How to swear in Japanese (Japanese rude/insult words)

You might hear these words often when you watch a shounen anime. We really don’t recommend to use this at all while you’re traveling or studying in Japan. Use this article as a reference instead so you know what it means when you encounter them.

These are not the complete list, but it does contain some of the most frequent words used in manga/anime.

Rude pronouns

Just using an improper pronouns can be rude in Japan. So be sure to know what words to use in what occasion! But below you will find some words which you shall never use unless you really know what you’re doing!

俺 ore: me
お前 omae: you
*Some boys/men use this word casually among group of friends. These words has a manly nuance. But you definitely can’t use this word when talking to stranger or your superior.

こいつ koitsu: this person / thing
そいつ soitsu: that person / thing
あいつ aitsu: that person / thing over there
どいつ doitsu: which person?
*Note that these words follow the same pattern as これ、それ、あれ (kore, sore, are : this, that, over there). But it’s used to talk about people. They are actually the abbreviated version of あの (ano), この (kono), その (sono) with やつ (yatsu). So こいつ (koitsu) comes from このやつ (kono yatsu) and so on…

**If you’re a beginner, avoid these pronouns. These word has a lot of nuance. You can use it to call things, in some cases, あいつ (aitsu) is often used to talk about a “love interest”, and some people just considered these words as straightly rude!

てめえ temee or temae: you
貴様 kisama: you
*Men might use these words when they’re angry. So basically it’s equivalent to an insult. In English, words with same nuance would be Motherf***er! or A**holes!!

Rude calling

うそつき usotsuki: liar
ちび chibi: short/small people
へんたい hentai: sexually perverted
バカ baka: stupid
アホ aho: idiot
わるがき warugaki: brat
やろう yarou: uncivilized person / bastard
ばかやろう baka yarou: stupid uncivilized person / fool
ぶす busu: ugly
でぶ debu: fatty
泣き虫 nakimushi: crybaby
弱虫 yowamushi: coward

Rude Phrases

うるさい! urusai!: Shut up!
くそ！ kuso!: Damn/Shit!
死ね! shine!: Go die! (Go to hell!)
くたばれ！ kutabare!: Drop dead!
最低 saitei: Worst possible / Disgusting
畜生! chikushou!: Damn it!
アホか? aho ka?: Are you an idiot?
バカか? baka ka?: Are you stupid?
くそくらえ! kuso kurae!: Eat shit!