くどい

i-adjective

persistent; long-winded; heavy (taste)

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	くどい	くどくない
Past	くどかった	くどくなかった
て form	くどくて	くどくなくて
Adverbial	くどく	—
Conditional ば	くどければ	くどくなければ
Conditional たら	くどかったら	くどくなかったら

1. persistent, repetitive, long-winded

Describes speech or behavior that is annoyingly repetitive or goes on too long, nagging or belaboring a point.

説明(せつめい)がくどい。

The explanation is long-winded.

くどいようだが、もう一度(いちど)言(い)う。

I know I'm repeating myself, but I'll say it once more.

同(おな)じことを何度(なんど)も言(い)われてくどいと感(かん)じた。

Being told the same thing over and over, I felt it was annoyingly repetitive.

2. heavy, rich, overpowering (taste/color)

Describes food that is too rich or heavy, or colors/patterns that are too intense or garish.

この料理(りょうり)は味(あじ)がくどい。

This dish has a heavy taste.

バターがくどくて食(た)べられない。

It's too rich with butter — I can't eat it.

年(とし)を取(と)ると、くどい味(あじ)の料理(りょうり)が苦手(にがて)になる。

As you get older, heavy-tasting food becomes harder to handle.

Common patterns

くどいようだが: I know I'm being repetitive, but...
味(あじ)がくどい: the taste is too rich/heavy
色(いろ)がくどい: the colors are too garish/loud

Nuance: Always negative. In sense 1, it implies the speaker finds the repetition annoying. In sense 2, it suggests the taste or appearance is overwhelming and unpleasant, not refined.

Similar words

しつこい: persistent, pushy (people/behavior; also food)
こってり: rich, heavy (food — more neutral, can be positive)

Related Words

Synonym: しつこい (persistent, insistent)

Compare: こってり (rich, heavy (food)

Compare: 理屈(りくつ)っぽい (argumentative)

Compare: ねちっこい (persistent)

Compare: 甘(あま)ったるい (cloyingly sweet)

general

Added 2026.2.6 9:35 · Revised 2026.10.9 3:39

10000/10318_kudoi