下品
gehin
The Japanese word for vulgar is 下品 (gehin). It describes something distasteful, uncouth or obscene.
下品 is used not only for obscene language but also for behavior, manners or tastes that lack refinement or class.
Meaning: distasteful, uncouth, obscene (adj)
Which one should you use?
卑猥な means obscene or indecent and refers specifically to sexual content, while 下品 is broader and covers anything crude or tasteless.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 下品 before a noun, add な to make 下品な, as in a vulgar topic.
How do you pronounce it?
Say gehin with a hard g, as in get.
Did you know?
- The opposite of 下品 is 上品 ('jōhin'), which describes someone of high class or elegance. The difference between 'vulgar' and 'elegant' in Japanese is literally the difference between 'down' 下 and 'up' 上.
- While 下品 covers broad tastelessness, Japanese has a specific word 下ネタ ('shimoneta') for 'dirty jokes'. The 下 ('down') root is reused here to categorize sexual humor as a specific genre of conversation.
- In traditional Japanese aesthetics, being 下品 is not just about being rude, but about a lack of 'shibui' or understated elegance. Something can be considered 下品 simply for being too flashy or loud in its presentation.
Examples in context
- そんな悪趣味で下品なネタを話すな。Don't talk about such vulgar topics in bad taste.Here 下品な describes the kind of topics the listener should stop talking about.Tatoeba #8602061 by mochico, translation #9984420 by tsp_2
- 彼は言葉遣いが下品だ。Kare wa kotobazukai ga gehin da.He has vulgar language.
- そんな下品な冗談はやめて。Sonna gehin na jōdan wa yamete.Stop making such vulgar jokes.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about a movie they just watched.
- 蓮 Renあの映画、ちょっと下品だったね。Ano eiga, chotto gehin datta ne.That movie was a bit vulgar, wasn't it?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、笑えないレベルだったよ。Un, waraenai reberu datta yo.Yeah, it was at a level that wasn't even funny.
- 蓮 Ren美咲はこういうのが苦手なんだね。Misaki wa kou iu no ga nigate nanda ne.So you're not a fan of this kind of thing, Misaki.
- 美咲 Misakiうん、もっと上品な映画が見たいな。Un, motto jōhin na eiga ga mitai na.Yeah, I want to see a more refined movie.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
