dishonorifics question

[quamp]

I know that dishonorifics are very rarely used, because they're considered rude. However, I was wondering something.
So far in my limited studies, I've run across only two dishonorifics:
1. ぼず - this one seems limited to obnoxious, bratty boys. It's usually translated as brat, punk, jerk, or idiot.
2. め- this one seems more insulting than ぼず, and seems to apply to anyone of any age. This one seems to have a wide range of translations, ranging from idiot to things that would get me banned.

My question is this: are there others? Is there a female equivalent to ぼず? I was just wondering.

 

[Haruspex]

Well, i dunno about め, but yeah, i keep hearing ぼず in animes, without a single exception it is used by macho men, and again without exception they say it to clumsy looking males, mostly to the protagonist lol... well i can't say for sure, as i don't know, but i bet that you're right.

 

[ajmd20]

I don't think that ぼうず is in the same category of words as め. It's not always offensive in the way you describe either. I think this is the definition of the use you are referring to here:
(イ)〔剃髪の習慣が昔あったところから〕男の幼児を親しみ、またはぞんざいにいう語。
「うちの―は今一年生だ」
The word was originally (and still is) used to refer to Buddhist priests.
I guess something like 嬢ちゃん might work as a female equivalent for this usage.

However I think that you are perfectly right to think of め as a dishonourific. You will even often find め after the speaker's own name, in sentences like 私めでよろしければ...

 

[Mike Cash]

However I think that you are perfectly right to think of め as a dishonourific. You will even often find め after the speaker's own name, in sentences like 私めでよろしければ...

Where? In manga?



______________________________

 

[ajmd20]

Where? In manga?
______________________________

I guess you'll find it it situations where the speaker is being very formal and trying to humble themselves. This will often be in things like historical dramas, mangas and fictional novels. I don't think that most of us will find it used seriously in this way in very many real life situations, although I think half jokingly is certainly possible. BIANANS

 

[Mike Cash]

I have to get around more, then. I've never heard it used and if it were something we find "often" I think I would have run into it by now. I don't doubt that it exists, but I do think that one oughtn't say something can "often" be found when in fact, by your own clarification, one would pretty much have to be digging through some rather arcane and obscure stuff in order to trip across it.

Or perhaps we need to be clear when discussing what one does or does not encounter in Japanese usage if one is talking about real world use of Japanese as a tool of daily communications or about the escapist fantasy world use of Japanese.

 

[ajmd20]

Maybe our exposure to Japanese has just been very different then. I don't think I hear the word used in this way that much less than I hear it being used to insult someone and certainly wouldn't think of it as an obscure usage. But you are definitely right that my usage of the word often there was clearly too strong.

 

[epigene]

The use of め as in 私め is very often jocular and/or exaggerated humility in modern usage. The kanji for this is 奴

め（奴）
Google search on 私め

 

[quamp]

All right, I understand that part. However, that wasn't my question. My question was: are there any more? Is there a female equivelent to ぼず?

As for ぼず, I usually see it used by younger speakers primarily, usually people in their teens referring to children under 10 in this manner.
Also it is ぼず, not ぼうず. Usually I'm working with transliterations, but they always say bozu, not bouzu or bōzu. It's possible that ぼず is a variation of ぼうず, but the o is never elongated in the dishonorific.

 

[Vagrant]

ども/共 is one. It's a noun suffix and pluralizer, and it can give the speaker an air of superiority over those he's talking about and a humble tone when applied to himself. I have no idea whatsoever how often you'd see it in real life, but you'll hear it often on television, in comics, or in video games.

め can also be affixed to it as well to give you どもめ.

 

[quamp]

ども/共 is one. It's a noun suffix and pluralizer, and it can give the speaker an air of superiority over those he's talking about and a humble tone when applied to himself. I have no idea whatsoever how often you'd see it in real life, but you'll hear it often on television, in comics, or in video games.
め can also be affixed to it as well to give you どもめ.

ありがと. I had heard ども/共 only as a humble form of we.

め I've seen only twice. Both times, it was a supervisor chasting a subordinate that was not present. 彼奴め! 賭けて いったね! was one of them. (It was translated as "That idiot! He went gambling, didn't he?)

 

[epigene]

Also it is ぼず, not ぼうず. Usually I'm working with transliterations, but they always say bozu, not bouzu or bōzu. It's possible that ぼず is a variation of ぼうず, but the o is never elongated in the dishonorific.

I don't think you're right. ぼうず can be written ぼ～ず or ぼーず (plus their katakana equivalents) but never ぼず. It is always elongated, regardless of situation, though there may be speakers who pronounce it quickly, making you think that way.

彼奴め! 賭けて いったね!

I think there's something wrong here...

 

[Mike Cash]

The amount of bizarre Japanese that is "learned" from anime/manga is a travesty.

Anybody with even a modicum of a desire to actually learn Japanese would do well to stay away from starting down the path of learning from that sort of crap, especially the blind-leading-the-blind otaku passing their typically sadly horrid, inadequate, misinformed notions about meaning and usage along from one to the other. My God, it'll take twice as long to unlearn it all and then learn it right again. And even then it'll be analagous to scraping dog crap off your shoe.....you're never quite confident you got it all off.

 

[namichidori]

I know that dishonorifics are very rarely used, because they're considered rude. However, I was wondering something.
So far in my limited studies, I've run across only two dishonorifics:
1. ぼず - this one seems limited to obnoxious, bratty boys. It's usually translated as brat, punk, jerk, or idiot.
2. め- this one seems more insulting than ぼず, and seems to apply to anyone of any age. This one seems to have a wide range of translations, ranging from idiot to things that would get me banned.
My question is this: are there others? Is there a female equivalent to ぼず? I was just wondering.

As for ぼず, I think you might have misheard the word.

ガキ(がき) ,小僧(こぞう), 少年(しょうねん)are similar to ぼうず.
very rude <---------->a little polite

And, I agree that お嬢(じょう)ちゃん would be a female equivalent.

 

[namichidori]

I don't think that ぼうず is in the same category of words as め. It's not always offensive in the way you describe either. I think this is the definition of the use you are referring to here:
(イ)〔剃髪の習慣が昔あったところから〕男の幼児を親しみ、またはぞんざいにいう語。
「うちの―は今一年生だ」
The word was originally (and still is) used to refer to Buddhist priests.
I guess something like 嬢ちゃん might work as a female equivalent for this usage.
However I think that you are perfectly right to think of め as a dishonourific. You will even often find め after the speaker's own name, in sentences like 私めでよろしければ...

I think what you said is almost correct.
ぼうず is sometimes used to a boy/younger person,
expressing their(speakers') friendliness/affection toward him.
In fact, even め is occasionally used to show their friendliness
to their junior/inferior/enemy.
Nagative/positive can be geussed from the context.

You can find those usages in a lot of Japanese novels/dramas/movies, etc,
from classics to contemporary. And as you guess, we still use
both ぼうず and め jokingly in easygoing conversations. Not so often though.

All these have a little old-fashioned tone, therefore sound a bit comical now.
JFYI.