# What does baka mean **URL:** \ **Category:** Q&A\ **Created:** [April 8, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://howtodiscuss.com/t/what-does-baka-mean/39388 "2021-04-08T15:11:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 2
**Author:** ![Mehak\_Fatima](https://howtodiscuss.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@Mehak\_Fatima](https://howtodiscuss.com/u/Mehak_Fatima)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2021, 1:24pm UTC](https://howtodiscuss.com/t/what-does-baka-mean/39388/2 "2021-04-09T13:24:03Z")
The word BAKA means idiot, or fool, in japaneese. It is a term which is so popular with anime fans, now non-japaneese people use it. BAKA is also ascociated with TSUNDERE, a type of dere(person)who acts mean to their crush/love so that they won’t notice they have a crush on them, or to convince the TSUNDERE that they do not have a crush. Baka is a Japanese word that means “crazy,” “foolish,” or downright “stupid.” It can also be used as a noun for “a fool” or “a crazy or stupid person.” Anime and manga fans in the West have adopted the use of baka as a (usually joking) insult. “Baka” is the most common Japanese swear word. The baka meaning usually translates to foolish or stupid. But it can take on a whole range of meanings depending on context, relationship, and other factors. In kanji, it’s usually written _baka_ . When separated, those kanji mean _uma_ (horse) and _shika_ (deer). These kanji were selected because of their sounds “ba” and “ka.” But there are several other combinations that would have worked. Like 母娘 (Mother-Daughter), (Horse-Daughter), (Broken-House), (Trillions-Beautiful voice), (Horse-Earning money), and (One foot-House). Now that’s baka! Baka is also commonly written in Hiragana as or in Katakana as . On the internet, it is sometimes written as or **βακα**.Although the baka meaning can take many forms, there is certainly a negative connotation attached to it (it is a swear word after all). So it’s not typically used in public or legal situations. For example, if you say “baka” to a subordinate in your company, you may have to spend time in HR watching videos on an old VCR. Use caution before pulling this puppy out of your Japanese language ■■■■■■■■ - Baka Etymology - A Story from the Shiki The Records of the Grand Historian from China - The Sanskrit Word “Moha - Wakamono Young People - 4 Bankrupt Family - How To Use Baka? - Nuance - Positive Meaning - Combination - Baka Meaning Examples - Baka Dialects - We’re All Baka! There are several theories on the origin of the baka definition, which regrettably means we can’t be sure which one is correct. The oldest written usage of baka is in Taiheiki (a Japanese historical epic said to have been written by Kojima Houshi in the 1370s). At the time the word was not _baka_ but _bakamono_ (stupid person). So the theories which take into that was the first usage of the term are more believable than others. There’s a multitude of interesting theories but today we’ll focus on just five of them. During the era of the second emperor Kogai of the Qin dynasty, his ■■■■■■ Choko planned a rebellion in an attempt to usurp his power. He wanted to find out which courtiers were on his side and came up with an idea. He brought a deer to the Imperial palace, offered it to the emperor and said, “I’ve brought you a very rare horse”. Understandably, the emperor got confused and asked, “Isn’t this a deer?” With a divisive line drawn, Choko then moved towards the courtiers asking, “This is most certainly a horse, is it not?” Those who were afraid of Choko replied, “Yes, this is a horse” and those who did not fear him answered, “No, it’s a deer”. Choko later killed the courtiers who answered deer. From that, the phrase: It’s believed that baka comes from this story and this theory is actually the most widely accepted. However, one inconsistency is that the ‘ka’ part of ‘baka’ is actually a Japanese reading and wouldn’t have been read this way in Chinese. Another word that can be read as “baka” is the kanji which is from the Sanskrit word “moha”, meaning “ignorance” and “illusion”. It’s theorized that monks began using baka esoterically and it came into common usage later on. This theory was put forward by an Edo period Japanese scholar, Sadakage Amano, and is used in most major Japanese dictionaries, including the Kojien. However, some studies question this theory since “ignorance” wasn’t a baka meaning in Japanese when it was first used. An interesting addition to this theory is that in Bengali, the official language of Bangladesh which has its origins in Sanskrit, the word “baka” means “stupid person”. Kunio Yanagida, the father of Japanese native folkloristics, said that the editor of Kojien, Izuru Shinmura, presented this theory but didn’t leave any documents supporting it when he died. So the truth of this theory is still uncertain. What is known, however, is that Shinmura was unwilling to accept the Sanskrit theory of “Moha” for the Kojien. --- _[View the full topic](https://howtodiscuss.com/t/what-does-baka-mean/39388)._