Is there an equivalent to George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" in Japanese?


**_Warning:** This question contains words in both Japanese and English that
some might not want to read._

**_Also:** My apologies that this question is lengthy. However, I wanted to
take care to express it properly._

When I asked about [words that are not permitted on
television](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/2080/are-there-words-
so-bad-thay-they-arent-allowed-on-television), I was trying to get at the
concept of what makes a word "bad" in Japanese, because clearly the concept is
different than in English. However, that question opened my eyes to the
connected, but different issues of political correctness and
[zeitgeist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitgeist). It was fascinating and
helpful, but I'm still wondering about how Japanese handles curse words.

So I am going to come at the question a different way in hopes of getting a
definitive answer on something I know plagues many learners of Japanese:

Does Japanese _actually_ have swear words?

We all know the stereotype, which is that when you ask a Japanese person,
"what are some curse words in Japanese?" they say, "oh, we don't have those."
Then one learns of words which _seem to be_ curse words, and the perception is
built that the Japanese language does contain curse words, but a culture that
wants to be seen as non-confrontational obscures those words from outsiders.
Thus a whole bunch of stereotypes about Japan and Japanese people get
reinforced, such as the fact that they withhold things from outsiders, or that
they are too shy to speak openly about some things, or whatever else.

I thought `気違い【きちがい】 was one of those words, until I saw it in a book for
kids. Now that I've seen the list of words unsuitable for broadcast, I now
know that it's offense doesn't lie in its purpose, but its inappropriateness.
It's probably best translated as "psycho", which, in English, is still used as
an insult, it's acceptable in a wide variety of contexts, but a news anchor
wouldn't say, "police caught the psycho late last night."

So one thing one will note about [words not suitable for
broadcast](http://www.geocities.co.jp/WallStreet/4845/odio/kinku.html), is
that all of them can, in fact, be on TV, but it's all about when and how.

Surprisingly to me, There are some words that are _not_ on the list that I
think might count as "dirty words", such as `てめえ`, `野郎【やろう】`, and `くそ`.

I've seen these words translated as "motherfucker", "asshole", and "shit",
respectively.

However, I've also seen them translated as "you" (although a stern "you"),
"rascal", and "damn".

That flexibility is crazy to my mind, because in my culture, the _purpose_ of
a word like "motherfucker" is to convey an extreme of passions, or an extreme
of comradery. You say it with intent to people you really want to know you are
mad at, or people who already know you are such good friends that it's a joke.
Either way, it conveys extremes.

Thus the real question, is if there is a concept of words that are on the
other side of a line of general acceptability, like George Carlin's _[Seven
Dirty Words](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_dirty_words)_.

My concern when I see `野郎` translated as "rascal" is that it's that maybe the
word doesn't mean "rascal" at all, but something has been lost in the
translation because the context didn't carry over.

Put another way, in English, I can call my friend an "asshole" in a joking way
that I can get away with because we're friends. So when `野郎` is translated as
"rascal", might that not simply be a case where the translator (in a general
sense) was worried that the friendly context that made "asshole" acceptable
wouldn't be conveyed?

With all that context in mind, I hope we can answer " ** _Does Japanese
actually have swear words?_** " definitively. I hope an answer can directly or
indirectly cover address the following points:

  1. Are there words that are always harsh and insulting, that do not range from "you" to "motherfucker"? Words that are decidedly curse words? (Note I am not asking for a list, I'm asking for an analysis of their place in the language)

  2. Is sometimes translating `野郎` to "rascal" actually a fair translation, or is it a [kludge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kludge) to try and make up for context that is hard to capture in words?

  3. Does the Japanese answer "we don't have those" reflect the fact that Japanese really don't consider any words "bad"? Or does it reflect that they don't want to be involved by proxy in any contexts that call for those words?

  4. Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that a word like `てめえ` is a curse word, and that it's default implication is bad, and that context can make it less threatening? In other words, it's not that its definition ranges from "motherfucker" to "you", it's that it means approximately "motherfucker", but given the right context it is _made_ acceptable, just like "motherfucker" in English.

