Baka ( Japanese word ) - wikipedia Baka ( Japanese word ) For other uses, see Baka. Baka ( 馬鹿, ばか, or バカ ) means `` fool ; idiot '', or ( as an adjectival noun ) `` foolish '' and is the most frequently used pejorative term in the Japanese language. This word baka has a long history, an uncertain etymology ( possibly from Sanskrit or Classical Chinese ), and linguistic complexities. Contents 1 Word 1.1 History 1.2 Etymologies 1.3 Related words 1.4 Meanings 2 Usages 2.1 Pragmatics 2.2 Dialectal 2.3 Proper names 2.4 English 3 References 4 External links Word The modern Japanese writing system transcribes the insult baka as バカ in katakana, ばか in hiragana, or 馬鹿 ( lit. `` horse deer '' ) in ateji phonetic kanji transcription ; earlier ateji renderings included 莫迦, 母 嫁, 馬 嫁, or 破 家. History The first written usages of baka were during the Nanboku - chō period ( 1336 -- 1392 ), when the `` Northern and Southern Courts '' battled. In the earliest example, the Taiheiki historical epic records bakamono 馬鹿 者 being used as an insult in 1342. The Ashikaga commander Toki Yoritō 土岐 頼 遠 refuses to pay obeisance to retired Emperor Kōgon ( r. 1313 - 1364 ), `` Yoritō, probably inebriated, loudly demands to know what kind of fool ( bakamono ) has the temerity to order him to dismount. '' According to Carr, `` Shinmura found that the original editions ( fourteenth century ) of the Taiheiki had baka written バカ ; ( while ) later movable - type editions ( c. 1600 ) had the characters 馬鹿. '' A Bunmei - era ( 1469 -- 1487 ) edition of the Setsuyōshū dictionary notes baka 馬鹿, which was also written 母 嫁 ( lit. `` mother bride '' ), 馬 嫁 ( lit. `` horse bride '' ), or 破 家 ( lit. `` break family '' ), means rōzeki 狼藉 `` disorder ; confusion ''. Many classical Japanese texts used baka. For instance, the ( c. 1616 ) Kōyō Gunkan military chronicle transcribed baka as 馬 嫁. Ihara Saikaku 's ( 1682 ) Kōshoku Ichidai Otoko 好色 一代 男 `` The Life of an Amorous Man '', which was a classic of the Ukiyozōshi genre, wrote baka with the modern kanji 馬鹿. Etymologies Although the origins of baka are uncertain, Japanese scholars have proposed various etymologies and folk etymologies. The two most widely cited are a Classical Chinese idiom and a loanword from Sanskrit. First, the oldest hypothesis suggests that baka originated as a Chinese literary `` allusion to a historical fool '', the Qin Dynasty traitor Zhao Gao ( d. 207 BCE ) from the Records of the Grand Historian. This etymology first appears in the ( c. 1548 ) Unbo irohashu 運 歩 色 葉 集 dictionary, which glosses baka 馬鹿 as meaning `` 指 鹿 曰 馬 '' `` point at a deer and say horse ''. Namely, the Chinese idiom zhǐlù - wéimǎ 指鹿為馬 ( lit. `` point at a deer and call it a horse '', Japanese 鹿 を 指し て 馬 と なす shika o sashite uma to nasu ) meaning `` deliberate misrepresentation for ulterior purposes ''. Zhao was an infamous minister who served the first emperor Qin Shi Huang ( r. 246 - 221 BCE ) and forced the second Qin Er Shi ( r. 210 - 207 BCE ) to commit suicide. Zhao Gao was contemplating treason but was afraid the other officials would not heed his commands, so he decided to test them first. He brought a deer and presented it to the Second Emperor but called it a horse. The Second Emperor laughed and said, `` Is the chancellor perhaps mistaken, calling a deer a horse ? '' Then the emperor questioned those around him. Some remained silent, while some, hoping to ingratiate themselves with Zhao Gao, said it was a horse, and others said it was a deer. Zhao Gao secretly