気(き)に食(く)わない means to be dissatisfied or displeased. Similar idioms in English include “get on one’s nerves”, “make one sick”, and “rub the wrong way”.

This idiom is negative only. There is no affirmative counterpart. It is a rougher and more vulgar version of 気にいらない.

Examples of 気に食わない

Further Reading

• Garrison, Jeff et al. Kodansha’s Dictionary of Basic Japanese Idioms, Kodansha, 2002, p. 256