Meaning
怒 expresses anger, rage, fury, and being angry. You will encounter it constantly — in casual conversation, newspaper headlines, and literary prose alike. At N2, being able to read and use its compound words is expected.
Structurally, 怒 combines two parts: the upper component 奴 (ど), historically meaning "slave" or "servant" with connotations of servitude and resentment, and the lower component 心 (こころ), meaning "heart" or "mind." The combination suggests a heart weighed down by the feelings of someone forced into submission — suppressed emotion that eventually erupts. This is an ideographic compound, where two meaningful parts merge to express a new, layered concept.
With 9 strokes, 怒 sits outside the standard Kyōiku Kanji list but is included in the Jōyō Kanji for general use. Its radical is 心 (こころ), the heart radical, positioned at the bottom of the character. Many emotion-related kanji share this radical: 忘 (forget), 忍 (endure), and 愛 (love) all carry that same foundation.
In daily life, 怒 covers everything from mild irritation to uncontrollable fury — a versatile character at the core of how Japanese expresses strong negative emotion.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi reading is ド (do). This reading appears in compound words (熟語, jukugo) of Chinese origin, typically in formal writing or literary contexts where anger takes on a weighty, intense tone.
- 怒気 (doki) — signs of anger; the tense atmosphere surrounding an angry person.
- 怒号 (dogō) — an angry roar or shout; the loud cry of an enraged person or crowd.
- 怒声 (dosei) — an angry voice; shouting in anger.
- 怒涛 (dotō) — raging waves; used figuratively to describe a fierce, overwhelming surge (e.g., 怒涛の勢い — momentum like raging waves).
- 激怒 (gekido) — intense fury; a much stronger expression than ordinary anger.
- 憤怒 (fundo) — wrath, deep indignation; common in religious or philosophical contexts (e.g., 不動明王の憤怒の表情 — the wrathful expression of Fudō Myōō).
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
Two kun'yomi exist: いか.る (ika-ru) and おこ.る (oko-ru). Both mean "to get angry" or "to be angry," but they carry different nuances in everyday use.
いか.る (ikaru) suggests deeper, more intense anger — often a dignified, smoldering fury. It leans toward literary and formal registers.
- 怒り (ikari) — anger, rage (noun form); one of the most common words for anger in Japanese.
- 怒り心頭に発する (ikari shintō ni hassuru) — to be consumed by rage from the bottom of one's heart; a set phrase for extreme anger.
おこ.る (okoru) is the everyday choice. It describes getting angry, scolding someone, or losing one's temper, and tends to appear in situations where displeasure is expressed openly and directly.
- 怒る (okoru) — to get angry, to be mad (verb)
- 怒られる (okorareru) — to be scolded, to get told off (passive form)
- 怒りっぽい (okorippoi) — quick-tempered, easily angered
Common Words & Compounds
This character shows up across a wide range of vocabulary — from casual expressions of irritation to literary depictions of wrath. The words below are grouped to make patterns easier to notice.
Expressing Anger (Basic):
- 怒り (ikari) — anger, rage, wrath (noun)
- 怒る (okoru) — to get angry, to scold (verb)
- 怒る (ikaru) — to be angry, to rage (verb, formal/literary)
- 怒鳴る (donaru) — to shout angrily, to yell at someone
Intensity of Anger:
- 激怒 (gekido) — intense fury, extreme anger
- 憤怒 (fundo) — deep wrath, profound indignation
- 怒気 (doki) — an angry mood; the air of anger around a person
- 怒声 (dosei) — an angry, shouting voice
Descriptive & Figurative:
- 怒涛 (dotō) — raging waves; fierce surge (literal and figurative)
- 怒号 (dogō) — angry roar, furious outcry
- 怒りっぽい (okorippoi) — short-tempered, irritable
Set Phrases & Idioms:
- 喜怒哀楽 (kidō airaku) — the full spectrum of human emotion (joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure); a well-known four-character idiom (四字熟語)
- 怒り心頭 (ikari shintō) — furious to the core; used in the set phrase 怒り心頭に発する
Example Sentences
彼は急に怒り出した。
Kare wa kyū ni okori dashita.
He suddenly got angry.
先生に怒られてしまった。
Sensei ni okorarete shimatta.
I ended up being scolded by the teacher.
怒鳴るのはやめてください。
Donaru no wa yamete kudasai.
Please stop shouting angrily.
彼女の怒りはなかなか収まらなかった。
Kanojo no ikari wa nakanaka osamaranakatta.
Her anger just wouldn't subside.
上司は部下のミスに激怒した。
Jōshi wa buka no misu ni gekido shita.
The boss flew into a rage over the subordinate's mistake.
怒りっぽい人とは一緒に働きにくい。
Okorippoi hito to wa issho ni hatarakinikui.
It's hard to work with someone who is quick-tempered.
喜怒哀楽を素直に表現することが大切だ。
Kidō airaku wo sunao ni hyōgen suru koto ga taisetsu da.
Expressing the full range of your emotions honestly matters.
彼は怒気を帯びた声で話し始めた。
Kare wa doki wo obita koe de hanashi hajimeta.
He began to speak in a voice edged with anger.
怒涛の勢いで仕事を片付けた。
Dotō no ikioi de shigoto wo katazuketa.
I powered through the work with unstoppable momentum.
不公平な扱いを受けて怒りを感じた。
Fukōhei na atsukai wo ukete ikari wo kanjita.
I felt anger at being treated unfairly.
Memory Tip
Picture a slave (奴) whose heart (心) is on fire. The top component 奴 originally referred to a person forced into servitude — someone with no outlet for their feelings. Underneath sits 心, the heart, which cannot stay silent forever. All that bottled-up resentment finally bursts out as anger. Imagine clenched fists, gritted teeth, a pounding chest — that is 怒.
For Vietnamese learners, the Hán-Việt reading NỘ connects directly to phẫn nộ (outrage). The on'yomi ド (do) and NỘ share the same origin, making this a natural bridge between the two languages.