つむじまがり
つむじまがり
noun, adjective-na
perverse person; contrarian; oddball
1.
perverse person; contrarian; someone who is contrary or stubborn
A person who tends to disagree, act contrary to expectations, or take an opposite stance just for the sake of being different. Has a mildly critical but sometimes affectionate nuance.
あの人はつむじまがりだ。
That person is a contrarian.
つむじまがりな性格で損をしている。
His contrary nature works against him.
父はつむじまがりだから、みんなが賛成すると反対したがる。
My father is so contrary that when everyone agrees, he wants to disagree.
Literally means 'crooked hair whorl' (旋毛 + 曲り). Based on the folk belief that the direction of one's hair whorl (the spiral at the crown of the head) reflects personality — a crooked one indicates a difficult or contrary temperament.
Also written 旋毛曲り in kanji, though the hiragana form is more common.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- つむじまがりな人: a contrary person
- つむじまがりな性格: a perverse personality
- つむじまがりで困る: to be troubled by someone's contrariness
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 天の邪鬼: contrarian — similar meaning but slightly more playful; literally 'heavenly demon'
- 偏屈: cranky, eccentric — emphasizes stubbornness and being set in one's ways
- 頑固: stubborn — focuses on refusing to change one's mind, without the 'doing the opposite' nuance