ずる賢(がしこ)い

ずるがしこい

i-adjective

sly; cunning; shrewd

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	ずる賢(がしこ)い	ずる賢(がしこ)くない
Past	ずる賢(がしこ)かった	ずる賢(がしこ)くなかった
て form	ずる賢(がしこ)くて	ずる賢(がしこ)くなくて
Adverbial	ずる賢(がしこ)く	—
Conditional ば	ずる賢(がしこ)ければ	ずる賢(がしこ)くなければ
Conditional たら	ずる賢(がしこ)かったら	ずる賢(がしこ)くなかったら

1. sly; cunning; shrewd

Clever in a dishonest or underhanded way, using intelligence to cheat or manipulate for personal gain.

あいつはずる賢(がしこ)いやつだ。

That guy is a sly one.

ずる賢(がしこ)い方法(ほうほう)で利益(りえき)を得(え)ている。

They're making a profit through cunning methods.

あの政治家(せいじか)はずる賢(がしこ)くて、いつも自分(じぶん)に都合(つごう)のいいように話(はなし)を持(も)っていく。

That politician is cunning and always steers the conversation in a way that suits them.

Composed of ずるい (sly, unfair) + 賢(かしこ)い (smart, clever). Combines the negative connotation of ずるい with the intelligence of 賢(かしこ)い to describe someone who is clever but uses their intelligence dishonestly. Always negative.

Common collocations

ずる賢(がしこ)い人(ひと): a cunning person
ずる賢(がしこ)い手口(てぐち): cunning tactics
ずる賢(がしこ)い方法(ほうほう): a sly method
ずる賢(がしこ)く立(た)ち回(まわ)る: to maneuver shrewdly

Similar words

ずるい: sly, unfair — simpler negative word without the "clever" element
悪賢(わるがしこ)い: wicked and clever — very close synonym, slightly stronger
狡猾(こうかつ): crafty, cunning — more literary and formal
賢(かしこ)い: smart, clever — positive, no negative connotation

Related Words

Compare: 狡(ずる)い (sly, unfair)

Compare: 悪賢(わるがしこ)い (wicked and clever)

Compare: 狡猾(こうかつ) (crafty, cunning)

Compare: 要領(ようりょう)がいい (resourceful)

general

Added 2026.3.29 3:05 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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