'Japanese has no swear words.'

Uso-baka (bullshit)!



This video has been around the Internet lately, and it is a good lesson in Japanese swearing.  In case you do not read Japanese, I have written the swear words in Roman characters.  I have grouped the Japanese words by the English swear word in the song they substitute for, and added a literal translation.  The text size of the Japanese words show its relative offensiveness.

"Fuck you"
Chikkisho/Chikusho - "Damn it!"
Kutaba'chimae - "Fuck you!", but without sexual overtones. (New word to me!)
Zakan'nayo... - "Don't screw around with me!"

"Shit"
Saitei - "The worst", "terrible".

"Fool"
Aho - "Idiot".


"Nigga'"
Anta - "You", but this contraction of "anata" makes it too intolerably direct an address.

"Your Ass"
Omae - "You", but literally, "object in front of me".

If you want more swear words, you should buy this book: Making Out in Japanese.

Another example of the idiocy of Nihonjinron: 'Japanese has no swear words'.  Someone's going to tell you this if you live here.  Oh yeah?  Feel free to use this posting, or the words in it.  Isn't it interesting that Japanese has at least three swear words that are impolite uses of the second-person: anta, omae and temae?  That tells you a lot about the language, and the culture's obsession with protocol.  English's use of four-letter words, and 'ass', refer to private bodily actions and the parts used for them.  French-Canadian swear words are objects or locations in the Roman Catholic mass.  Language and cultural studies should start with swearing.  Every teenager knows this!