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L202 - Foul Language Print E-mail
This lesson contains a bunch of words you normally wouldn't use, but may read in manga, hear in movies or if you ever see people fight. 

In Japan, people are very conservative in using foul words. Therefore you will rarely hear people using foul words in ordinary conversations. In other languages it may be not so uncommon to use bad words in sentences, maybe even just to strengthen a word. That would not be the case in Japanese. Or at least not in normal polite and educated circles. 

There seems not to be as many foul words in Japanese as in English. Probably it is because it is possible to make a really big difference just by changing the politeness level. Just making a sentence to a lower politeness level than expected could really be rude in Japanese. The following examples are just said in a lower politeness level together with the strengthening "yo" in the end, making them sound harsh. 

 

  Romaji English Said by Polite version 
なんだよ! nandayo! What (do you want)!!? men nan desu ka?
なによ!
naniyo! What (do you want)!!? women nan desu ka? 
みないでよ!
minaide yo! Don't look! women minaide kusasai
みるなよ!
miruna yo! Don't look! men minaide kusasai
みてんじゃねーよ!
miten ja ne-yo! Don't look! men minaide kusasai
なんていったのよ!
nante itta no yo? What did you say!? women nan to iimashita ka?
なんていったんだよ! nante itta n da yo! What did you say!? men nan to iimashita ka?
やめろよ!
yamero yo
Stop!  men yamete kudasai 
やめてよ!
yamete yo
Stop! women yamete kudasai

Comparing to the polite version to the right,  you can see that there are actually no words that are foul in themselves. You can usually create rough versions of words using the plain form of the verbs, or using the rough imperative form (order form). Plain forms are usually used by themselves only if you are close. If you are using them to someone you do not know so well be considered rude.

Examples of Different Politeness Levela

Here are some examples of a few different ways of making requests or orders.

  To see
  Verb form
 
見ます mimasu   Polite form (-masu)  
見る
miru
  Plain form
 
見ない
minai   Plain negative form
 
見て
mite   Plain request  
見て ください mite kudasai
  Polite request  
見ないで
minaide
  Plain negative request
 
見ないで ください
minaide kudasai   Polite negative request  
見ろ
miro
  Rough imperative (order)
 
見るな
miruna
  Rough negative imperative (order)
 

Words for Fights

Here's a list of other words, that can be used in fights or quarrels. Please be careful about using them, as they may actually be considered more rude in Japanese than their English counterpart. 

  Romaji English Said by
馬鹿/バカ
baka! Idiot!  
バカみたい
baka mitai! You look stupid!  
バカだ
baka da! That's stupid!  
バカやめてよ
baka yamete yo! Stop being stupid! women
バカやめろよ
baka yamero yo! Stop being stupid! men
うそつき
usotsuki! Liar!  
このすけべ
kono sukebe! You lewd!  
このへんたい kono hentai! You pervert!  
だまってよ damatte yo! Shut up! women
だまれよ
damare yo! Shut up! men
このくそったれ
kono kusottare You asshole! men
このあま
kono ama! You bitch! women
やりまん
yariman! Slut/whore!  
ちび
chibi! Shorty!  
よわむし yowamushi Weakling!  
ぶす
busu! You're ugly! to women
げそ
geso! You're ugly! to men
ぶた
buta! Pig!  
でぶ
debu! Fatso!  
おかま
okama! Fag! to boy
おてんば otemba! Tomboy! to women
おとこおんな otoko onna! Tomboy! to women
くそ kuso! Shit!  
うんこ
unko Shit!  


Continue to the  Flash Card Trainer Drill to practise this chapter's vocabulary list. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know in the forum!

You may also want to look at the article 200 Slang Expressions in Japanese.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,

Johan 

 

Please Give Us Feedback!




  Comments (21)
Reading + Listening
Written by gloklok, on 21-10-2008 04:26
We hope there are also listening in every lessons.  
Reading together with listening is the best way to learn more.
origin of kisama
Written by johan, on 28-08-2008 07:58
This word used to be used as a polite one, it seems. Still now some 
words including "貴(き)" like "貴社(きしゃ - your company)" as a polite word. 
I don't know why "貴様" got to be used as a rude word, but it often 
happens that someone adopts a quite polite word on fighting in order 
to make you get angry, I think. 
 
"てめえ" originally comes from another word "手前(てまえ)" which indicates the 
first personal pronoun "I". It's used a humble word as a shop's owner 
says to his customer like "こちらが手前どもの商品でございます。", which means "Here is 
our products." 
You might hear the word "手前" in TV dramas and movies in Edo pariod, 
but some older people might use this word still now. And of course, 
"てめえ" is only used as a rude word. 
 
こちら - a polite word of "これ". 
手前(てまえ) - I 
手前ども - we 
商品しょうひん - goods, products 
ございます - a polite word of "です" 
 
/Shizu (through Johan)
Written by johan, on 27-08-2008 21:40
Btw. kisama and teme, meaning "you" in a rough way, are listed along with other pronouns in the Language Reference. 
 
http://www.studyjapanese.org/content/view/49/56/
Written by johan, on 27-08-2008 21:37
Firewing,  
Thanks for letting us know about the typo. And you are right, mite is a plain form of request, and adding kudasai would make it polite. 
 
The words kisama and teme are considered really impolite.
Written by Firewing, on 27-08-2008 21:13
Are the use of the words teme and kisama considered foul language? And one of the hiragana's off on the part where it says "what did you say?" Instead of nante, you put mante. And for the polite versions of "don't look" is it supposed to say kudasai? Just wanted to know because it's kinda confusing.
Written by johan, on 07-08-2008 21:43
Sorry, I was a bit sloppy when reading your question.  
I checked with a Japanese, and she said that くそ is rougher, and not as commonly used in ordinary Japanese as her impression of how "shit" is used in English. Women would for instance rarely say くそ. While my impression of English is that it wouldn't be uncommon.
Written by tony, on 07-08-2008 20:35
Johan, thanks-- that's useful to know-- but it wasn't my question. My question is whether "kuso" is already less harsh in Japanese than "shit" is in English, because I have seen/heard it more than I would have expected. The literal translation is not necessarily a good guide to how strongly the word affects the listener.
milder kuso!
Written by johan, on 07-08-2008 19:38
how about "しまった!"?
Written by tony, on 07-08-2008 17:37
It seems to me that I see/hear "kuso" in manga/anime in situations where an English speaker would be unlikely to say "shit." Is it a milder word in Japanese than "shit" is in English? In English, "damn" is somewhat milder than "shit," and "darn" is much milder. My speech tends to be slightly politer than average, although not extremely so, and I have only said "shit" as a word of exasperation once or twice in my life when someone else could hear it.
Written by mrfilipino2829, on 16-07-2008 01:27
haha i learned some of this watching Naruto and Bleach hehehe


 

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