馬鹿力

Japanese

Kanji in this term
馬	鹿	力
ば Grade: 2	か Grade: 4	ちから > ぢから Grade: 1

Alternative forms

• ばか力

Etymology

From 馬鹿 (baka, “stupid”) +‎ 力 (chikara, “strength; force”). The chikara reading for 力 changes to jikara as an instance of rendaku (連濁).. The 馬鹿 spelling is ateji (当て字).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ばかぢ​から [bàkájíꜜkàrà] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [ba̠ka̠ʑika̠ɾa̠]

Noun

馬(ば)鹿(か)力(ぢから) • (bakajikara) 

1. great physical force or strength; brute force
   • 1988 July 30 [1983 December 25], Fujiko F. Fujio, “ひとりぼっちの宇宙戦争 [The One-Man Cosmic War]”, in ひとりぼっちの宇宙戦争 [The One-Man Cosmic War] (藤子不二雄少年SF短編集; 1), 16th edition, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 36:

     そ、そうか……。これが火(か)事(じ)場(ば)のばか力(ぢから)……。

     So, sō ka……. Kore ga kajiba no bakajikara…….

     Th-This is it……. This is the hysterical strength you gain during a fire…….