天邪鬼

あまのじゃく

Also written 天の邪鬼, あまんじゃく, 天ん邪鬼, 天之邪鬼, 天邪久

Meanings

1. Noun, な-adjective, の-adjective perversity; perverse person; contrary person; contrarian
2. Noun antagonistic demon in Japanese folklore
3. demon under the feet of temple guardian statues

Kanji

• 天 heaven. Read as あま.
• 邪 wicked. Read as ジャ.
• 鬼 ogre

Example sentences

• トムって、あまのじゃくだよね。
  Tom sure is a contrarian, huh?

Jinuma: Japanese Dictionary · Word lists