What are appropriate contexts for saying "趣味悪い"?


Doesn't 趣味悪い{しゅみわるい} basically means " _to have a bad sense of style / taste;_
". It is slang, and it sounds funny to say to a guy. It sounds playful, but
could be taken as impolite if the listener wants to.

  * If a friend has a poorly matched suit / shirt / tie, then you can describe how he looks as "趣味悪い".
  * To be funny, you can always say that his selection of his girlfriend proves he is "趣味悪い".
  * If a Japanese friend were to order deep-fried cheese sticks from McDonalds (a pretty vile food in my book), I'd say he is "趣味悪い" just to be funny.
  * It'd probably be awkward to say to a girl.

Where am I wrong on my interpretation of "趣味悪い"?




I'm pretty sure someone else can provide a more definitive answer, but here's
what I know.

  * If you want to use an adjective, like you are in your examples, you would use 悪趣味{あくしゅみ}.
  * I wouldn't use it to describe someone's tastes in foods. That sounds like "You have a bad sense of food," and it a bit awkward. It'd use 悪食{あくじき} or ゲテモノ好{す}き, both meaning "someone who likes bizarre/gross food".
  * It's perfectly fine to use with women. Just be careful who you use it with.
  * It's not slang, though 「趣味悪い」 is a bit colloquial. 「趣味が悪い」 would be the proper way of saying it.
  * You are right that it can be taking as impolite. However, it does not necessarily have to sound playful. You can use it in disgust if you wanted to. I would be careful using it, as people can take it as mocking.

