悪
悪 — Bad
bad, vice, rascal, false, evil, wrong
On’yomiアク (aku)
On’yomiオ (o)
Kun’yomiわるい (warui)
Kun’yomiわる- (waru)
Kun’yomiあし (ashi)
Kun’yomiにくい (nikui)
Kun’yomi-にくい (nikui)
Stroke order (11 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 悪
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 悪化 | あっか akka | deterioration; getting worse; worsening |
| 悪 | あく aku | evil; wickedness; (role of) the villain (in theatre, etc.) |
| 最悪 | さいあく saiaku | worst; horrible; horrid |
| 悪質 | あくしつ akushitsu | malicious; vicious; malignant |
| 悪魔 | あくま akuma | devil; demon; fiend |
| 悪さ | わるさ warusa | badness; mean mischief |
Study notes
悪 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 11 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #530 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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