arranged for all those who said it was a deer to be brought before the law. Thereafter the officials were all terrified of Zhao Gao. The Japanese idiom first appears in the 11th - century novel The Tale of Genji. Kokiden flew into a rage. `` A man out of favor with His Majesty is expected to have trouble feeding himself. And here he is living in a fine stylish house and saying awful things about all of us. No doubt the grovelers around him are assuring him that a deer is a horse. Second, the most linguistically sound etymology is that baka derives from a Sanskrit word meaning `` fool ''. According to the Japanese linguist and lexicographer Shinmura Izuru, the Edo - period scholar Amano Sadakage 天野 信 景 ( 1663 -- 1733 ) originally suggested that Japanese Buddhist priests coined the word baka `` fool '' from Sanskrit. Modern reference works give two possible Sanskrit sources for the word, moha ( transcribed 慕 何 ) `` foolish '' and mahallaka ( 摩 訶 羅 ) `` stupid ''. Sanskrit moha मोह means `` bewilderment, loss of consciousness, delusion, folly '' and comes from the root muh `` bewildered, perplexed, confused ''. Sanskrit mahallaka means `` senile, feeble minded, stupid, decrepit '' and comes from mūrkha मोह `` dull, stupid, foolish, inexperienced ; fool ''. Other proposed etymologies for baka are less reliable. Two Edo - period dictionaries proposed that baka derived from : ōmaka 大まか `` generous ; unsparing '' ( Rigen shūran 俚言 集 覧 ) or bokeru 惚ける `` grow senile ; dote ; become feeble - minded '' ( Matsuya hiki 松屋 筆記 ). Related words Mumashika 馬鹿 depiction from the 1832 Hyakki Yakō Emaki The same 馬鹿 `` horse deer '' characters that transcribe baka are also used for names in Chinese zoological nomenclature and Japanese mythology. In the Chinese language, malu 馬鹿 refers to the common `` Red Deer ; Cervus elaphus '', which has a Japanese name of akashika ( 赤鹿, `` red deer '' ). Mumashika is a rare alternate Japanese reading of 馬鹿 that names `` a yōkai demon with a horse 's head and deer 's body ''. The c. 1832 Hyakki Yakō Emaki 百 鬼 夜行 絵巻 `` 100 Demons ' Night Parade Picture Scroll '' depicts it with one eye, horse mouth and ears, and deer horn and hooves. Meanings Based on semantic analyses of baka 馬鹿 entries in Japanese dictionaries and thesauruses, the lexicographer Michael Carr differentiates eight interrelated meanings. Three basic `` fool ; foolish '' meanings distinguish baka `` ass ; jerk ; fool '', baka `` ament ; idiot ; imbecile ; fool '' ( ament is a rare but politically correct word for `` mentally deficient '' ), and baka `` blockhead ; dullard ; dimwit ; simpleton ; dolt ; fool ''. These are found in many frequently - used Japanese expressions. Some more insulting lexemes are bakamono 馬鹿 者 `` stupid / born fool '', ōbaka 大 馬鹿 `` big fool damned idiot '', and baka - yarō 馬鹿 野郎 `` stupid jerk, ass, asshole, dumbass ''. Some compounds are baka yoke 馬鹿 ヨケ `` foolproof ; idiot - proof '', baka warai 馬鹿笑い `` foolish / horse laugh '' and baka zura 馬鹿 面 `` foolish face ; stupid look '' ; and some verb phrases are baka ni suru 馬鹿 に する `` make a fool of ( someone ) ; treat with contempt '', baka yobawarisuru 馬鹿 よばわり する `` call ( someone ) a fool '', and baka o miru 馬鹿 を 見る `` make a fool / ass of ( oneself ) ''. Two extended meanings of baka `` worthless '' and baka `` excess '' expand upon `` folly ; foolishness ''. Baka `` worthless ; foolish ; valueless ; trifling ; insignificant '' is used in expressions such as bakageta 馬鹿げ た `` foolish ; absurd ; ridiculous '' ; bakana 馬鹿 な `` foolish ; silly ; stupid '' ; and bakarashii 馬鹿らしい, bakabakabarashii 馬鹿 々 々 らしい, or bakakusai 馬鹿 臭い all meaning `` foolish ; absurd ; ridiculous ''. It is further used in phrases like baka ie 馬鹿 言え `` Nonsense ! ; Go on ! '', and bakana mane o suru 馬鹿 な 真似 を する `` do a foolish thing ; act foolishly ''. Baka `` excess ; foolish ; absurd ; extreme ; extravagant '' is found in a number of expressions : bakani 馬鹿 に or bakabakashiku 馬鹿 々 々 しく `` awfully ; terribly ; extremely '' ; bakayasui 馬鹿 安い `` ridiculously / dirt cheap '' ; bakane 馬鹿 値 or bakadakai 馬鹿 高い `` ridiculously expensive '' ; bakateinei 馬鹿 丁寧 `` excessive politeness '' ; and bakashōjiki 馬鹿 正直 `` honest to a fault ''. Three special meanings are unrelated semantic connections. Baka `` trough shell '' is a truncation of bakagai 馬鹿 貝 `` trough shell ; Mactra chinensis ''. Baka `` numbness ( of limbs ) '' is used in the expression baka ni naru 馬鹿 に なる, and baka means `` ( an antique kind of ) coin counter ''. Usages Baka, which originated as a 14th - century literary insult, has become `` the most commonly used '' swearword in contemporary Japanese. Usages of this term can be discussed in terms of pragmatic depth, dialectal variation, and proper names. Pragmatics The linguistic pragmatics of using insults like baka can be language specific. For instance, Japanese has fewer words for calling someone a `` fool '' than English. Jack Seward recounts asking his language teacher `` to prepare a list of the most stunning and forcible insults, pejoratives, and curses in Japanese '', but was surprised that the `` short, unimaginative, and seeming ineffectual '' list had only two words : baka `` fool '' and chikushō 畜生 `` beast ''. Carr proposes that intentional vagueness explains the comparatively small lexical field of Japanese insults. One likely reason for the relatively few Japanese words for ' fool ' is vagueness. In both English and Japanese, the words for ' fool ' have meanings that vary along scales of friendly - hostile, or joking - serious. In English, at one end of a scale are words like silly goose and at the other end are words like stupid asshole. And in Japanese, at one end are words like kamaboko baka 蒲鉾 馬鹿 ' silly chump ' and at the other end are words like baka - yarō 馬鹿 野郎 ' damn fool '. The difference is in the degree of lexical diversification along the scales of meaning. English seems to have more ' fool ' words with more specificity -- Japanese seems to have fewer ' fool ' words with more vagueness. There are decided pragmatic and communicative advantages to such lexical vagueness. If you call me a stupid son - of - a-bitch, I know exactly what you mean. But if you call me a baka - yarō, I can not be so sure of what you mean. The expression baka - yarō 馬鹿 野郎 is one of the most insulting terms in the Japanese lexicon, but it is vague and can range in meaning from an affectionate ' silly - willy ' to an abusive ' jerk - off fool '. Baka - yarō is so widely used that it has become semantically weak and vague. Such vagueness can serve to conceal hostility and thus to maintain social harmony. Dialectal Japanese dialects show regional variations between using baka in Kantō dialect and ahō 阿呆 or あほ `` fool ; idiot ; jackass '' in Kansai dialect. In addition, the insult ahō has more of a slang connotation than baka. Many Japanese dictionaries treat the words baka and ahō as synonyms. `` However, in Osaka and its surroundings, aho is a rather non-offensive word, whereas baka is an