悔しい（くやしい、kuyashii）
- frustrating

The Japanese word 悔しい (くやしい) expresses a feeling of frustration, regret, disappointment, or chagrin. It often arises when something doesn't go as planned, when you fail at something, or when you feel you've been unfairly treated. The feeling is a combination of sadness and anger, often directed at oneself or the situation. The feeling is specifically about feeling of 悔しい due to failure or disappointment.

⚫︎試験に落ちて悔しい Translation: I’m frustrated/disappointed that I failed the exam. ⚫︎試合に負けて、悔しい Translation: I'm frustrated/disappointed that we lost the game. ⚫︎せっかく作った料理がまずくて悔しい Translation: I'm disappointed that the dish I spent so much time on tastes bad.

You can use 悔しい in various situations where you feel frustrated or disappointed. It's often used when you: ⚫︎Fail at a task. ⚫︎Lose a competition. ⚫︎Miss an opportunity. ⚫︎Feel someone has been unfair to you. You can use it to express your own feelings or empathize with someone else's 悔しい feelings. The degree of 悔しい can vary depending on the situation, from mild disappointment to intense frustration.

悔しい is typically written in hiragana as くやしい or in kanji 悔しい. The okurigana (the hiragana following the kanji) is always しい. There are no other common ways to write this word. The kanji 悔 alone can mean regret or repentance.

⚫︎残念 (ざんねん) - Regretful, unfortunate. (More general than 悔しい and doesn't always convey the frustration.) ⚫︎がっかり - Disappointed. ⚫︎不愉快 (ふゆかい) - Unpleasant, displeased. ⚫︎歯がゆい (はがゆい) - Frustrated, irritated (often used when things don't go smoothly or as expected). ⚫︎腹立たしい (はらだたしい) - Annoying, irritating. (More intense than 悔しい, expressing anger.)

⚫︎嬉しい (うれしい) - Happy, glad. ⚫︎楽しい (たのしい) - Fun, enjoyable. ⚫︎満足 (まんぞく) - Satisfaction, contentment.

頑張ったのに、またテストで悪い点を取ってしまって悔しい ・Translation: Even though I studied hard, I got a bad score on the test again, and I'm frustrated. ・Explanation: This sentence shows the feeling of 悔しい resulting from not achieving a desired outcome despite effort.

ライバルに負けて悔しいけど、もっと頑張ろう ・Translation: I’m frustrated that I lost to my rival, but I will try harder. ・Explanation: This sentence indicates a feeling of 悔しい after a loss, along with a determination to improve.

The etymology of 悔しい comes from the verb 悔いる (くいる), meaning to regret or repent. The adjective form 悔しい, therefore, reflects the feeling of regret and frustration.