Feeling unwell
Collocations, Stage 1chunk 20 of 22Body & health
Saying you feel off, from the general guai ga warui and the work-safe taichou ga warui to being in or out of form.
- guai ga waruifeel unwell
- taichou ga waruinot feel well, be under the weather (the safe phrase at work)
- choushi ga waruifeel off; act up (devices)
- choushi ga iibe in good shape, going well
- kibun ga waruifeel sick (queasy or faint); feel put off
Mix-ups guai ga warui and taichou ga warui both mean 'I don't feel well', and taichou is the safer word at work. choushi ga warui / ii is being off or on form, and also a device acting up. kibun ga warui is feeling sick or faint right now. kimochi warui (in senses) is queasy or gross.
guai ga warui
polite guai ga warui desufeel unwell
具合が悪い ぐあいがわるい 具合が悪いです
adjectivewarui 悪いbadtypical 60% of guai
trap 'I'm sick' as byouki desu sounds like a real illness; for just feeling unwell, the condition is bad, guai ga warui.
The general 'I'm not feeling well', usually softened to chotto guai warui; others ask guai warui no? or guai dou? (how are you feeling?).
chotto guai warui kara, saki ni kaeru ne.
I'm not feeling great, so I'll head home early.
ちょっと具合悪いから、先に帰るね。
chotto guai ga warui node, kyou wa saki ni kaette mo ii desu ka?
I'm not feeling well. Would it be all right if I went home early today?
ちょっと具合が悪いので、今日は先に帰ってもいいですか？
The sets next to it split the job. Taichou ga warui means the same in a more careful word, and it's the safe phrase for calling in sick at work. Choushi ga warui is being off form, and also a machine acting up (pasokon no choushi ga warui). Kibun ga warui is feeling sick or faint right now (in a car, in a crowd). Kimochi warui (in the senses list) is queasy, but also 'gross, creepy'.
Same adjective: choushi (condition), kibun (feeling; kibun ga warui = feel sick, also 'be put off')Learn alongside: kimochi ga warui, kigen ga warui, taichou ga warui, choushi ga warui, choushi ga ii, kibun ga warui, kaoiro ga warui (Stage 4)Main list: warui (Stage 1)
taichou ga warui
polite taichou ga warui desunot feel well, be under the weather (the safe phrase at work)
体調が悪い たいちょうがわるい 体調が悪いです
adjectivewarui 悪いbad, in poor conditiontypical 33% of taichou
The stock phrase for calling in sick or cancelling: taichou ga warui node, kyou wa yasumasete kudasai. Casual talk drops ga (chotto taichou warui), and others ask taichou dou? or taichou daijoubu?
gomen, taichou warui kara kyou yasumu.
Sorry, I'm not feeling well, so I'm taking today off.
ごめん、体調悪いから今日休む。
sumimasen, taichou ga warui node, kyou wa yasumasete kudasai.
I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well. Could I have today off?
すみません、体調が悪いので、今日は休ませてください。
A little more neutral than guai ga warui, so it's the safe choice at work; the opposite is taichou ga ii.
Same adjective: guai (condition), kaoiro (complexion), kibun (feeling: feel sick)Learn alongside: kimochi ga warui, kigen ga warui, guai ga warui, choushi ga warui, choushi ga ii, kibun ga warui, kaoiro ga warui (Stage 4)Main list: warui (Stage 1)
choushi ga warui
polite choushi ga warui desufeel off; act up (devices)
調子が悪い ちょうしがわるい 調子が悪いです
adjectivewarui 悪いbad, in poor conditiontypical 26% of choushi
trap A glitchy phone or PC isn't kowareta, which means it has stopped working (sumaho kowareta? is also said as an exaggeration). If it still works, just badly, it's choushi ga warui: sumaho no choushi warui.
About yourself it's a vague 'I'm off' (kyou chotto choushi warui). Put a body part or a device before no: onaka no choushi ga warui, sumaho no choushi ga warui (my phone's acting up). Ga often drops in casual talk, the opposite is choushi ii, and choushi dou? asks how things are going.
saikin, pasokon no choushi warui n da yo ne.
My computer's been acting up lately.
最近、パソコンの調子悪いんだよね。
kinou kara chotto onaka no choushi ga warui n desu.
My stomach's been a bit off since yesterday.
昨日からちょっとお腹の調子が悪いんです。
Onaka no choushi ga warui is the discreet way to mention stomach trouble. Choushi ni noru (get carried away) is a separate idiom with the same noun.
Same adjective: guai (condition: guai ga warui = feel unwell), kaoiro (complexion: kaoiro ga warui = look pale), me (eyes: me ga warui = poor eyesight)Learn alongside: kimochi ga warui, kigen ga warui, guai ga warui, taichou ga warui, choushi ga ii, kibun ga warui, kaoiro ga warui (Stage 4)Main list: warui (Stage 1), ii (Stage 1)
choushi ga ii
polite choushi ga ii desube in good shape, going well
調子がいい ちょうしがいい 調子がいいです
adjectiveii いいgood, fine, OKtypical 34% of choushi
The opposite of choushi ga warui, for your body, your form or a device: kyou choushi ii (I'm on form today), and choushi dou? asks how things are going. Ga often drops.
saikin, karada no choushi ii n da.
I've been feeling good lately.
最近、体の調子いいんだ。
saikin, karada no choushi ga ii n desu.
I've been in good shape lately.
最近、体の調子がいいんです。
About someone's words it means glib: choushi ii koto bakari iu (always says whatever suits them).
Same adjective: guai (condition: guai ga ii = feel well; of a thing, work properly), kaoiro (complexion: kaoiro ga ii = look well), kigen (mood: kigen ga ii = be in a good mood)Learn alongside: kimochi ga warui, kigen ga warui, guai ga warui, taichou ga warui, choushi ga warui, kibun ga warui, kaoiro ga warui (Stage 4)Main list: ii (Stage 1)
kibun ga warui
polite kibun ga warui desufeel sick (queasy or faint); feel put off
気分が悪い きぶんがわるい 気分が悪いです
adjectivewarui 悪いbadtypical 24% of kibun
trap English 'I feel bad (about it)' is guilt, which is warui na or moushiwake nai, never kibun ga warui. Kibun ga warui is feeling sick, or feeling put off by something someone did; a grumpy mood that others can see is kigen ga warui.
For feeling sick right now, in a crowd, a hot room or a car: chotto kibun ga warui (ga can drop, but it's kept far more than in kimochi warui), and kibun waruku natta when it comes on. Said about something someone did, it means it left you feeling put off: ano iikata, kibun warui.
densha kondete, kibun waruku natchatta.
The train was packed and I started feeling sick.
電車混んでて、気分悪くなっちゃった。
densha ga sugoku konde ite, kibun ga waruku natte shimatta n desu.
The train was really packed, and I started feeling sick.
電車がすごく混んでいて、気分が悪くなってしまったんです。
Kimochi warui is the queasier twin with a 'gross' sense; guai ga warui is general unwellness.
Same adjective: kigen (mood: kigen ga warui = be grumpy), kimochi (feeling: kimochi warui = queasy, gross), igokochi (comfort: igokochi ga warui = uncomfortable somewhere)Learn alongside: kimochi ga warui, kigen ga warui, guai ga warui, taichou ga warui, choushi ga warui, choushi ga ii, kaoiro ga warui (Stage 4)Main list: warui (Stage 1), -ku naru / -ni naru (Stage 4)