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How to Say ‘It isn't working properly’ in Japanese

調子が悪い

choushi ga warui

[CHOH-shee ga warui]

💬 Usage Tip: 調子 (chōshi) means the condition something is in, so 調子が悪い works for machines and for people. 体の調子が悪い means "I'm not feeling well".

Phrase Breakdown

調子

choushi

[CHOH-shee]

condition; state

How well something or someone is working or feeling.

Example

今日は体の調子がいい。

I feel in good shape today.

が

ga

[ga]

subject marker

A particle marking the subject of the sentence.

Example

興味がある分野を教えてください。

Please tell me the field you are interested in.

悪い

warui

[warui]

Bad

Having a negative quality or attribute.

Example

悪い天気で外に出られません。

I can't go outside because of the bad weather.

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