Japanese · Insults
デブ
debu
DEH-boo · /debɯ/
Fatty / fat-ass
3/5 Watch your audience
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"fatty"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Blunt, mean word for a fat person. Body-shaming is treated more casually in Japanese media than in current Anglophone norms, so you'll hear debu on variety TV — but pointed at a real person it stings hard. Can be defanged among close friends ("debu-kyara," the lovable fat character), never with strangers.
Heard in the wild
デブって言うやつがデブになるんだよ。
Whoever calls people fatty is the one who gets fat.
Where it lands
Nationwide
Quick answers
- What does "デブ" mean?
- In Japanese, "デブ" means "Fatty / fat-ass". Literally it's "fatty". Blunt, mean word for a fat person. Body-shaming is treated more casually in Japanese media than in current Anglophone norms, so you'll hear debu on variety TV — but pointed at a real person it stings hard. Can be defanged among close friends ("debu-kyara," the lovable fat character), never with strangers.
- Is "デブ" 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 "デブ"?
- Say it "DEH-boo" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: debɯ.
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
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