逆ギレ (gyaku gire) Meaning “Reversed Anger” in Japanese

Definition

逆ギレ (ぎゃくぎれ, gyaku gire) is a casual Japanese word that means “to get angry in an irrational way after someone gets angry at you or points out your fault”. Literarily, 逆ギレ means ‘reversed anger’, where ‘逆 (ぎゃく)’ means ‘opposite/reverse’ and ‘ギレ’ comes from the casual word ‘キレる’ meaning ‘become furious’. The anger is ‘reversed’ in a way that you get angry when you are the one to be blamed. Self-conceited people who never stand corrected or apologise often do 逆ギレ, especially when someone hits the nail on the head about their fault.

This word is said to be popularised by Hitoshi Matsumoto (松本人志), one of the most popular and influential Japanese comedians. Although it used to be a slang term among young people only, now it is one of the casual words used among many generations.

Related Word: 半ギレ（はんぎれ）and ブチギレる

半ギレ (はんぎれ, han gire) literarily means ‘half-angry’, where 半(はん) stands for ‘半分 (はんぶん)’ meaning ‘half’. It indicates when you are more or less irritated but you haven’t gone as far as キレる (getting furious) yet.

ブチギレる (buchi gireru) is the superlative degree of キレる, meaning ‘become extremely furious/blow one’s top’. The prefix ‘ブチ’ (buchi) evokes the sound of your nerve rupturing because of your extreme anger.

Example Sentences

A: なんで昨日きのう来こなかったの？来くるって約束やくそくしたじゃない！
B: は？うるせーよ
A: ちょっと、逆ギレしないでよ
A: Why you didn’t come yesterday? You promised you’d come!
B: Hah? You are so annoying ( ≒ Shut up)
A: What, don’t do 逆ギレ.

Synonyms

Synonyms: 開き直る (ひらきなおる): See below
Synonyms in English: unreasonable anger
Related Words and Phrases: 逆 (reverse, opposite), キレる (become furious)

See also

• 開き直る (hiraki naoru): Admit Something Negative Fearlessly or Shamelessly
• ぐうの音も出ない (guu no nemo denai): Touché Moment When You Cannot Even Utter a Tiny Glottal Sound
• 図星 (zuboshi): ‘Hit the Nail on the Head’