Japanese · Frustration
ふざけんな
fuzakenna
foo-zah-KEN-nah · /ɸɯzakeɴna/
Don't screw with me / cut the crap / are you kidding me
3/5 Watch your audience
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"don't mess around"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
"Quit screwing around" — real anger at being jerked around, insulted, or taken for a fool. Contracted from fuzakeru-na. Directed at a person it's a challenge; yelled at a situation it's outrage. The rougher "fuzakenja-nee" is peak delinquent-drama energy. Not a joke phrase — it means the gloves are off.
Heard in the wild
今さらキャンセル?ふざけんな。
Cancelling now? Are you kidding me?
Where it lands
Nationwide
Quick answers
- What does "ふざけんな" mean?
- In Japanese, "ふざけんな" means "Don't screw with me / cut the crap / are you kidding me". Literally it's "don't mess around". "Quit screwing around" — real anger at being jerked around, insulted, or taken for a fool. Contracted from fuzakeru-na. Directed at a person it's a challenge; yelled at a situation it's outrage. The rougher "fuzakenja-nee" is peak delinquent-drama energy. Not a joke phrase — it means the gloves are off.
- Is "ふざけんな" offensive?
- It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
- How do you pronounce "ふざけんな"?
- Say it "foo-zah-KEN-nah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ɸɯzakeɴna.
Related in Japanese
うるさい urusai oo-roo-SIGH Shut up / you're too loud / quit nagging 馬鹿野郎 baka-yarō BAH-kah yah-ROH You stupid bastard / you goddamn idiot クソ野郎 kuso-yarō KOO-so yah-ROH Piece of shit / shitty bastard この野郎 kono-yarō KO-no yah-ROH Why you...! / you little...! うざい uzai oo-ZYE Annoying / a pain in the ass 死ね shine SHEE-neh Drop dead / go die
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Screw you".
- French Enculé ! Motherf***er / bastard (one of the hardest personal insults)
- German Verpiss dich! Piss off! / Clear off (with force)!
- Greek άντε γαμήσου Go fuck yourself / get lost / piss off.
- Italian Vaffanculo! Fuck off! / Go to hell!
- Korean 개새끼 Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading.
- Polish ty kurwo You whore / you bitch — the aimed kurwa, a different animal entirely.
- Portuguese Filho da puta Son of a bitch / bastard
- Russian Средний палец Screw you / the finger
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.