explosive word. '' Nevertheless, `` In Tokyo and its surroundings, we find exactly the opposite, so you must be careful with the usage of these words. '' Proper names Baka frequently occurs in proper nouns. Examples from Japanese pop music include albums ( Pretty Little Baka Guy, Ai no Baka `` Love Fool '' ) and songs ( Suki Sugite Baka Mitai `` To Like ( him ) Too Much and Look Like a Fool '' ). Some titles from modern Japanese literature are Tsuribaka Nisshi ( `` Fishing Fool 's Diary '' ), Inubaka : Crazy for Dogs ( `` Dog Fool '' ), Karate Baka Ichidai ( `` A Karate - Crazy Life '' ), and Baka to Test to Shōkanjū ( `` Idiots, Tests, and Summoned Creatures '' ). English During World War II, baka was American military slang for the Japanese Ohka 櫻花 ( lit. `` Cherry Blossom '' ) kamikaze flying bomb. The earliest recorded usage was in Newsweek on May 7, 1945, `` American forces have officially designated this bomb as ' baka ', baka being Japanese for foolish, silly, or stupid. '' References Jump up ^ `` ばか ( 馬鹿 / 莫迦 ) ''. デジタル 大辞泉 ( Digital Daijisen dictionary ). Tokyo : Shogakukan. 2001. ^ Jump up to : `` ばか ( 馬鹿 ・ 莫迦 ・ 破 家 ) ''. 日本 国語 大 辞典 ( Shogakukan Unabridged Dictionary of the Japanese Language ). Tokyo : Shogakukan. 2007. Jump up ^ Varley, Paul ( 1994 ). Warriors of Japan : As Portrayed in the War Tales. University of Hawaii Press. p. 210. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8248 - 1601 - 8. Retrieved 19 April 2013. ^ Jump up to : Carr, Michael ( 1982 ). `` Baka and Fool ''. The Review of Liberal Arts. 63 : 1 -- 18. Retrieved 2013 - 04 - 19. Jump up ^ Shinmura Izuru 新村 出 ( 1971 ). `` 馬鹿 考 ( Baka ko ) ''. 新村 出 全集 ( Shinmura Izuru zenshū ). Chikuma. pp. 100 -- 104. ^ Jump up to : Shinmura Izuru 新村 出 ( 1971 ). `` 馬鹿 考 ( Baka ko ) ''. 新村 出 全集 ( Shinmura Izuru zenshū ). Chikuma. pp. 100 -- 104., p. Jump up ^ Qian Sima ( 1993 ). Records of the Grand Historian. Translated by Burton Watson ( 3rd ed. ). Renditions. p. 70. ISBN 9780231081696. Jump up ^ Murasaki Shikibu ( 1976 ). The Tale of Genji. Translated by Edward G. Seidensticker. Knopf. p. 268. Jump up ^ `` ばか ''. 広辞苑 ( Koujien ). Tokyo : Iwanami Shoten. 2008. Jump up ^ Macdonell, Arthur Anthony ( 1924 ). A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary : With Transliteration, Accentuation, and Etymological Analysis Throughout. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 2000 - 5. ^ Jump up to : Bernabe, Marc ; Niimura, Ken ; March, Guillermo ( 2004 ). Japanese in MangaLand : Learning the Basics. Japan Publications Trading. p. 151. Jump up ^ Seward, Jack ( 1972 ). The Japanese. New York : William Morrow. p. 167. Jump up ^ Evans, Toshie M. ( 1997 ). A Dictionary of Japanese Loanwords. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 11 -- 12. Jump up ^ Russell, I. Willis ( 1947 ). `` Among the New Words ''. American Speech. 22 ( 3 ) : 113 -- 114. doi : 10.2307 / 487246. External links Look up バカ or 馬鹿 in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ばか ( 馬鹿, 莫迦, 破 家 ), jeKai Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baka_(Japanese_word)&oldid=865580186 '' Categories : Pejorative terms for people Japanese words and phrases Hidden categories : Use Harvard referencing from December 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español 日本 語 Русский 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 24 October 2018, at 20 : 06 ( UTC ). 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Question: what is the meaning of baka in japanese
Answer: "fool; idiot"