situations that are morally corrupt or harmful. For example: The thief's evil deeds - (泥棒の悪い行為). That's an evil plan - (あれは悪い計画だ).

最悪: "Worst". The adjectival noun '最悪 (さいあく)' means 'worst'. This word is used to describe a situation, outcome or quality as being extremely bad, undesirable or unfortunate. It conveys the idea that something is the most negative or disastrous possible. For example: This is the worst day ever - (これは最悪の日だ). The worst part is having to wait - (最悪なのは待たなければならないことだ).

悪用: "Misuse". The noun '悪用 (あくよう)' means 'misuse'. This word refers to the improper or unintended use of something, typically in a harmful or detrimental way. It can be used to describe the misapplication of tools, technology, information, or other resources. For example: The technology was misused - (そのテクノロジーは悪用された). The sensitive information was misused by the criminal - (その機密情報は犯罪者に悪用された).

悪女: "Villainess". The Japanese noun '悪女 (あくじょ)' refers to a female villain or an evil woman. This term is often used to describe a female character in stories, films, or anime who is the antagonist and has malevolent intentions or engages in wicked behavior. For example: She plays the role of the villainess in the drama - (彼女はドラマの悪女の役を演じている). The evil queen is the villainess in the fairy tale - (悪女は童話の中の悪女である).

悪質: "Malicious" or "Despicable". The adjectival noun '悪質 (あくしつ)' means 'malicious' or 'despicable'. It describes actions, behaviors, or attitudes that are deliberately harmful, spiteful, or morally wrong. It connotes a sense of willfulness and a complete disregard for others. For example: The company's fraudulent practices were despicable - (その会社の詐欺まがいの行為は悪質だった). He is a malicious person - (彼は悪質な人物だ).

悪化: "Worsen". The verbal noun '悪化 (あっか)' means 'to worsen'. This term is used to describe a situation or condition that is declining or getting worse over time. For example: The patient's condition worsened - (患者の状態が悪化した). The weather worsened and it started raining heavily - (天気が悪化して激しい雨が降り始めた).

意地悪: "Meanness". The verbal noun '意地悪 (いじわる)' means 'meanness'. This word refers to a malicious, spiteful or unpleasant behavior towards others. It is often used to describe someone who deliberately acts in a cruel or unkind way without any good reason. For example: She was so mean to me - (彼女は私に対して本当に意地悪だった). Don't be so mean - (そんなに意地悪にならないでください).

悪口: "Insult". The noun '悪口 (わるくち)' refers to a verbal insult or derogatory speech directed towards someone. It connotes harsh, abusive language used to criticize or belittle a person. For example: He was fired for his constant insults - (彼は絶え間ない悪口で解雇された). I don't appreciate your insults - (あなたの悪口は感謝できません).

悪戯: "Mischief". The Japanese noun '悪戯 (いたずら)' means 'mischief'. This word refers to playful, harmless acts of teasing or causing minor trouble, often done in a spirit of fun. It can describe actions like pranks, tricks, or naughty behavior, but without any malicious intent. For example: The children were up to mischief - (子供たちはいたずらをしていました). Don't play mischief on your little sister - (妹にいたずらをしてはいけません).

悪魔: "Demon". The Japanese noun '悪魔 (あくま)' refers to a demonic or evil supernatural being. Demons in Japanese mythology and folklore are often portrayed as malevolent, powerful entities that cause harm to humans. They are considered the opposite of benevolent spirits or deities. For example: The evil demon attacked the village - (悪魔が村を攻撃した). Do not anger the demon - (悪魔を怒らせてはいけない).

悪賢い: "Cunning". The Japanese adjective '悪賢い (わるがしこい)' means 'cunning'. This adjective describes someone or something that is crafty, sly, or clever in a deceptive or manipulative way. It suggests a negative form of intelligence used for selfish or harmful purposes. For example: The cunning robber tricked the shopkeeper - (悪賢い泥棒が店主を欺いた). She has a cunning nature - (彼女は悪賢い性格だ).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "あ" is read as "a". The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". The hiragana "わ" is read as "wa". And The hiragana "る" is read as "ru".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.