# 馬鹿
## Chinese

* 馬鹿

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): mǎlù
    (Zhuyin): ㄇㄚˇ ㄌㄨˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): maa$^5$ luk$^{6-2}$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: mǎlù
*** Zhuyin: ㄇㄚˇ ㄌㄨˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: mǎlù
*** Wade–Giles: ma$^3$-lu$^4$
*** Yale: mǎ-lù
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: maaluh
*** Palladius: малу (malu)
*** Sinological IPA : /mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu⁵¹/
*** Homophones: [Show/Hide]$^{edit}$馬路 / 马路 馬陸 / 马陆 馬鹿 / 马鹿
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: maa$^5$ luk$^{6-2}$
*** Yale: máh lúk
*** Cantonese Pinyin: maa$^5$ luk$^{9-2}$
*** Guangdong Romanization: ma$^5$ lug$^{6-2}$
*** Sinological IPA : /maː¹³ lʊk̚²⁻³⁵/

### Noun

馬鹿
* horse and deer
* red deer

#### Synonyms

* (red deer): 赤鹿 (chìlù)

#### Derived terms

* 加拿大馬鹿 / 加拿大马鹿 (Jiānádà mǎlù)
* 馬鹿場 / 马鹿场 (Mǎlùchǎng)

### See also

* 八嘎 (bāga)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 馬 | 鹿 |
| ば Grade: 2 (ateji) | か Grade: 4 (ateji) |
| kan'on | kun'yomi |
* Alternative spelling
* 莫迦

### Etymology

Probably originally a transcription of Sanskrit मोह (moha, “folly”), used as a cant term among monks.
Alternatively, may have arisen from the same root as Old Japanese 痴 (woko, modern oko, “stupidity, ridiculousness”). However, this theory is problematic phonologically, as the /b/ ↔ /w/ shift is difficult to explain.
The characters 馬鹿 (literally “horse + deer”) are ateji (当て字), probably chosen as an allusion to Literary Chinese 指鹿為馬 (“to deliberately misinterpret and invert right and wrong”, literally “to point to a deer and call it a horse”) (see that entry for more).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ばか [báꜜkà] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [ba̠ka̠]

### Adjective

馬(ば)鹿(か) or 馬鹿(バカ) • (baka) -na (adnominal 馬(ば)鹿(か)な (baka na), adverbial 馬(ば)鹿(か)に (baka ni))
* foolish, idiotic, stupid, ridiculous
    馬鹿(ばか)なことしちゃったな。
       Baka na koto shichatta na.
       I did something stupid.
    馬鹿(ばか)なことを言(い)うな。
       Baka na koto o iu-na.
       Don't be silly. Don't say such stupid things.
* useless, futile

#### Inflection

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | 馬鹿だろ | ばかだろ | baka daro |
| Continuative (連用形) | 馬鹿で | ばかで | baka de |
| Terminal (終止形) | 馬鹿だ | ばかだ | baka da |
| Attributive (連体形) | 馬鹿な | ばかな | baka na |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 馬鹿なら | ばかなら | baka nara |
| Imperative (命令形) | 馬鹿であれ | ばかであれ | baka de are |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 馬鹿ではない 馬鹿じゃない | ばかではない ばかじゃない | baka de wa nai baka ja nai |
| Informal past | 馬鹿だった | ばかだった | baka datta |
| Informal negative past | 馬鹿ではなかった 馬鹿じゃなかった | ばかではなかった ばかじゃなかった | baka de wa nakatta baka ja nakatta |
| Formal | 馬鹿です | ばかです | baka desu |
| Formal negative | 馬鹿ではありません 馬鹿じゃありません | ばかではありません ばかじゃありません | baka de wa arimasen baka ja arimasen |
| Formal past | 馬鹿でした | ばかでした | baka deshita |
| Formal negative past | 馬鹿ではありませんでした 馬鹿じゃありませんでした | ばかではありませんでした ばかじゃありませんでした | baka de wa arimasen deshita baka ja arimasen deshita |
| Conjunctive | 馬鹿で | ばかで | baka de |
| Conditional | 馬鹿なら（ば） | ばかなら（ば） | baka nara (ba) |
| Provisional | 馬鹿だったら | ばかだったら | baka dattara |
| Volitional | 馬鹿だろう | ばかだろう | baka darō |
| Adverbial | 馬鹿に | ばかに | baka ni |
| Degree | 馬鹿さ | ばかさ | bakasa |