_Please no overly technical linguistic terminology so that answers are
understandable for everyone. Thanks!_




_Warning: This post contains objectionable language._

Partial answer, but I know of one word that might actually have the taboo
connotation you're talking about. [From
jeKai](http://www.jekai.org/entries/aa/00/np/aa00np25.htm):

> おまんこ is a vulgar Japanese word that means "vulva" or "vagina."
>
> おまんこ is perhaps the most taboo word in Japanese. That is, it is widely
> known, but its use is severely restricted. In this regard, it is similar to
> the English synonym "cunt." ...
>
> The word おまんこ does not appear in the broadsheet newspapers or on television
> or radio, and when it does appear in print and on the Web it is often
> partially blacked out. According to a citation in 性語辞典, the word is even
> censored from the soundtracks of pornographic videos, and if the word is
> spoken on-camera by a performer it is bleeped out...




_Be advised that this post contains language which some may not find
acceptable._

I think the problem here is that the definition of "swear word" is not by any
means static or universal. Is there a Japanese equivalent of "shit"? Well, in
so many words, **not really** (though there may be words which are used
similarly). But then, I don't actually think that's what you're asking.

So what _is_ a swear word, anyway? When you get right down to it, it's a word
that is on the extreme end of impolite. Traditionally in English, these
generally tend to be words referring to bodily functions, usually of Anglo-
Saxon origin (piss, shit, and fuck being primary examples). However, what is
impolite in one situation may not be so in another -- this is why you can get
away with good-heartedly calling your friend an asshole, most of the time (but
not in church): **politeness is contextual.**

The result of this is that with continued use, we become desensitized as a
society to them, and they lose their shock value. Eventually, they're replaced
with other impolite words. This has been happening in the United States quite
visibly in recent years, where the traditional "four letter words" are not
considered "bad" by the younger population, and are being replaced by (for
example) racial slurs -- the power of which is evident in that I am hesitant
to write them even in a scholarly discussion on the matter.

The important take-away is that it's all about context. Are there words that
are impolite in most contexts in Japanese? Well, sure. In most contexts, てめえ
is pretty impolite and insulting. But in all? I don't think such a thing
exists in English, either. **Even "motherfucker" isn't always harsh and
insulting.**

So the question as I see it, is what does Japanese consider "impolite"? This
is something we learn very earlier in Japanese, since it's so heavily
represented in the grammar. Calling your teacher お前, then, is quite impolite,
while doing the same with your best friend is almost explicitly not. The
disconnect occurs because of the thought that _it only means "you"_ \-- well,
sure, but that's just because Japanese measures politeness **so differently**
than English. In Japanese, it's more about station than about vocabulary (i.e.
even **more** explicitly contextual). If I use words that raise myself up (or
lower you down), when I should be doing the opposite (i.e. with a student-
teacher relationship), it becomes impolite. That it is "just a pronoun" is
entirely irrelevant; English having only "you" just confuses this.

The problem with translating these words, then, is that in English, we have to
use different words for different levels of politeness, while Japanese is more
heavily contextual. So is translating 野郎 as "rascal" sometimes acceptable,
even arguably _correct?_ Sure. You could argue that it's a kludge, but really,
in my experience, **translation is always a kludge.** You always lose
something in translation (though _where_ you lose it is a different question).

I think the statement "we don't have those" reflects all of this as well; it's
not that they don't have impolite words, but rather that what is _primarily_
considered impolite is so different. Just like you, they see our four letter
words and say, "oh yeah, we don't have those" -- all the while ignoring words
that are, in many situations, extremely impolite.

You could probably say all of those things about てめえ and nobody would ever
sincerely disagree with your intent, but the problem is that its definition
_isn't_ "motherfucker." Its definition also does not _range_ from "you" to
"motherfucker" depending on the context. てめえ is a second person pronoun which
means "you." **Period.** There is no arguing that fact. But contextually, I
would agree that its primary _use_ is just as you've said.

So, to tie everything back all up together nicely in a bow... **There are no
inherently bad words in _any_ language, Japanese included.** What makes them
bad is _always_ the cultural context surrounding them. I think we can all
agree that the cultural context in which Japanese primarily exists is
significantly different than the neighborhood English grew up in, so it's not
at all odd that what we consider rude or insulting is so different.

