Is "田舎" a derogatory term?


I've heard about 田舎, or more likely the English word "inaka" derived from the
Japanese word, being used in a pejorative way by [assistant English
teachers](http://jet.wikia.com/wiki/Inaka):

> Inaka (田舎 inaka) is a Japanese term meaning a rural area or the countryside.
> When said by people on the JET Programme, it is often used as a pejorative
> about places outside the major metropolitan areas, highlighting the lack
> desirable urban features - bars, shops, general entertainment, young people
> etc.

However, is it commonly a derogatory term in Japanese?

I recently came across the following in a homework exercise

> 私のいなかは空気がきれいです。

Which I assume when properly kanji-ized would be

> 私の田舎は空気がきれいです。

I looked up いなか on jisho.org, and it warned that 田舎 can be a sensitive word:

  1. (Sensitive) rural area; countryside; the sticks;

and some of the word compounds involving いなか were derogatory. For example:

> 田舎っぺ
>
> Noun, Vulgar expression or word
>
> hick; country bumpkin; yokel

Is "田舎" a derogatory term? Does it depend on context? If so, in what contexts
is it derogatory, and in what contexts is it not derogatory?




Only some words derived from 田舎, such as 「田舎っぺ」「田舎者【いなかもの】」「田舎臭【いなかくさ】い」, are
derogatory.

I think 田舎 itself is _not_ derogatory. Although this word typically has the
negative sense by its nature, saying 「私は田舎が好きだ」 or
「私は[田舎で暮らしたい](http://allabout.co.jp/gm/gc/26157/)」 is perfectly correct.

One euphemistic expression that means 田舎 is 地方【ちほう】. 「地方に住んでいる人」 usually means
a person who lives outside metropolitan areas.

Even when you use 地方, of course there are many people who don't want to be
judged by their hometowns, and talking about 都会 and 田舎 can be sensitive. But
that's beside the point.




Only some words derived from 田舎, such as 「田舎っぺ」「田舎者【いなかもの】」「田舎臭【いなかくさ】い」, are
derogatory.

I think 田舎 itself is _not_ derogatory. Although this word typically has the
negative sense by its nature, saying 「私は田舎が好きだ」 or
「私は[田舎で暮らしたい](http://allabout.co.jp/gm/gc/26157/)」 is perfectly correct.

One euphemistic expression that means 田舎 is 地方【ちほう】. 「地方に住んでいる人」 usually means
a person who lives outside metropolitan areas.

Even when you use 地方, of course there are many people who don't want to be
judged by their hometowns, and talking about 都会 and 田舎 can be sensitive. But
that's beside the point.

