Japanese · Frustration
むかつく
mukatsuku
moo-KAHT-soo-koo · /mɯkatsɯkɯ/
It pisses me off / makes my blood boil
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"to feel nauseous / churn"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Literally "my stomach turns," now the standard "that pisses me off." Someone cut the line, your coworker took credit, the smug reply — "mukatsuku." Describes YOUR anger rather than insulting the target, which makes it very common and relatively safe to say out loud. Clipped "mukatsuku~" or "muka-tsuku wa."
Heard in the wild
あの態度、ほんとムカつく。
That attitude really pisses me off.
Where it lands
Nationwide
Quick answers
- What does "むかつく" mean?
- In Japanese, "むかつく" means "It pisses me off / makes my blood boil". Literally it's "to feel nauseous / churn". Literally "my stomach turns," now the standard "that pisses me off." Someone cut the line, your coworker took credit, the smug reply — "mukatsuku." Describes YOUR anger rather than insulting the target, which makes it very common and relatively safe to say out loud. Clipped "mukatsuku~" or "muka-tsuku wa."
- Is "むかつく" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
- How do you pronounce "むかつく"?
- Say it "moo-KAHT-soo-koo" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: mɯkatsɯkɯ.
Related in Japanese
うるさい urusai oo-roo-SIGH Shut up / you're too loud / quit nagging うざい uzai oo-ZYE Annoying / a pain in the ass 消えろ kiero kee-EH-ro Get lost / get out of my sight クソ食らえ kuso kurae KOO-so koo-RAH-eh Eat shit / to hell with it 何だよ nanda yo NAHN-dah yo What the hell / what's your problem 面倒くさい mendōkusai men-DOH-koo-sigh What a pain / can't be bothered / such a hassle
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