Japanese · Love & Heartbreak
変態
hentai
hen-TYE · /hentai/
Pervert / creep / kinky weirdo
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"abnormal condition / metamorphosis"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
"Pervert." The Japanese usage is broader and more everyday than the English loanword: a girl swats a handsy guy with "hentai!"; friends tease each other's kinks with a laughing "hen-tai~." Anime-vs-reality flag: to Japanese ears it's plain "pervert," not the genre label English speakers attached to it. The original literal sense is a neutral scientific "metamorphosis/anomaly."
Heard in the wild
じっと見てくる、あの人ちょっと変態っぽい。
He keeps staring — that guy's kind of a creep.
Where it lands
Nationwide
Quick answers
- What does "変態" mean?
- In Japanese, "変態" means "Pervert / creep / kinky weirdo". Literally it's "abnormal condition / metamorphosis". "Pervert." The Japanese usage is broader and more everyday than the English loanword: a girl swats a handsy guy with "hentai!"; friends tease each other's kinks with a laughing "hen-tai~." Anime-vs-reality flag: to Japanese ears it's plain "pervert," not the genre label English speakers attached to it. The original literal sense is a neutral scientific "metamorphosis/anomaly."
- Is "変態" 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 "変態"?
- Say it "hen-TYE" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: hentai.
Related in Japanese
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