It was a lecherous face with drooping jowls.
Sayuri wa me mo aterarenai kurai hidoi kao desu.
小百合は目も当てられないくらい酷い顔です。
Sayuri’s face is too awful to look at.
The following three words are all used to mean a stupid-looking face:
• baka-zura 馬鹿づら
• ahō-zura 阿呆づら
• manuke-zura 間抜けづら
EYES
• yani-me やに目 rheumy-eyed
• hingara-me ひんがら目 cross-eyed (Suga-me が目 means the same as hingara-me ひんがら目)
• de-me 出目 popeyed lecher
• donguri-manako どんぐり眼 goggle-eyed (donguri どんぐり is acorn; manako 眼 is another word for eyes).
• kirenaga no me 切れ長の目 slit-eyes
• tsuri-me つり目 slant-eyed
• Ron-Pari ロンパリ wall-eyes (lit., London-Paris eyes)
Imagine that you are standing athwart the English Channel and are looking at both the cities simultaneously.
MOUTH
• wani-guchi 鰐口 mouth of a crocodile
• ha-nuke 歯抜け toothless
• deppa 出っ歯 buck-toothed (Soppa 反っ歯 also means buck-toothed or, according to some sources, snaggle-toothed.)
Iki no kusaki wa nushi shirazu.
息の臭きは主知らず。
One is not aware of his own foul breath.
This is a literary expression used to describe someone who is blissfully unaware of his own faults. This is not, however, the case for the unfortunates around him.
NOSE
• kagi-bana 鉤鼻 hook-nosed
• tongari-bana とんがり鼻 pointed nose
• hanatare kozō 痍垂れ小僧 snot-nosed brat
VOICE
• shagare-goe 嗄れ声 hoarse-voiced
FOREHEAD
• dekosuke デコ助 beetle-browed
HAIR
• kebukai 毛深い hairy
• hage-atama 秀げ頭 bald
• ketō 毛唐 hairy barbarian (usually meaning a Westerner)
Kanojo no oppai ni wa kowakute kuroi ke ga haete iru-tte. 彼女のおっぱいには強くて黒い毛が生えているって。
I hear she has coarse black hairs growing out of her tits.
• kedarake 毛だらけ hairy
• paipan パイパン woman with no crotch hair
LEGS
• soto-ashi 外足 knock-knees
• ganimata がに股 bow-legged
ODOR
• tsube-kuso-kusai つべ糞臭い smelling of tsubekuso! つべ糞 (The word tsube-kuso つべ糞 covers a lot of ground. I have heard it used to refer to smegma, crotch cheese, toe jam, and dingle-berries.)
ATTIRE
• buzama na minari 無様な身なり unsightly appearance
• musakurushi minari むさ苦しい身なり shabby attire
RAVAGES OF AGE
• boke-babā/jijī ボケ婆/爺 senile old strumpet
• oni-babā 鬼婆 devilish old harpy, hell-hag
• ha-nuke-babā/jijī 歯抜け婆/爺 toothless old bat
• samehada-babā 鮫肌婆 old woman with coarse-grained skin (lit., shark skin)
• shiwakucha-babā/jijī 皺くちゃ婆/爺 wrinkled old crone
• oibore-babā/jijī 老いぼれ婆/爺 gross and aging hag
• kusottare-babā/jijī 糞ったれ婆/爺 shitty old goat
Note: Substitute jijī for babā when referring to old men.
JUST PLAIN UGLY
• subeta スベタ relentlessly ugly woman, gorgon
• futame to mirarenai 二目と見られない shocking, hideous (lit., can’t look at twice)
• busu ブス homely slattern
• okachimenko おかちめんこ unsightly wench
• akujo 悪女 repulsive female
• bu-otoko ブ男 ugly brute
• hyottoko ひょっとこ ugly person, gargoyle, distorted face mask
Anna hyottoko to kokkon suru nante tondemo-nai ze.
あんなひょっとこと結婚するなんてとんでもないぜ。
The thought of marrying such an ugly person is simply out of the question.
MISCELLANEOUS
Japanese children have a chant that goes: Omaeno kāsan debeso! おまえのかあさんでべそ！ Literally it means, “Your mother has a protruding navel!” It is akin to, “Your mother wears flour-sack drawers (or surplus army boots).” It is not meant as a compliment.
This chant was popularized in 1965 by a comic group called Hana Hajime and the Crazy Cats 八ナ肇とクレイジ一キヤ ッツ。 The full, somewhat incomprehensible chant ran:
Baka. Kaba. Chindon-ya. バカカバチンドン屋。
Fool. Hippo. Street musician.
Omae no kāchan debeso. お前のかあちゃんでべそ。
Your mom’s belly button sticks out.
Omae no tōchan nana-iro debeso.
お前のとうちやん七色でべそ。
Your dad’s belly button has seven colors.
Mimi no ana kara te tsukkonde okuba gata-gata iwasetaru de.
耳の穴から手突っ込んで奥歯ガ夕ガ夕言わせたるで。
I’ll stick a hand in your ear and rattle around your back teeth.
Mendō mikirenē nā. 面倒見切れね〜な〜
I just can’t look after you.
CHAPTER TWO
Threats, Taunts and Curses
Here is a prime selection of threats, curses, zingers, and rough commands as well as an ample supply of caustic words of chastisement, cautions, and sharp retorts.
I have given figurative translations