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天邪鬼 amanojaku
Contrary on principle.
What does amanojaku mean?
Named after a little demon from old folklore who did the opposite of whatever it was told. Now it's a half-fond label for the friend who can't accept a compliment without arguing with it.
Example
あの子は天邪鬼だから、褒めるとすぐ否定する。
She's contrary by nature, so she denies every compliment.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Safe to use Fine in ordinary conversation.
The story behind amanojaku
The creature is real, in the sense that it has a job. In old tales the amanojaku is a small demon whose whole nature is contradiction: told to go left it goes right, and in one well-known folktale it impersonates a girl it has deceived. In old temples you may find a similar demon carved underfoot, crushed beneath a guardian statue, still scowling.
As a label for a person it has softened into something fond. The 天邪鬼 is the friend who answers a compliment with an argument, who wants the thing until you agree they should have it. Japanese has plenty of words for people who cannot be straightforward; this is the oldest and the gentlest.
Get amanojaku in your pocket
天邪鬼 is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
