Sunday, July 24, 2011

How to say "p.s. you suck" in Japanese

This post will focus on two very interesting vocabulary items in Japanese; I call them "p.s. you suck" suffixes, though I'm sure there is a better word to describe them.
Adding a め to a noun insults the noun it is suffixed to:

  • 馬鹿め!["baka-me", idiot!]
  • この小娘め!["kono komusume-me!", stupid girl!]
  • 太郎め! ["Tarou-me!", dang Tarou!]

The verb ["yagaru"] attaches to the base II or connective form of verbs and adds the same feeling as the め suffix:

  • 覚えてやがれ!["oboeteyagare!", remember this you fool!]
  • 罠にかかりやがって... ["wana ni kakariyagatte...", getting caught in a trap, you're so stupid.]
  • 何を言いやがるんだ! ["nani o iiyagarunda!", what the heck are you saying?!]

Both of these forms are used when yelling at or cursing some entity.
I personally don't use them a lot, but they are very common in anime, probably because of the dramatic nature. Here's an example for やがる. It's the last word the villain says (besides きら, a sparkly sound akin to "bwing" or "bling"). Note that the subtitle should be "Remember this!", not "I'll remember this!".

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