1.
inconvenient; unsuitable; disadvantageous
Something that causes difficulty or is not favorable. Often used when a schedule, situation, or condition does not work well.
何か不都合がありますか。
Is there any inconvenience?
その日は不都合なので、別の日にしましょう。
That day is inconvenient, so let's choose another day.
ご不都合な点がございましたらお知らせください。
Please let us know if there is anything inconvenient.
2.
improper; inappropriate; wrong
Something morally questionable or socially unacceptable. Often used in formal or business contexts for misconduct or scandalous behavior.
不都合な事実。
An inconvenient truth.
彼には何か不都合なことがあるらしい。
It seems he has something improper going on.
不都合な行為が発覚して、辞任に追い込まれた。
Improper conduct was discovered, and he was forced to resign.
Combines 不 (not) + 都合 (convenience, circumstances). Functions both as a na-adjective (不都合な) and as a noun (不都合がある). The word carries a slightly formal tone and is common in business and polite speech.
USAGE:
Sense 1 is straightforward — something is inconvenient or unsuitable. Sense 2 has a euphemistic quality: calling something 不都合 often implies wrongdoing or scandal without stating it directly, as in the common phrase 不都合な真実 (inconvenient truth).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 不都合がある — there is an inconvenience
- 不都合な点 — an inconvenient point
- 不都合な事実 — an inconvenient fact
- ご不都合 — inconvenience (polite)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 都合が悪い — inconvenient; the more colloquial way to express the same idea
- 不便 — inconvenient; focuses on practical difficulty rather than suitability