Japanese · Insults
この野郎
kono-yarō
KO-no yah-ROH · /kono jaɾoː/
Why you...! / you little...!
3/5 Watch your audience
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"this guy / this bastard"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
"This bastard" — the sound of a fight starting or a grudge boiling over. Can also be weirdly affectionate between rowdy male friends after a prank ("kono-yarō~" with a grin), the way English guys say "you son of a bitch" while laughing. Tone decides everything; flat and loud, it's a threat.
Heard in the wild
この野郎、よくもやったな。
Why you — you've got some nerve.
Where it lands
Nationwide; male-coded
Quick answers
- What does "この野郎" mean?
- In Japanese, "この野郎" means "Why you...! / you little...!". Literally it's "this guy / this bastard". "This bastard" — the sound of a fight starting or a grudge boiling over. Can also be weirdly affectionate between rowdy male friends after a prank ("kono-yarō~" with a grin), the way English guys say "you son of a bitch" while laughing. Tone decides everything; flat and loud, it's a threat.
- Is "この野郎" 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 "この野郎"?
- Say it "KO-no yah-ROH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: kono jaɾoː.
Related in Japanese
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.