Many know that baka (馬鹿) in Japanese literally means idiot, stupid, dumb, foolish, silly, clown, and various other insults in just one word. But is this really the true meaning of the word? What is its origin and its uses? What is the meaning of the expressions that usually accompany the word? In this article, we will truly understand what baka means in Japanese.
The word baka (馬鹿 / ばか / バカ) can be written with Japanese ideograms (kanji), or with the alphabets hiragana and katakana. The word baka is composed of the ideogram for horse (馬) and deer (鹿), indicating that its origin is from 2 animals that are also used as insults in Brazil and other countries.
The word can also be used to refer to something trivial, crazy or absurd. And it can also be used to refer to something foolish, boring, stupid, absurd and ridiculous. The word is also used as the name of a sea shell called Mactra chinensis.
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Baka meaning and origin
We have already made it clear what baka really means in Japanese. But there are still other details that were not clear. To understand, we need to look more closely at the origin of the word baka. There are several theories about the origin of this word, let's see some things, and you can decide for yourself.
Some believe it all started when a eunuch named Choko planned a rebellion against the 2nd Qin Dynasty Kogai Emperor in China. He took a deer and introduced it to the Emperor, saying he brought a rare horse. Some agreed out of fear of him, those who disagreed were killed.
Another theory came from the word mora (莫迦) which means ignorance and illusion. It is believed that monks began to exchange the reading of mora for baka. Another theory suggests that the word baka originated from the expression wakamono (若者) which means young people. Others say that the word originated from the expression for a failed family which in zen writing is pronounced baka.
Using the expression baka in Japanese
As you've noticed, the word baka has several different uses. Sometimes the tone of voice defines the way you are insulting and offending the person. You can simply speak randomly and harmlessly or even call the person strongly stupid. So the word can also be used in a friendly and good-natured way.
It is common to make combinations of words along with baka to create different meanings and insults. You can see some in our list of swears in Japanese - clicking here. Let's share some below:
- Bakayarou (馬鹿野郎) Stupid guy;
- Bakamono (ばかもの) - Fool;
- Oobaka (大馬鹿) Big idiot;
- Bakanakotowoshita (馬鹿なことをした) - To regret that you did something stupid;
The word baka is used in several other good expressions. Below, we will see the word being used in a good way:
- Bakashoujiki (馬鹿正直) = Ingenuously honest, super honest;
- Bakadekai (馬鹿デカイ) - Huge, gigantic, immense, ridiculously large;
- Bakauke (馬鹿受) Super funny, super popular, super well received;
The word is also often used in phrases and expressions that indicate that a person is crazy about something, a fan of something. The simple fact that you are studying Japanese is already a reason for someone to say Nihongo-baka, not as an insult but for your effort.
There are so many expressions related to baka that it is common to hear this word several times in anime, and not just when insulting or calling someone stupid.
Fun facts about the word baka
Meaning of the expression: Bakabakashi - Refers to an action, idea, or something absurd and out of reality, lacking logic or coherence, a foolish matter that does not deserve to be discussed, in other words, "nonsense."
Did you know? Bengali, the official language of Bangladesh, has its origins from Sanskrit, where the word "baka" means "stupid person".
Did you know? In World War II, the Japanese made a piloted bomb that came off the bomber. The bomb was called Ohka (cherry blossom). The ironic thing is that the American enemies themselves used the B.A.K.A code to refer to this Japanese bomb.
Baka in japanese dialects
To finish the article more completely, let's leave a list of variations of the word baka in other dialects. The provinces that do not appear in the list are because they usually do not use a variation but the common word. Don't forget to share the article, it took a long time to make it. What is your opinion on the subject? We also await comments.
- Aichi = taake (たーけ)
- Akita = bakake (ばかけ)
- Aomori = honjinashi (ほんじなし)
- Ehime = ponke (ぽんけ)
- Fukui = fool (あほ)
- Fukuoka = anpontan (あんぽんたん)
- Gifu = tawake (たわけ)
- Hokkaido = hankakusai (はんかくさい)
- Hyogo = dabo (だぼ)
- Ibaraki = dere (でれ)
- Ishikawa = dara (だら)
- Iwate = doboke (とぼけ)
- Kagawa = hokko (ほっこ)
- Kochi = ahou (あほー)
- Kumamoto = anpontan (あんぽんたん)
- Kyoto = fool (あほ)
- Mie = ango (あんご)
- Miyagi = hondenasu (ほんでなす)
- Miyazaki = shichirin (しちりん)
- Nagano = mekesaku (ぬけさく)
- Nara = aho (あほ)
- Oita = bakatan (ばかたん)
- Okayama = angou (あんごー)
- Okinawa = furaa (ふらー)
- Osaka = doaho (どあほ)
- Saga = nitohasshu (にとはっしゅ)
- Shiga = ahou (あほー)
- Shimane = daraji (だらじ)
- Tochigi = usubaga (うすばが)
- Tokushima = fool (あほ)
- Tottori = darazu (だらず)
- Toyama = dara (だら)
- Wakayama = fool (あほ)
- Yamagata = anpontan (あんぽんたん)
- Yamanashi = mekesaku (ぬけさく)
