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Outrageous Japanese: Slang, Curses and Epithets
This is a user–friendly and concise Japanese phrase book and guide to Japanese slang and Japanese curses.
The Japanese are extraordinarily polite and soft-spoken people who are always indirect and evasive in their dealings with each other. Right? Well, not really. They can be just as explicit, vicious, vile and downright vulgar as anyone else when they want to be. This little gem of a book teaches you hundreds and hundreds of Japanese language taunts, threats, curses and expletives that you'll never find in any dictionary-showing you how the Japanese really talk to one another when they are angry or emotional. Fun and entertaining, it will help you to read Japanese, write Japanese, and speak Japanese. It leaves no taboo untouched and sets the record completely straight. Learn how to call somebody a lecher, a deadbeat, a tub of lard, (and much worse than we can show here)–and arm yourself with phrases such as "Drop dead" or "what sewer did you crawl out of jackass? Fun and instructive, it is the perfect antidote for those boring language classes you have been taking, and your Japanese friends will die when they hear you trying out new expressions like tonji (pig–child) and dauma–geisha (fat–bottomed geisha). Highlights of this Japanese phrasebook Intended for students of all levels and anyone interested in how Japanese is really spoken, this book is absolutely indispensable for foreigners who live in Japan and want to know what is being said when someone insults you in Japanese!
The Japanese are extraordinarily polite and soft-spoken people who are always indirect and evasive in their dealings with each other. Right? Well, not really. They can be just as explicit, vicious, vile and downright vulgar as anyone else when they want to be. This little gem of a book teaches you hundreds and hundreds of Japanese language taunts, threats, curses and expletives that you'll never find in any dictionary-showing you how the Japanese really talk to one another when they are angry or emotional. Fun and entertaining, it will help you to read Japanese, write Japanese, and speak Japanese. It leaves no taboo untouched and sets the record completely straight. Learn how to call somebody a lecher, a deadbeat, a tub of lard, (and much worse than we can show here)–and arm yourself with phrases such as "Drop dead" or "what sewer did you crawl out of jackass? Fun and instructive, it is the perfect antidote for those boring language classes you have been taking, and your Japanese friends will die when they hear you trying out new expressions like tonji (pig–child) and dauma–geisha (fat–bottomed geisha). Highlights of this Japanese phrasebook Intended for students of all levels and anyone interested in how Japanese is really spoken, this book is absolutely indispensable for foreigners who live in Japan and want to know what is being said when someone insults you in Japanese!
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
5 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Jack Seward
53 books5 followersSince 1941 Jack Seward has been involved with the Japanese language as student, teacher, and author of more than 30 books. He has also been a lecturer on Japanese culture and communication as well as a professional interpreter and translator. In 1986 the Emperor of Japan awarded Seward the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class, for his efforts. Seward now lives in his native Texas with his Japanese wife.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 12, 2013
No book should ever, ever be relied upon to teach cursing in another language. The cusses in this book are mostly outdated and weird. I'm giving it a 4 because it's fun to bring to a party in Japan.
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November 21, 2009None
February 27, 2016
If you want to insult someone in Japanese, this is a good way to learn. Individual words and phrases are both used, along with explanations and various sayings.
January 17, 2023
Okay so, darn. This book could have been so cool! The section on slander against people who are trying to climb the social ladder is fascinating, and some of the examples are very funny, and present an interesting starting place if you're looking to find out more about naughty speech in a language without curse-words. But there are some SUBSTANTIAL issues. MAJOR, BOOK-RUINING ISSUES.
For one, the Japanese words and phrases and examples are presented only in romaji-- no Japanese script appears in the whole book. That makes it super tricky to understand what the heck the words are meant to mean. Any usable Japanese language book needs to include, ya know, written Japanese language.
Also, many of these words are incredibly out of date or obscure, or both. I wouldn't trust that any of these would even be understood if I tried to use them with an actual Japanese person. I'd need to check and double check that many of these are legit before even bothering to remember them.
And here's the biggest issue. The big damning huge terrible book-wrecking issue. Here, I'll just let the author damn himself, from the Introduction (page 9)
"While I was attending Japanese language school, our top-priority mission was acquiring the vocabulary to a) roundly malign others, and b) become cozy with oriental maidens when we at last reached the distant misty shores of Japan. The harvest of the second task was indeed much more bountiful than the first."
So, ew.
His examples and experience is from literal actual 1941. And he's a racist, sexist, chauvinistic POS. In other words a "hinekureta seishitsu no yopparai-me." Or something.
For one, the Japanese words and phrases and examples are presented only in romaji-- no Japanese script appears in the whole book. That makes it super tricky to understand what the heck the words are meant to mean. Any usable Japanese language book needs to include, ya know, written Japanese language.
Also, many of these words are incredibly out of date or obscure, or both. I wouldn't trust that any of these would even be understood if I tried to use them with an actual Japanese person. I'd need to check and double check that many of these are legit before even bothering to remember them.
And here's the biggest issue. The big damning huge terrible book-wrecking issue. Here, I'll just let the author damn himself, from the Introduction (page 9)
"While I was attending Japanese language school, our top-priority mission was acquiring the vocabulary to a) roundly malign others, and b) become cozy with oriental maidens when we at last reached the distant misty shores of Japan. The harvest of the second task was indeed much more bountiful than the first."
So, ew.
His examples and experience is from literal actual 1941. And he's a racist, sexist, chauvinistic POS. In other words a "hinekureta seishitsu no yopparai-me." Or something.
March 8, 2020
When you go to Japan, you want to at least understand if they are talking about you. Yes, this book shows you and makes you learn some classic words.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews