History UsefulNotes / Baka

"Baka" is a staple of FangirlJapanese. More and more, along with various honorifics, it appears [[GratuitousJapanese untranslated in English language manga]]. "Baka" had previously made its way into English in the 1940s as the US Army's codename for UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan's Yokosuka MXY-7 Oka, the legendary [[SuicideAttack kamikaze flying bomb]].

Japanese word for "idiot", "stupid", "moron", "imbecile", "dumbass", or any other similar term; also frequently translated as "{{jerk|ass}}." This is an all-purpose profanity applied to persons who have done anything stupid, insensitive or thoughtless. Usually seen in the idiomatic phrase ''"Anta baka?!"'', which is a favorite {{catchphrase}} of {{Tsundere}}s.

Occasionally, the word ''aho'' (阿呆, "Foolish") is used instead, especially by KansaiRegionalAccent speakers. This is because ''baka'' is a much stronger insult in Kansai, only used when you ''really'' want to [[TheIdiotFromOsaka denigrate your target]], while ''aho'' has much the same childish connotation in Kansai as ''baka'' does in other areas.

Occasionally, the word ''[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%81%82%E3%81%BB#Japanese aho]]'' (阿呆, "Foolish") is used instead, especially by KansaiRegionalAccent speakers. This is because ''baka'' is a much stronger insult in Kansai, only used when you ''really'' want to [[TheIdiotFromOsaka denigrate your target]], while ''aho'' has much the same childish connotation in Kansai as ''baka'' does in other areas.

Occasionally, the word ''[[https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/あほ#Japanese aho]]'' (阿呆, "Foolish") is used instead, especially by KansaiRegionalAccent speakers. This is because ''baka'' is a much stronger insult in Kansai, only used when you ''really'' want to [[TheIdiotFromOsaka denigrate your target]], while ''aho'' has much the same childish connotation in Kansai as ''baka'' does in other areas.

Not to be confused with [[MoreDakka Dakka]].[[note]]For starters, as that page remarks, there is no such thing as enough ''dakka'', but there certainly is such a thing as enough ''[[TooDumbToLive baka]]''[[/note]] See also IdiotCrows. Pretty much a given when the series involves an IdiotHero or two.

Not to be confused with ''[[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike vaca]]''.

* origami-tsuki no baka "Acknowledged (ie Got A Degree In) Baka"

* sokonuke no baka "Bottomless (ie Down And Out) Baka"

Not to be confused with ''[[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike vaca]]''

Occasionally, the word ''[[https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/あほ#Japanese aho]]'' (阿呆, "Foolish") is used instead, especially by KansaiRegionalAccent speakers. This is because ''baka'' is a much stronger insult in Kansai, only used when you ''really'' want to denigrate your target, while ''aho'' has much the same childish connotation in Kansai as ''baka'' does in other areas.

Not to be confused with ''[[InMyLanguageItSoundsLike vaca]]''

Not to be confused with ''[[InMyLanguageItSoundsLike vaka]]''

Japanese word for "idiot", "stupid", "moron", "imbecile", "dumbass", "retard", or any other similar term; also frequently translated as "{{jerk|ass}}." This is an all-purpose profanity applied to persons who have done anything stupid, insensitive or thoughtless. Usually seen in the idiomatic phrase ''"Anta baka?!"'', which is a favorite {{catchphrase}} of {{Tsundere}}s.

Written with kanji characters (馬鹿), it reads as "horse-deer", which puzzles everybody, Japanese or not. [[note]] This can lead to humor if you've read or heard of ''[[Fanfic/SOSchip The Giggling Horseshoe]]'' and realize that the words "michi" and "misa" are ''also'' read "horse-deer." Whether the deer is Samson or Chita depends on direction. [[/note]] (Folk etymologies trace this to someone who can't tell the two apart, or possibly to a test to [[OpinionFlipflop find yes-men]].) The Chinese have the legend of an Emperor's advisor testing his power by 'showing a horse and calling it a deer'. The kanji are actually ''ateji'', which means they are there solely for phonetic reasons and not meant to be translated literally. In some legends there's actually a {{youkai}} called "Mumashika" but written with the same Kanji as "Baka", which can possess people and make them stupid. According to the most-accepted theory, ''baka'' is an ancient loanword from Sanskrit, specifically, the word ''moha'' (मोह). It means either "error" or "distraction" and was originally part of Buddhist slang used by monks among themselves. Although long ago nativized into Japanese, the word is often written in katakana for emphasis.

Japanese word for "idiot", "stupid", "moron", "imbecile", "dumbass", "retard", or any other similar term; also frequently translated as "{{jerk|ass}}." This is an all-purpose profanity applied to persons who have done anything stupid, insensitive or thoughtless. Usually seen in the idiomatic phrase ''"Anta baka!"'', which is a favorite {{catchphrase}} of {{Tsundere}}s.

Japanese word for "idiot", "stupid", "moron", "imbecile", "dumbass", "retard", or any other similar term; also frequently translated as "{{jerk|ass}}." This is an all-purpose profanity applied to persons who have done anything stupid, insensitive or thoughtless. Usually seen in the idiomatic phrase ''"no baka!"'', which is a favorite of {{Tsundere}}s across Japan.