馬鹿

See also: 马鹿

Chinese

		horse(s)	deer
trad. (馬鹿)		馬	鹿
simp. (马鹿)		马	鹿

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): mǎlù

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄚˇ ㄌㄨˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): maa⁵ luk^6-2

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: mǎlù
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄚˇ ㄌㄨˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: mǎlù
  - Wade–Giles: ma³-lu⁴
  - Yale: mǎ-lù
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: maaluh
  - Palladius: малу (malu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ lu⁵¹/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    馬路 / 马路
    馬陸 / 马陆
    馬鹿 / 马鹿
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: maa⁵ luk^6-2
  - Yale: máh lúk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: maa⁵ luk^9-2
  - Guangdong Romanization: ma⁵ lug^6-2
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /maː¹³ lʊk̚²⁻³⁵/

Noun

馬鹿

horse and deer
red deer

Synonyms

(red deer): 赤鹿 (chìlù)

Derived terms

加拿大馬鹿 / 加拿大马鹿 (Jiānádà mǎlù)
馬鹿場 / 马鹿场 (Mǎlùchǎng)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
馬	鹿
ば Grade: 2 (ateji)	か Grade: 4 (ateji)
kan'on	kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
莫迦

Etymology

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 痴 (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

(Tokyo) ばか [báꜜkà] (Atamadaka – [1])^[6]^[3]^[7]
IPA^(key): [ba̠ka̠]

Adjective

馬(ば)鹿(か) or 馬鹿(バカ) • (baka) -na (adnominal 馬(ば)鹿(か)な (baka na), adverbial 馬(ば)鹿(か)に (baka ni))

foolish, idiotic, stupid, ridiculous
馬鹿(ばか)なことしちゃったな。
Baka na koto shichatta na.
I did something stupid.

馬鹿(ばか)なことを言(い)うな。
Baka na koto o iu-na.
Don't be silly. Don't say such stupid things.
useless, futile

Inflection

Inflection of 馬鹿

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	馬鹿だろ	ばかだろ	baka daro
Continuative (連用形)	馬鹿で	ばかで	baka de
Terminal (終止形)	馬鹿だ	ばかだ	baka da
Attributive (連体形)	馬鹿な	ばかな	baka na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	馬鹿なら	ばかなら	baka nara
Imperative (命令形)	馬鹿であれ	ばかであれ	baka de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	馬鹿ではない馬鹿じゃない	ばかではないばかじゃない	baka de wa nai baka ja nai
Informal past	馬鹿だった	ばかだった	baka datta
Informal negative past	馬鹿ではなかった馬鹿じゃなかった	ばかではなかったばかじゃなかった	baka de wa nakatta baka ja nakatta
Formal	馬鹿です	ばかです	baka desu
Formal negative	馬鹿ではありません馬鹿じゃありません	ばかではありませんばかじゃありません	baka de wa arimasen baka ja arimasen
Formal past	馬鹿でした	ばかでした	baka deshita
Formal negative past	馬鹿ではありませんでした馬鹿じゃありませんでした	ばかではありませんでしたばかじゃありませんでした	baka de wa arimasen deshita baka ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	馬鹿で	ばかで	baka de
Conditional	馬鹿なら（ば）	ばかなら（ば）	baka nara (ba)
Provisional	馬鹿だったら	ばかだったら	baka dattara
Volitional	馬鹿だろう	ばかだろう	baka darō
Adverbial	馬鹿に	ばかに	baka ni
Degree	馬鹿さ	ばかさ	bakasa

Noun

馬(ば)鹿(か) or 馬鹿(バカ) • (baka)

a fool, an idiot
ラブソングだと思(おも)った僕(ぼく)が馬鹿(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:
  
  俺(おれ)は反対(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って言(い)うな！何(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, “第(だい)百二十七訓(くん)　クーラーはタイマーで切(き)れるようにしてから寝(ね)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 銀(ぎん)魂(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言(い)…
  Baka wa kaze hikanai tte i…
  They say idiots never get colds, ri…
uselessness, futility
a tool used for counting coins

Usage notes

This term is often spelled in kana, as ばか.

Synonyms

(fool, idiot): 阿(あ)呆(ほう) (ahō), 愚(おろ)か者(もの) (orokamono)
(futile): 無(む)駄(だ) (muda)

Derived terms

馬(ば)鹿(か)貝(がい) (bakagai, “Mactra chinensis, a type of bivalve shellfish”)
馬(ば)鹿(か)馬(ば)鹿(か)しい (bakabakashii, “stupid, ridiculous”)
馬(ば)鹿(か)力(ぢから) (bakajikara)
馬(ば)鹿(か)野(や)郎(ろう) (baka yarō)
桜伐(さくらき)る馬鹿梅伐(ばかうめき)らぬ馬鹿(ばか) (sakura kiru baka ume kiranu baka)
馬鹿(ばか)にならない (baka ni naranai)
ワープロ馬鹿(ばか) (wāpuro baka)
馬鹿(ばか)げる (bakageru)
馬鹿(ばか)げた (bakageta)
馬鹿(ばか)を見(み)る (bakaomiru)
馬鹿笑(ばかわら)い (bakawarai)
学者馬鹿(がくしゃばか) (gakushabaka)
小馬鹿(こばか) (kobaka)
馬鹿正直(ばかしょうじき) (bakashōjiki)
馬鹿女(ばかおんな) (bakaonna)
大馬鹿者(おおばかもの) (ōbakamono)
馬鹿丁寧(ばかていねい) (bakateinei)

Descendants

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

Suffix

馬(ば)鹿(か) or 馬鹿(バカ) • (-baka)

enthusiast, freak

References

^ “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
^ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ “馬鹿”, in 日本辞典 (Nihon Jiten, “Japan Dictionary”) (in Japanese), 2007–2017.
↑ ^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), 2003–2025.
^ 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
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[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

[DJR-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.

[GYJ-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), 2003–2025.

[NHK-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

[SMK5-7] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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