### Noun

馬(ば)鹿(か) or 馬鹿(バカ) • (baka)
* a fool, an idiot
    ラブソングだと思(おも)った僕(ぼく)が馬鹿(ばか)だった
       rabu songu da to omotta boku ga baka datta
       I was foolish to think this was a love song
** 2008 April 20 [2008 March 31], Hidekaz Himaruya, “Meeting of the World”, in Axis Powers ヘタリア [Axis Powers Hetalia], 3rd edition, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Gentosha, →ISBN:
    俺(おれ)は反対(はんたい)だ！そんな現実味(げんじつみ)のない案賛成(あんさんせい)できるか！それとlearnedって言(い)うな！何(なん)だよlearnedってlearntだバカ！
       Ore wa hantai da! Sonna genjitsumi no nai an sansei dekiru ka! Sore to learned tte iu na! Nan da yo learned tte learnt da baka!
       I disagree! Who would approve such a nonsensical idea⁉ And stop saying ‘learned’! It’s ‘learnt’, not ‘learned’, you fool!
** 2006 November 7, Hideaki Sorachi, “第(だい)百二十七訓(くん)　クーラーはタイマーで切(き)れるようにしてから寝(ね)ないと風邪(かぜ)ひくよ [Lesson 127: Set the Timer to Automatically Turn off Air-Con When You Sleep or You’ll Get a Cold]”, in 銀(ぎん)魂(たま) [Silver Soul], volume 15 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:
    なんでよりによってバカはカゼひかないって言(い)…
       Nan de yori ni yotte
       But why her of all people
       Baka wa kaze hikanai tte i…
       They say idiots never get colds, ri…
* uselessness, futility
* a tool used for counting coins

#### Usage notes

* This term is often spelled in hiragana, as ばか.

#### Synonyms

* (fool, idiot): 阿(あ)呆(ほう) (ahō), 愚(おろ)か者(もの) (orokamono)
* (futile): 無(む)駄(だ) (muda)

#### Derived terms

* 馬(ば)鹿(か)貝(がい) (bakagai, “Mactra chinensis, a type of bivalve shellfish”)
* 馬(ば)鹿(か)馬(ば)鹿(か)しい (bakabakashii, “stupid, ridiculous”)
* 馬(ば)鹿(か)力(ぢから) (bakajikara)
* 馬(ば)鹿(か)野(や)郎(ろう) (baka yarō)
* 桜伐(さくらき)る馬鹿梅伐(ばかうめき)らぬ馬鹿(ばか) (sakura kiru baka ume kiranu baka)
* 馬鹿(ばか)にならない (baka ni naranai)
* ワープロ馬鹿(ばか) (wāpuro baka)
* 馬鹿(ばか)げる (bakageru)
* 馬鹿(ばか)げた (bakageta)
* 馬鹿(ばか)を見(み)る (bakaomiru)
* 馬鹿笑(ばかわら)い (bakawarai)
* 学者馬鹿(がくしゃばか) (gakushabaka)
* 小馬鹿(こばか) (kobaka)
* 馬鹿正直(ばかしょうじき) (bakashōjiki)
* 馬鹿女(ばかおんな) (bakaonna)
* 大馬鹿者(おおばかもの) (ōbakamono)
* 馬鹿丁寧(ばかていねい) (bakateinei)

#### Descendants

* → Chinese: 八嘎 (bāga)
* → English: baka
* → Korean: 빠가 (ppaga)

### Suffix

馬(ば)鹿(か) or 馬鹿(バカ) • (-baka)
* enthusiast, freak

### References

* ↑ “馬鹿・莫迦・破家”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
* ↑ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ “馬鹿”, in 日本辞典 (Nihon Jiten, “Japan Dictionary”) (in Japanese), 2007–2017.
* 1 2 3 “バカ／馬鹿／ばか”, in 語源由来辞典 (Gogen Yurai Jiten, “Etymology Derivation Dictionary”) (in Japanese), 2003–2025.
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* ↑ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN