What does “zurui” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “zurui” often to mean ‘cunning’ 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 this word together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “zurui” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “zurui”
- Zurukunai: the nai form of “zurui”
- Zurukatta: the ta form of “zurui”
- Zurukute: the te form of “zurui”
- Zurukereba: the ba form of “zurui”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “zurui”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “zurui”.
- zurui – ずるい : an i-adjective meaning ‘cunning’ or ‘unfair’ in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers use this i-adjective to describe the unfairness of someone or unfair situation. So, the usages are similar to those of the English adjectives written above.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “cunning” in Japanese
kanojo wa itsumo zurui – 彼女はいつもずるい (かのじょはいつもずるい)
She is always cunning.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “zurui”. 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. When we want to describe the unfairness of someone in Japanese, anyway, this i-adjective is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “zurui” 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 “zurukunai”.
Zurukunai: the nai form of “zurui”
Below are the definition and meanings of “zurukunai”.
- zurukunai – ずるくない : the nai form of “zurui”, which means ‘not cunning’ or ‘not unfair’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “zurukunai” consists of the following two parts:
- zuruku – ずるく : one conjugation of “zurui”. 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 “zurukunai” is literally the nai form of “zurui” and means ‘not cunning’ or ‘not unfair’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “not cunning” in Japanese
「watashi wa zurukunai」 to kanojo ga it ta – 「私はずるくない」と彼女が言った (「わたしはずるくない」とかのじょがいった)
“I’m not cunning,” she said.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what she said.
- 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 “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is a typical usage of “zurukunai”. When we want to mean ‘not cunning’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Zurukatta: the ta form of “zurui”
Below are the definition and meanings of “zurukatta”.
- zurukatta – ずるかった : the ta form of “zurui”, which means ‘was cunning’, ‘was unfair’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “zurukatta” consists of the following two parts:
- zurukat – ずるかっ : one conjugation of “zurui”. 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 “zurukatta” is literally the ta form of “zurui” and means ‘was cunning’, ‘was unfair’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “was cunning” in Japanese
watashi no kareshi wa zurukatta – 私の彼氏はずるかった (わたしのかれしはずるかった)
My boyfriend was cunning.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- 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.
- kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “zurukatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “zurui”, this ta form is the best option.
Zurukute: the te form of “zurui”
Below are the definition and meanings of “zurukute”.
- zurukute – ずるくて : the te form of “zurui”, which means ‘cunning’ or ‘unfair’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “zurukute” consists of the following two parts:
- zuruku – ずるく : one conjugation of “zurui”. 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 “zurukute” is literally the te form of “zurui”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “zurukute” is very useful when we want to use “zurui” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “unfair and” in Japanese
kono joukyou wa zurukute hidoi – この状況はずるくて酷い (このじょうきょうはずるくてひどい)
This situation is unfair and awful.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something 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.
- hidoi – 酷い (ひどい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘awful’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “zurukute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “hidoi”. When we want to use “zurui” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Zurukereba: the ba form of “zurui”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “zurukereba”.
- zurukereba – ずるければ : the ba form of “zurui”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘cunning’ or ‘unfair’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “zurukereba” consists of the following two parts:
- zurukere – ずるけれ : one conjugation of “zurui”. 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 “zurukereba” is literally the ba form of “zurui”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “zurukereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘cunning’ or ‘unfair’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “if unfair” in Japanese
oya ga zurukereba, kodomo ni kouheisa wo oshie rare nai – 親がずるければ、子供に公平さを教えられない (おやがずるければ、こどもにこうへいさをおしえられない)
If parents are unfair, they cannot teach fairness to their children.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- oya – 親 (おや) : a noun meaning ‘parent’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “kodomo” to say to whom parents cannot teach fairness.
- kouheisa – 公平さ (こうへいさ) : a noun meaning ‘fairness’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kouheisa” to make the object in the second clause.
- oshie – 教え (おしえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “oshieru“, which means ‘to teach’ or such 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 “oshie” to make its potential form, “oshie rare”, which means ‘can teach’ in Japanese.
- nai – ない : the same as used in “zurukunai”. In this example, this is used after “oshie rare” to deny its meaning.
This is a typical usage of “zurukereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “oya ga zurukereba”, which means ‘if parents are unfair’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘cunning’ or ‘unfair’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “zurui” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- zurui – ずるい : an i-adjective meaning ‘cunning’ or ‘unfair’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
- zurukunai – ずるくない : the nai form of “zurui”, which means ‘not cunning’ or ‘not unfair’ in Japanese.
- zurukatta – ずるかった : the ta form of “zurui”, which means ‘was cunning’, ‘was unfair’, or such in Japanese.
- zurukute – ずるくて : the te form of “zurui”, which means ‘cunning’ or ‘unfair’ in Japanese. When we want to use “zurui” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- zurukereba – ずるければ : the ba form of “zurui”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘cunning’ or ‘unfair’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
