Japanese · Insults
ボケ
boke
BO-keh · /boke/
Dumbass / idiot (Kansai)
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"fool / the one who plays dumb"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Osaka's other everyday insult, from comedy: the boke is the fool of a manzai duo, and "boke!" is what the straight man snaps at him. In Kansai, "aho ka, boke" is almost punctuation between friends. Said flat and hard to a stranger it's rude; among Osakans it's the texture of normal banter. Pairs with the smacking tsukkomi gesture.
Heard in the wild
ちゃう、そこ右やろ、ボケ。
No, it's right there — dumbass.
Where it lands
Kansai-flavored but nationwide as a snapped insult
Quick answers
- What does "ボケ" mean?
- In Japanese, "ボケ" means "Dumbass / idiot (Kansai)". Literally it's "fool / the one who plays dumb". Osaka's other everyday insult, from comedy: the boke is the fool of a manzai duo, and "boke!" is what the straight man snaps at him. In Kansai, "aho ka, boke" is almost punctuation between friends. Said flat and hard to a stranger it's rude; among Osakans it's the texture of normal banter. Pairs with the smacking tsukkomi gesture.
- Is "ボケ" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
- How do you pronounce "ボケ"?
- Say it "BO-keh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: boke.
Related in Japanese
ばか baka BAH-kah Idiot / dummy / stupid あほ aho AH-ho Idiot / dummy (Kansai flavor — often affectionate) 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...! ブス busu BOO-soo Ugly woman / dog
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "You idiot".
- French Con Idiot / dumbass — the single most useful insult in French
- German Arsch Arse / ass — and the second great compound-engine of German
- Greek μαλάκας Asshole / idiot — OR — dude / mate. The single most important word in Greek.
- Italian Stronzo! Asshole! / Bastard!
- Korean 바보 Dummy / silly — the soft, safe, often affectionate 'idiot.'
- Polish debil Moron / idiot — the standard hard 'you idiot.'
- Portuguese Otário Sucker / gullible fool / mug
- Russian Дурак! Idiot / fool
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