Japanese · Insults
キモい
kimoi
KEE-moy · /kimoi/
Gross / creepy / disgusting
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"(clipped from kimochi-warui, 'bad feeling')"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Contraction of kimochi-warui, "makes me feel sick." The go-to word for a creepy guy, a disgusting bug, or anything skin-crawling. Aimed at a person — especially a man being creepy toward a woman — it's a firm rejection. A staple of teen and twenty-something speech.
Heard in the wild
急に手握ってきて、キモい。
He suddenly grabbed my hand — so creepy.
Where it lands
Nationwide; heaviest among younger speakers
Quick answers
- What does "キモい" mean?
- In Japanese, "キモい" means "Gross / creepy / disgusting". Literally it's "(clipped from kimochi-warui, 'bad feeling')". Contraction of kimochi-warui, "makes me feel sick." The go-to word for a creepy guy, a disgusting bug, or anything skin-crawling. Aimed at a person — especially a man being creepy toward a woman — it's a firm rejection. A staple of teen and twenty-something speech.
- Is "キモい" 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 "キモい"?
- Say it "KEE-moy" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: kimoi.
Related in Japanese
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Disgusting".
- French Ça craint ! That's sketchy / That sucks / This is bad news
- German Drecksau Filthy pig / dirty swine
- Greek αηδία Gross / disgusting / yuck.
- Italian Che schifo! How gross! / Yuck!
- Korean 극혐 So gross / absolutely revolting — maximum disgust in two syllables.
- Polish syf Filth / grime / a dump — squalor as a one-syllable verdict.
- Portuguese Bosta! Crap! / (a) piece of garbage
- Russian Фу! Yuck! / Ew! / Gross!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.