Japanese profanity
Profanity in the Japanese language can pertain to scatological references or aim to put down the listener by negatively commenting on their ability, intellect, or appearance. Furthermore, there are different levels of Japanese speech that indicate politeness, social standing and respect, referred to, simply, as "honorific form" (敬語 "keigo"). Using the incorrect form of Japanese can itself be insulting to the listener. Language-based profanity. In Japanese culture, social hierarchy plays a significant role in the way one speaks to the various people they interact with on a day-to-day basis. Choice on level of speech, politeness , body language and appropriate content is assessed on a situational basis, and intentional misuse of these social cues can be offensive to the listener in conversation. Pronouns and suffixes. Pronouns are rarely used in Japanese compared to English. Rather, a Japanese speaker would refer to another individual, whether it be in the second person or third person, by their family name. However, when referring to an individual, the use of suffixes on pronouns can be used to indicate levels of politeness. For example, in English one could say "Excuse me, Ms Ishiyama, but I cannot hear you. Could you  please speak louder?", the following would be an incorrect translation: Using pronouns is too direct in Japanese, and considered offensive or strange. One would not use pronouns for oneself, 私 ('I'), or for another, あなた ('you'), but instead would omit pronouns for oneself, and call the other person by name: The use of 'Ishiyama' instead of her first name and the use of 'sensei' (teacher) as a suffix indicates recognition of Ms. Ishiyama's superiority in the social hierarchy as one's teacher. In contrast, if one were to say: to their teacher, it would be considered incredibly impolite. Ms  Ishiyama's status is not mentioned, indicating that the speaker considers themself to be of equal or high social standing. Honorific language. Profanity can be accentuated also through use (or lack) of honorific language (敬語 けいご "keigo"). Following on from pronouns and suffixes in the example above, the speaker has contracted the words for 'excuse me/sorry' (すみません "sumimasen" to ごめん "gomen"), 'I cannot hear you' (聞こえません "kikoemasen" to 聞こえない "kikoenai") and 'can you speak' (話してくれませんか "hanashitekuremasenka" to 言って "itte"). Politeness can be conveyed to the listener by conjugating plain forms (verb stems) of Japanese verbs into what is  called the polite form. Consider the original example. The plain form verb for 'listen' is 聞く "kiku". The potential form of this is 聞こえる "kikoeru", and the corresponding negative form is 聞こえない "kikoenai". The polite conjugation of the negative potential plain form is then 聞こえません "kikoemasen", as seen in the example (1). In example (3) the speaker has chosen to use the plain form 聞こえない "kikoenai", and this indicates a disregard for the social hierarchical status of Ms Ishiyama over the speaker. Bowing. Bowing was introduced into Japanese culture c. 500–800 CE, possibly alongside the introduction of Chinese Buddhism into  the country. Bowing when greeting another person has become a large part of Japanese culture and there are specific customs that are followed to show humility and respect in situations including business meetings, formal occasions, and day-to-day interactions. When performing a standing bow (正立 "seiritsu") to another Japanese speaker, the individual's back should remain straight, with their hands by their side, and eyes averted to the ground. From sitting, the individual should be seated on their knees (正座 "seiza") with their hands forming a triangle on the floor in front of them, and head moving towards the  hands. The bow does not need to be held for extended time, however the action should not be rushed either. The speed in which the bow is performed, as a result, can infer levels of politeness or rudeness. The depth of the bow performed by an individual changes the meaning of the bow. A bow of 15 degrees is considered a casual bow or greeting bow (会釈 "eshaku"). This sort of bow can be used with someone of equal social hierarchical status such as a colleague or friend's friend. A bow of 30 degrees is considered a polite bow  (浅礼 "senrei") and should be made from "seiza", not from "seiritsu". This sort of bow is used in semi-formal situations. A bow of 45 degrees is a respectful bow (敬礼 "keirei") and can be done while seated or standing. The respectful bow is used when greeting a superior such as an employer, or in-laws. Finally, a deep bow of greater than 45 degrees is called a reverent bow (最敬礼 "saikeirei") and this is reserved either for an audience with the emperor or to communicate a deep reverence or regret. With regards to profanity, using an overly polite or  reverent form of bowing can display sarcasm and disdain, and conversely, choosing an inappropriately familial bow can be offensive to the other party. Sex. Similar to English, profanities that relate to the body tend to refer to the direct words for body parts and may not necessarily be negative words. Male profanities Female profanities Neutral profanities Racial euphemisms. Japan has managed to preserve its culture, which was highly influenced by Chinese culture, through isolation from other countries. Prior to the World Wars, Japan had unstable relationships with the nations surrounding them, including Korea and China. Following the World Wars, Japanese  civilization experienced exposure to Western culture, and this resulted in a range of insults with regards to nationality, race, and place of origin.