へぼい

へぼい
i-adjective
lousy, crappy, incompetent
informalspokenslangevaluation
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Presentへぼいへぼくない
Pastへぼかったへぼくなかった
て formへぼくてへぼくなくて
Adverbialへぼく
Conditional ばへぼければへぼくなければ
Conditional たらへぼかったらへぼくなかったら
1. lousy, crappy, incompetent
A casual, somewhat rude way to describe something or someone as being of poor quality or skill.
へぼい選手(せんしゅ)だな。
What a lousy player.
Isn't this work kind of crappy?
へぼいミスしてしまった。
I made a stupid mistake.
(うで)へぼいくせ(えら)そうするな。
Don't act all high and mighty when you're so incompetent.

へぼい is an informal い-adjective meaning lousy, crappy, or incompetent. It comes from the noun へぼ (an unskilled person, a novice).

Forms

  • Adverbial: へぼく
  • Negative: へぼくない
  • Past: へぼかった

Common patterns

Similar words

  • しょぼい: shabby, pathetic (similar casual tone)
  • ダメ: no good (more general, less insulting)
  • 下手(へた): unskillful (neutral, not rude)

Register

Casual and somewhat rude. Used when criticizing or complaining. Not appropriate in polite or formal settings. Can sound playful among friends but offensive directed at strangers.