1.
to offend; to annoy; to irritate; to get on one's nerves
Describes words, behavior, or things that rub someone the wrong way or cause displeasure. The subject is the thing that offends, not the person offended.
その言い方は気に障る。
That way of saying it is offensive.
気に障ることを言ってしまった。
I ended up saying something offensive.
もし気に障ったなら謝ります。
If I offended you, I apologize.
彼の態度が気に障って、つい怒ってしまった。
His attitude got on my nerves, and I ended up getting angry.
Literally "to touch/bump against one's feelings." The verb 障る here means to come into unpleasant contact with, to obstruct — distinct from 触る (to touch physically). The thing that offends is the grammatical subject (marked by が or は).
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 気に障ることを言う: to say something offensive
- 気に障ったら申し訳ない: sorry if I offended you
- 何かが気に障る: something rubs one the wrong way
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 気に入らない: to not like — broader dislike, not specifically about being offended
- 癪に障る: to be irritating — stronger, more visceral annoyance
- 腹が立つ: to get angry — focuses on the resulting anger rather than the cause
GRAMMAR NOTE:
The 障る in this expression conjugates as a godan verb: 気に障らない (not offend), 気に障った (offended).