Baka (Japanese Word)

''Baka'' (, in hiragana, or in katakana) means "fool", 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.

Word

100px, ''Baka'' written in kanji as
The modern Japanese writing system transcribes the insult ''baka'' as in katakana, in hiragana, or ( "horse deer") in '' ateji'' phonetic kanji transcription; earlier ''ateji'' renderings included , , , or .

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'' () being used as an insult in 1342. The Ashikaga commander Toki Yoritō () refuses to pay obeisance to retired Emperor Kōgon ( 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 zurufound that the original editions (fourteenth century) of the ''Taiheiki'' had ''baka'' written ; hilelater movable-type editions (c. 1600) had the characters ."

A Bunmei-era (1469–1487) edition of the '' Setsuyōshū'' dictionary notes ''baka'' , which was also written (lit. "mother bride"), (lit. "horse bride"), or (lit. "break family"), means ''rōzeki'' "disorder; confusion".

Many classical Japanese texts used ''baka''. For instance, the (c. 1616) '' Kōyō Gunkan'' military chronicle transcribed ''baka'' as . Ihara Saikaku's (1682) ''Kōshoku Ichidai Otoko'' (; "The Life of an Amorous Man"), which was a classic of the Ukiyozōshi genre, wrote ''baka'' with the modern kanji .

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 ( 207 BCE) from the '' Records of the Grand Historian''. This etymology first appears in the (c. 1548) ''Unbo Irohashū'' () dictionary, which glosses ''baka'' as meaning "point at a deer and say horse" (指鹿曰馬). Namely, the Chinese idiom '' zhǐlù-wéimǎ'' (; lit. "point at a deer and call it a horse", Japanese ''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,, p. the Edo-period scholar Amano Sadakage (; 1663–1733) originally suggested that Japanese Buddhist priests coined the word ''baka'' 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'' () means "bewilderment, loss of consciousness, delusion, folly" and comes from the root ''muh'' meaning "bewildered, perplexed, confused". Sanskrit ''mahallaka'' means "senile, feeble minded, stupid, decrepit" and comes from ''mūrkha'' (), meaning "dull, stupid, foolish, inexperienced; fool".

Other proposed etymologies for ''baka'' are less reliable. Two Edo-period dictionaries proposed that ''baka'' derived from: ''ōmaka'' "generous; unsparing" (''Rigen Shūran'' ) or ''bokeru'' "grow senile; dote; become feeble-minded" (''Matsuya Hikki'' ).

Related words

The same 馬鹿 "horse deer" characters that transcribe ''baka'' are also used for names in Chinese zoological nomenclature and Japanese mythology.

In Chinese, ''mǎlù'' () refers to the red deer (''Cervus elaphus''), Japanese ''akashika'' .

''Mumashika'' is a rare alternate Japanese reading of that names a yōkai demon with a horse's head and deer's body. The c. 1832 ''Hyakki Yagyō Emaki'' (; " Hyakki Yagyō emakimono") depicts it with one eye, a horse's mouth and ears, and deer horn and hooves.

Meanings

Based on semantic analyses of ''baka'' entries in Japanese dictionaries and thesauruses, the lexicographer Michael Carr differentiates eight interrelated meanings.

Three basic "fool; foolish" meanings distinguish ''baka''¹ "ass; jerk; fool", ''baka''² "ament; idiot; imbecile; fool" (ament is a rare word for "congenitally mentally deficient"), and ''baka''³ "blockhead; dullard; dimwit; simpleton; dolt; fool". These are found in many frequently-used Japanese expressions. Some more insulting lexemes are ''bakamono'' "stupid,fool,idiot", ''ōbaka'' "big fool damned idiot", and ''baka-yarō'' "stupid jerk, ass, asshole, dumbass". Some compounds are '' baka yoke'' "foolproof; idiot-proof", ''baka warai'' "foolish/horse laugh" and ''baka zura'' "foolish face; stupid look"; and some verb phrases are ''baka ni suru'' "make a fool of (someone); treat with contempt", ''baka yobawarisuru'' "call (someone) a fool", and ''baka o miru'' "make a fool/ass of (oneself)".

Two extended meanings of ''baka''⁴ "worthless" and ''baka''⁵ "excess" expand upon "folly; foolishness". ''Baka''⁴ "worthless; foolish; valueless; trifling; insignificant" is used in expressions such as ''bakageta'' "foolish; absurd; ridiculous"; ''bakana'' "foolish; silly; stupid"; and ''bakarashii'' , ''bakabakarashii'' , or ''bakakusai'' , all meaning "foolish; absurd; ridiculous". It is further used in phrases like ''baka ie'' "Nonsense!; Go on!", and ''bakana mane o suru'' "do a foolish thing; act foolishly". ''Baka''⁵ "excess; foolish; absurd; extreme; extravagant" is found in a number of expressions: ''bakani'' or ''bakabakashiku'' "awfully; terribly; extremely"; ''bakayasui'' "ridiculously/dirt cheap"; ''bakane'' or ''bakadakai'' "ridiculously expensive"; ''bakateinei'' "excessive politeness"; and ''bakashōjiki'' "honest to a fault".

Three special meanings are unrelated semantic connections. ''Baka''⁶ "trough shell" is a truncation of ''bakagai'' "trough shell; '' Mactra chinensis''". ''Baka''⁷ "numbness (of limbs)" is used in the expression ''baka ni naru'' , and ''baka''⁸ 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'' "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'' 'silly chump' and at the other end are words like ''baka-yarō'' '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 cannot be so sure of what you mean. The expression ''baka-yarō'' 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 ''aho'' or "fool; idiot; jackass" in Kansai dialect. In addition, the insult ''aho'' has more of a slang connotation than ''baka''. Many Japanese dictionaries treat the words ''baka'' and ''aho'' 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 imToo 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 Imperial Japanese Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka 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." In modern times, ''baka'' has often been used in anime communities. This has also led to the satirical and ironic use of ''baka'' to call someone a fool or mock anime communities, especially in Internet meme spaces.

References

External links

{{Wiktionary, バカ, 馬鹿
ばか【馬鹿, 莫迦, 破家】
jeKai
What Does Baka Mean in Japanese – and Why You (Probably) Shouldn’t Use It, Coto Japanese Academy

Slurs related to low intelligence
Japanese words and phrases