Mazui is the Japanese word for ‘not very nice’, explained

What does “mazui” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “mazui” often to mean ‘not very nice’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “mazui” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “mazui”
  • Example #1: how to say “not very nice” in Japanese
• Mazukunai: the nai form of “mazui”
  • Example #2: how to say “acceptable” in Japanese
• Mazukatta: the ta form of “mazui”
  • Example #3: how to say “was not very nice” in Japanese
• Mazukute: the te form of “mazui”
  • Example #4: how to say “not delicious and” in Japanese
• Mazukereba: the ba form of “mazui”
  • Example #5: how to say “if not delicious” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “mazui”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “mazui”.

• mazui – 拙い/不味い (まずい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese.

Native speakers use this i-adjective to describe something not very nice in Japanese. In addition, they sometimes use this to describe something not delicious as it can be considered as something not very nice in taste.

“Mazui” has two different kanji expressions. The first one is normally used to mean ‘not very nice’ and the second one is used to mean ‘not delicious’. In reality, however, this i-adjective is quite often written in hiragana or even katakana.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “not very nice” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “joukyou” to say “this situation” in Japanese.
• joukyou – 状況 (じょうきょう) : a noun meaning ‘situation’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kono joukyou” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “mazui”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “mazui joukyou” to mean a ‘not very nice situation’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mazui” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “mazukunai”.

Mazukunai: the nai form of “mazui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “mazukunai”.

• mazukunai – 拙くない/不味くない (まずくない) : the nai form of “mazui”, which means ‘acceptable’ or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mazukunai” consists of the following two parts:

• mazuku – 拙く/不味く (まずく) : one conjugation of “mazui”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mazukunai” is literally the nai form of “mazui” and means ‘acceptable’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “acceptable” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• zentai – 全体 (ぜんたい) : a noun meaning ‘whole’, ‘everything’, or such in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “zentai” and “joukyou”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the whole situation’ in Japanese.
• mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “mazukunai”. When we want to use the negative form of “mazui”, this nai form is a good option.

Mazukatta: the ta form of “mazui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “mazukatta”.

• mazukatta – 拙かった/不味かった (まずかった) : the ta form of “mazui”, which means ‘was not very nice’, ‘was not delicious’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mazukatta” consists of the following two parts:

• mazukat – 拙かっ/不味かっ (まずかっ) : one conjugation of “mazui”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mazukatta” is literally the ta form of “mazui” and means ‘was not very nice’, ‘was not delicious’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was not very nice” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• kangae – 考え (かんがえ) : a noun meaning ‘idea’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “watashi no kangae” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “mazukatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “mazui”, this ta form is the best option.

Mazukute: the te form of “mazui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “mazukute”.

• mazukute – 拙くて/不味くて (まずくて) : the te form of “mazui”, which means ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mazukute” consists of the following two parts:

• mazuku – 拙く/不味く (まずく) : one conjugation of “mazui”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mazukute” is literally the te form of “mazui”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence. So, “mazukute” is very useful when we want to make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “not delicious and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ryouri – 料理 (りょうり) : a noun meaning ‘dish’ or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• tabe – 食べ (たべ) : one conjugation of the verb, “taberu“, which means ‘to eat’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• rare – られ : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “rareru”, which is used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, this is used after “tabe” to make its potential form, “tabe rare”, which means ‘can eat’ in Japanese.
• nai – ない : the same as used in “mazukunai”. In this example, this is used after “tabe rare” to deny its meaning.

This is a typical usage of “mazukute”. In the example, it works to make the cause-and-effect structure in the sentence with meaning ‘not delicious’ in Japanese.

Mazukereba: the ba form of “mazui”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “mazukereba”.

• mazukereba – 拙ければ/不味ければ (まずければ) : the ba form of “mazui”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “mazukereba” consists of the following two parts:

• mazukere – 拙けれ/不味けれ (まずけれ) : one conjugation of “mazui”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “mazukereba” is literally the ba form of “mazui”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “mazukereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if not delicious” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• oshie – 教え (おしえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “oshieru“, which means ‘to teach’, ‘to tell’, or ‘to let someone know’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “mazukute”. In this example, this is used after “oshie” to make its te form, “oshie te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ in Japanese. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “oshie te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “mazukereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “ryouri ga mazukereba”, which means ‘if the dish is not delicious’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “mazui” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• mazui – 拙い/不味い (まずい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese. The first kanji expression is normally used to mean ‘not very nice’ and the second one is used to mean ‘not delicious’. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• mazukunai – 拙くない/不味くない (まずくない) : the nai form of “mazui”, which means ‘acceptable’ or such in Japanese.
• mazukatta – 拙かった/不味かった (まずかった) : the ta form of “mazui”, which means ‘was not very nice’, ‘was not delicious’, or such in Japanese.
• mazukute – 拙くて/不味くて (まずくて) : the te form of “mazui”, which means ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese. When we want to make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese, this te form is a good option.
• mazukereba – 拙ければ/不味ければ (まずければ) : the ba form of “mazui”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘not very nice’ or ‘not delicious’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.