えぐい

えぐい
i-adjective
harsh; extreme; disgusting
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Presentえぐいえぐくない
Pastえぐかったえぐくなかった
て formえぐくてえぐくなくて
Adverbialえぐく—
Conditional ばえぐければえぐくなければ
Conditional たらえぐかったらえぐくなかったら
1. harsh; severe; extreme
Describing something intense, extreme, or difficult to handle (modern slang).
その映画(えいが)のシーンはえぐかった。
That scene in the movie was intense/disturbing.
残業(ざんぎょう)がえぐい。
The overtime is extreme/brutal.
2. acrid; disgusting (taste)
Having an unpleasant, bitter, or harsh taste that causes discomfort.
この野菜(やさい)はえぐみがある。
This vegetable has an acrid taste.
あくが強(つよ)くて、えぐい味(あじ)がする。
It has a strong harshness and tastes acrid.
この山菜(さんさい)はそのまま食(た)べるとえぐみが強(つよ)いので、水(みず)にさらしてから料理(りょうり)する。
This wild plant has a strong acrid taste if eaten raw, so it is soaked in water before cooking.

えぐい originally described an unpleasant, acrid taste (like raw taro), but has evolved into widely-used slang.

MODERN SLANG (Sense 1):
Means "extreme," "brutal," or "intense." Can be both negative ("that's messed up") and impressed ("that's insane"). Similar to やばい in versatility.

ORIGINAL TASTE (Sense 2):
えぐみ is the noun form for the harsh, acrid taste found in certain vegetables. 山菜(さんさい) (wild plants) are often soaked in water to remove えぐみ.

FORMS:

  • えぐい → えぐくない (negative) → えぐかった (past)
  • えぐみ: noun form (the acrid taste)
  • えぐさ: noun form (the intensity/harshness)

REGISTER:
Very casual/colloquial in the slang sense. Not used in formal writing.

Related Words

Synonym: やばい (intense/extreme (slang))
general
Added 2026.1.16 17:18 · Revised 2026.6.16 3:53
05500/05608_egui