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I noticed this phrase :

> **うらめしや**

said by a character in a game I played, and was wondering what it means.

[This site](https://www.thoughtco.com/happy-halloween-in-japanese-2028069)
suggests

> "Urameshiya" is a phrase said, in a sorrowful voice, by Japanese ghosts when
> they appear. It means, a curse on you.

Google translate gives

> Annoying

The best I could find on
[jisho](http://jisho.org/word/%E6%81%A8%E3%82%81%E3%81%97%E3%81%84):

> **恨めしい**
>
>   1. reproachful; hateful; bitter​
>

I suspect the first one to be correct (given that the context is related to
halloween and haunting). Is there a reasonable english translation for
this、and if the one given is correct, how do the components break down to give
that meaning (if at all)?

Thank you
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translation
Translation of うらめしや
According to [this
dictionary](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/20889/meaning/m0u/), うらめしや is
_considered to be a word said by ghosts when they appear_ :

> 幽霊が出てくるときに言うとされる言葉。「恨めしいなあ」の意

So your first guess is correct. うらめしや has the meaning of "I curse you / I'm
cursing you" (あなたの事を恨{うら}んでいる).

To furthermore break it down, as also the first link suggests, at the root of
うらめしや probably is the adjective 恨{うら}めしい that means "hateful", "bitter", while
I think that や here functions as a particle that adds some emphasis to the
feeling (of hate/curse/revenge in this case).

This is at least what you can see explained at [this
link](https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1025563665).
However, I am not 100% sure that "emphasis" is the most appropriate
description for や in general as a suffix. I think it works in this case (maybe
someone can comment), but in general may have different meanings. See for
example
[here](https://grapefruitcake.tumblr.com/post/131481991848/does-%E3%82%84-sometimes-
replace-%E3%82%88-at-the-end-of-sentences) and
[here](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/15288/what-does-the-
sentence-ending-particle-%E3%82%84-mean).
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answer
うらめしい has [two different
meanings](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/20888/meaning/m0u/%E6%81%A8%E3%82%81%E3%81%97%E3%81%84/)
(the topic is usually "I", which is almost always omitted):

  1. I have a grudge; I'm angry; I'm revengeful
  2. It's a pity; It's regrettable; It's sad; I feel sorry

In うらめしや, it's clearly the first sense. や at the end is an old particle that
adds exclamatory feelings, similarly to modern ～だなあ or English "oh". So it
just means "Oh I'm so revengeful." You can see similar grammar in haiku and
hymns (e.g., うれしや ≒ ああ嬉しいな, めでたや ≒ めでたいなあ).

うらめしや is considered a stereotyped (and overused) phrase said by typical
Japanese ghosts like
[this](http://www.nichibun.ac.jp/YoukaiGazouCard/U426_nichibunken_0345_0001_0000.html).
It's commonly used in children's pretend plays
([example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAaYsmQF5b8)), but serious(?)
ghosts in haunted attractions seldom say this, I think.
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