憎

to hate, detest

Kanji 1532

It's important to know if others hate you. It's even more crucial to recognize that someone is using 憎 ironically to say that you're cute or amazing. Find out when the Japanese avoid mentioning hatred and when they're surprisingly direct. See which book titles contain 憎, including one about tsunami victims who simply can't hate the sea. And enjoy a folktale about love gone horribly awry.

Revision history:

June 9, 2021: p. 14: Deleted the sample sentence with 怨憎会苦 and the subsequent commentary. When I tried to include the same sentence in essay 1964 on 怨, my proofreader said he didn’t really understand the point of the sentence. 

Jan. 24, 2020:

• p. 2: Etymology Box: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one.
• p. 2: Added "should" to the translation of the second sample sentence (the one about martial law).
• p. 16: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Jan. 5, 2018: Updated many definitions of look-alikes in the Character Profile on page 1. Also removed or fixed broken links on pages 2, 4, 9, and 14.

May 20, 2014: In one sample sentence on page 10, I changed the definition of 親子 (おやこ) to be "parent-child," not "mother-daughter."

Oct. 25, 2013: Originally published.