口が悪い
くちがわるい
sharp-tongued
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
彼は口が悪いが優しい。
かれはくちがわるいがやさしい。
He's sharp-tongued but kind.
口が悪いだけで悪気はない。
くちがわるいだけでわるぎはない。
He just talks that way; he means no harm.
祖父は口が悪かったが、家族思いの人だった。
そふはくちがわるかったが、かぞくおもいのひとだった。
My grandfather had a sharp tongue, but he cared deeply about his family.
Common patterns
- 口は悪いが悪気はない
- sharp-tongued but well-meaning
- 口が悪い人
- a blunt, cutting speaker
- 言い方がきつい
- to put things harshly
Memory tip
It describes a blunt, cutting style of speech rather than a bad person, which is why it so often appears as 口は悪いが… followed by something positive. It does not mean swearing or foul language in the English sense.
Kanji in this word
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What does 口が悪い mean?