邪悪

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 邪悪(じゃあく) describes a thought, action, or being as morally wicked or evil.
• Basic usage: It is used for an evil character in a story or to strongly condemn a thought that takes pleasure in another's suffering. Typical patterns are 邪悪な魔法使い and 考えを邪悪だと感じる.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Use the correct form
  • Use 邪悪な before a noun and 邪悪だ as a predicate.
• Difference from 悪い
  • 悪い(わるい) broadly means bad in quality, condition, or conduct, while 邪悪 is a much stronger moral judgment meaning wicked or evil.