怒 – Kanji Meaning, Reading, and Common Words

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What does 怒 mean in Japanese?

怒 means to get angry or to be angry. The primary kun’yomi is 怒る (okoru) — the everyday verb for getting angry or losing one’s temper. A second kun’yomi, 怒り (ikari, anger), comes from the more literary form いかる and is the most common noun for anger in Japanese.

The reading split is an important learning point: 怒る reads おこる, but the noun 怒り reads いかり, not おこり. Both words are essential N4 vocabulary and appear frequently in everyday speech, news, and social media.

Reading

On’yomi: ド (do)

Kun’yomi: おこ-る (oko-ru), いか-る (ika-ru)

Basic Information

Kanji 怒
Meaning angry, get angry
Stroke Count 9
JLPT Level N4

How to Understand This Kanji

怒る (okoru) is the neutral everyday verb — getting visibly angry, losing patience, or telling someone off: 先生が怒る (the teacher gets angry), 怒らないでください (please don’t get angry). 怒り (ikari) is the noun: 怒りを感じる (to feel anger), 怒りが収まる (the anger subsides). 怒鳴る (donaru) is more intense — shouting or yelling in anger, raising your voice at someone. 激怒 (gekido) = 激 (intense) + 怒 (anger): outrage or fury, a stronger degree than ordinary 怒り.

Common Words

  • 怒る（おこる / okoru） — to get angry, to lose one’s temper
  • 怒り（いかり / ikari） — anger, fury (noun)
  • 怒鳴る（どなる / donaru） — to shout angrily, to yell
  • 激怒（げきど / gekido） — fury, outrage, intense anger
  • 怒声（どせい / dosei） — angry shout, voice raised in anger
  • 怒気（どき / doki） — sign of anger, angry mood

Example Sentences

  • 先生に怒られてしまいました。

    せんせいにおこられてしまいました。 / Sensei ni okorarete shimaimashita.

    I ended up being scolded by the teacher.

  • 彼女の怒りはなかなか収まらなかった。

    かのじょのいかりはなかなかおさまらなかった。 / Kanojo no ikari wa nakanaka osamaranakatta.

    Her anger did not subside easily.

  • 怒鳴らないでください。

    どならないでください。 / Donaranai de kudasai.

    Please do not shout.

Related Kanji

  • 笑

    — Laugh — 笑う (laugh) and 怒る (get angry) are emotional opposites; covered together in Day 10 as part of the core emotional verb trio

  • 泣

    — Cry — 泣く (cry), 笑う (laugh), 怒る (get angry) form the three core emotional expression verbs covered in Day 10

  • 激

    — Intense — 激怒 (fury) = 激 + 怒; 激 intensifies the anger, used when ordinary 怒り is not strong enough

When Learners Usually See This Kanji

The reading split is the key point: 怒る (おこる, verb: to get angry) vs 怒り (いかり, noun: anger). The noun does NOT read おこり — learners who assume the kun’yomi carries straight to the noun form will make an error. 怒り (ikari) is its own established reading and must be memorised separately.

怒る has two slightly different nuances depending on context. Getting angry (emotional state): 彼は怒った (he got angry). Scolding or telling someone off: 先生に怒られた (I was scolded by the teacher). The passive form 怒られる (to be scolded/told off) is extremely common and covers situations ranging from a mild reprimand to a serious telling-off. 親に怒られた (I got told off by my parents) is a very frequent expression at N4.

怒鳴る (donaru, to shout angrily) is more forceful than 怒る alone — it implies raising your voice loudly at someone. 怒鳴らないでください (please don’t shout at me) and 怒鳴り込む (to burst in shouting) are common patterns. Note that 怒鳴る uses 怒 with the on’yomi reading ド as part of a compound.

激怒 (gekido, fury/outrage) describes an intense, high-level anger — the kind seen in official complaints, dramatic confrontations, or headlines. 激怒した社員 (an employee who was furious) appears in news. For everyday anger, 怒る or 怒り is more appropriate.

Summary

怒 means to get angry, with 怒る (okoru) as the core verb and 怒り (ikari) as the most common noun for anger. The reading split — おこる vs いかり — is the essential learning point. 怒鳴る (shout angrily) and 激怒 (fury) extend the vocabulary for expressing degrees of anger.