See also: 马鹿

Chinese

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horse(s) deer
trad. (馬鹿) 鹿
simp. (马鹿) 鹿
 
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Pronunciation

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Noun

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馬鹿

  1. horse and deer
  2. red deer

Derived terms

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See also

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Japanese

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Kanji in this term
鹿

Grade: 2
(ateji)

Grade: 4
(ateji)
kan'on kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
莫迦
 馬鹿 on Japanese Wikipedia

Etymology

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Probably originally a transcription of Sanskrit मोह (moha, folly), used as a cant term among monks.[1][2][3][4][5]

Alternatively, may have arisen from the same root as Old Japanese (woko, modern oko, stupidity, ridiculousness). However, this theory is problematic phonologically, as the /b//w/ shift is difficult to explain.[5]

The characters 馬鹿 (literally horse + deer) are ateji (当て字), probably chosen as an allusion to Literary Chinese 指鹿為馬 (“to deliberately misinterpret and invert right and wrong”, literally “to point to a deer and call it a horse”) (see that entry for more).[5]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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()鹿() or 馬鹿(バカ) (baka-na (adnominal ()鹿() (baka na), adverbial ()鹿() (baka ni))

  1. foolish, idiotic, stupid, ridiculous
    馬鹿(ばか)ことちゃったな。
    Baka na koto shichatta na.
    I did something stupid.
    馬鹿(ばか)こと()な。
    Baka na koto o iu-na.
    Don't be silly. Don't say such stupid things.
  2. useless, futile

Inflection

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Noun

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()鹿() or 馬鹿(バカ) (baka

  1. a fool, an idiot
    ラブソングだと(おも)った(ぼく)馬鹿(ばか)だった[2]
    rabu songu da to omotta boku ga baka datta
    I was foolish to think this was a love song
    • 2008 April 20 [2008 March 31], Hidekaz Himaruya, “Meeting of the World”, in Axis Powers ヘタリア [Axis Powers Hetalia], 3rd edition, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Gentosha, →ISBN:
      (おれ)反対(はんたい)だ!そんな現実味(げんじつみ)のない案賛成(あんさんせい)できるか!それとlearnedって()うな!(なん)だよlearnedってlearntだバカ
      Ore wa hantai da! Sonna genjitsumi no nai an sansei dekiru ka! Sore to learned tte iu na! Nan da yo learned tte learnt da baka!
      I disagree! Who would approve such a nonsensical idea⁉ And stop saying ‘learned’! It’s ‘learnt’, not ‘learned’, you fool!
    • 2006 November 7, Hideaki Sorachi, “(だい)百二十七(くん) クーラーはタイマーで()れるようにしてから()ないと風邪(かぜ)ひくよ [Lesson 127: Set the Timer to Automatically Turn off Air-Con When You Sleep or You’ll Get a Cold]”, in (ぎん)(たま) [Silver Soul], volume 15 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:
      なんでよりによって
      Nan de yori ni yotte
      But why her of all people
      バカはカゼひかないって()
      Baka wa kaze hikanai tte i…
      They say idiots never get colds, ri…
  2. uselessness, futility
  3. a tool used for counting coins

Usage notes

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Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Chinese: 八嘎 (bāga)
  • English: baka
  • Korean: 빠가 (ppaga)

Suffix

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()鹿() or 馬鹿(バカ) (-baka

  1. enthusiast, freak

References

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  1. ^ 馬鹿・莫迦・破家”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ^ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
  3. 3.0 3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ^ 馬鹿”, in 日本辞典 (Nihon Jiten, Japan Dictionary) (in Japanese), 2007–2017.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 バカ/馬鹿/ばか”, in 語源由来辞典 (Gogen Yurai Jiten, Etymology Derivation Dictionary) (in Japanese), 2003–2024.
  6. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
  7. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN