食(た)べず嫌(ぎら)い

たべずぎらい
noun
disliking something without trying it
fooddescriptive
1. disliking food without having tasted it; refusing to try something
Originally about refusing to eat food one has never tried, based solely on appearance or preconceptions. By extension, used for rejecting anything without firsthand experience.
食(た)べず嫌(ぎら)いはよくない。
It's not good to dislike things without trying them.
納豆(なっとう)を食(た)べず嫌(ぎら)いしていた。
I had been avoiding natto without ever trying it.
食(た)べず嫌(ぎら)いしないで、まず一口(ひとくち)食(た)べてみて。
Don't refuse it without trying — have a bite first.

Literally "disliking without eating," from 食(た)べず (without eating, using the classical negative ず) and 嫌(きら)い (dislike, with rendaku becoming ぎらい). Used both as a noun and with する to form a verb (食(た)べず嫌(ぎら)いする).

Usage

Originally about food, but commonly extended to other situations: refusing to read a book, watch a movie, or try an activity without having experienced it. Parents often use this phrase with children who refuse new foods.

Common collocations

  • 食(た)べず嫌(ぎら)いをする — to refuse without trying
  • 食(た)べず嫌(ぎら)いをなくす — to overcome one's pickiness
  • 食(た)べず嫌(ぎら)いしないで — don't knock it till you try it

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 好(す)き嫌(きら)い (likes and dislikes)
Compare: 偏食(へんしょく) (unbalanced diet, picky eating)
Compare: 先入観(せんにゅうかん) (preconception, prejudice)
general
Added 2026.3.29 0:12 · Revised 2026.9.8 21:42
20000/20160_tabezugirai