Did Japanese Buddhist monks bring Zazen meditation to the world? Yes. Is Japan famed for its sleek minimalism and peaceful culture? Yes.
Do Japanese people ever get mad? Hell to the yeah they do!
As you probably know, Japanese culture values harmony and group well-being over individual feelings. So Japanese people grow up probably a *little* more skilled than us at bottling up frustrations and anger in order to keep the superficial peace.
That said, Japanese people are human beings and, like the rest of the world, they have times when they lose their absolute sh*t too. Just take a peek at this TV show panelist (rightfully) losing his temper on live television after witnessing an offensive segment about gender.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeee
This Japanese father and blogger tweeted about his family oogiri (大喜利), a game where you have to give the wittiest comeback as fast as possible to a certain question or topic.
The theme was all about who could make the most annoying, rude-sounding exclamations (e.g. “ah”, “wut?” or “wow!) using only one hiragana.
But exclamations are harmless, you say. Yeah, any English teachers out there will understand the pain of asking students a question and being met with a chorus of “えっ” or “あれ” or “マジで!”
Likewise, if you’ve ever had the unfortunate chance to witness a Japanese variety television show, you’ll know that by the fourth Eeeeeeeeeeeeee-reaction from the audience over a zoomed-in bowl of noodles just how annoying exclamations can be.
は?
ひらがな1文字を発音して、相手を激怒させろ選手権!って大喜利を3人でやったんだけど。
娘の「は?」
私の「あ?」を抑えて
息子の「で?」がぶっちぎりで優勝した。
繰り返すことによって激怒ポイントを貯められるところが高評価。— 佐川・抜け首・なん (@nankuru28) November 23, 2019
ひらがな1文字を発音して、相手を激怒させろ選手権!って大喜利を3人でやったんだけど。
娘の「は?」
私の「あ?」を抑えて
息子の「で?」がぶっちぎりで優勝した。
繰り返すことによって激怒ポイントを貯められるところが高評価。
= All three of us played an oogiri game, the “Piss off your opponent with one hiragana championship!”
My daughter: “PARDON?” (は)
I kept her in check with “OY!” (あ)
My son broke away and won the championship with “SO WHAT?” (で)
Repeating over and over again will win you top rage points.
If は, あ, and で can sound extremely annoying to Japanese people’s ears, one sound that REALLY takes the cake is the 舌打ち AKA “tongue clicking” sound.
Considered extremely rude (it’s the equivalent to showing your middle finger in the West), clicking your tongue in Japan expresses utmost irritation, annoyance, and disgust.
Japanese emotional exclamations
On paper exclamations kind of lose their flavor and these translations won’t grasp the full meaning. But think of this list as a useful guideline when you’re watching your favorite series on Netflix Japan. Practice them and you’ll quickly sound more like a native.
- あっ = Ah!
- おっ = Oh!
- えっ = Eh!
- あれ = Huh?
- へえ = Really?
- わあ = Wow!
- げっ = Yuck!
- いたっ = Ouch!
- うそ = No way?!
- マジ, マジで = Seriously!?
- すごい = Awesome!
- おっと = Oopsie
- あら, あらま = Oh dear
- くそ = Sh*t!
- しね = Drop dead!
- チクショ= Damn it!
Vocabulary
Japanese | Romaji | English |
大喜利 | oogiri | improvised answer game |
ひらがな | hiragana | hiragana |
文字 | moji | character |
発音する | hatsuon suru | pronounce |
相手 | aite | opponent |
激怒する | gekido suru | be enraged |
選手権 | senshuken | championship |
3人 | san nin | us three, the three of us, three people |
やる | yaru | do |
娘 | musume | daughter |
私 | watashi | I, me |
抑える | osaeru | keep the enemy in check, have under control |
息子 | musuko | son |
ぶっちぎりで | bucchigiri de | overwhelmingly |
優勝する | yushyou suru | win |
繰り返す | kurikaesu | repeat, do over again |
によって | ni yotte | by |
激怒ポイント | gekido pointo | “rage point” |
貯める | tameru | accumulate, save |
高評価 | kouhyouka | high rating, top points |
舌打ち | shitauchi | clicking tongue noise |
For more on learning Japanese
- Learn Japanese with our original study materials on GaijinPot Study
- Questions about studying Japanese in Japan? Take a look at the Japan 101 section on Higher Education and Studying Japanese
- Join our GaijinPot Study Facebook group to connect with fellow learners
- Learn more about the GaijinPot Study Placement Program
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