is an expression that is more than 1,000 years old, coming from tarezo, kare? (who is that man?), a question that might well be asked as dusk sets in and vision becomes more difficult.
The expression me-ha-ma (eyes, teeth, and cock) lists the body parts to be checked for symptoms of aging, as well as the order in which they occur. Me are the eyes, and farsightedness is thought to begin in the 40s and get worse with age. Next is ha (teeth), which over time become vulnerable to cavities and gum disease, even loss. Last is ma from mar a (penis), implying that bokki (erection) becomes difficult. Thus the question me-hama, daijōbu? (are your me-ha-ma OK?) becomes commonplace as men enter their 50s. If the situation worsens, men are visited by the unwelcome trio of kasumi-me, sōireba, and yakutatazu no inpo (bleary eyes, false teeth, and limp dick).
Naturally there are various discriminatory expressions used to describe women in Japanese.
Onna (woman) is the word most commonly used in conjunction with otoko (man), but with the tentative spread of feminism, onna is starting to become less popular. Expressions such as ano onna (that woman), ii onna (beautiful woman), dame-na onna (bad or useless woman), wakai onna (young woman), hataraku onna (working woman), and kekkon shinai onna (unmarried woman), must, in order to be acceptable, all add no hito (becoming onna no hito, redundant, but meaning female person). Or, onna may be replaced with josei (literally, female sex). So far, there's no corresponding restriction on otoko.
Feminists strongly criticize some of the older expressions created in Japan's male-dominant society. For instance, the words meaning widow, goke (part left behind in the family) and mibōjin (not yet dead person), are under heavy attack these days. What is offensive is the implication that a woman is less than a person because her husband is dead. Memeshii (very womanly) has a negative connotation of womanish or sissy, while ōshii (very manly) is always used in a positive sense.
The expression oba-san (auntie) used to be a convenient expression for older women, but is now perceived by middle-aged women as derogatory. It is now becoming necessary to call even women in their 40s one-san (elder sister).
In 1989, the slang word obatarian was coined to refer to obnoxious middle-aged women. Despite protests from women's groups, it's in extensive use nationwide. Obatarian is the name of a hit comic strip and derives from a combination of oba-san and Batarian, the name of an immortal cartoon monster. Obatarian are the kind of dumpy, indifferently dressed women one sees at department stores fighting for bargains or forcing fellow train passengers to make a place for them to sit down.
Traditional discriminatory expressions for middle-aged women are toshima (aged) and ō-doshima (very aged). A new word that has replaced toshima is jukujo (mature woman). The term jukujo jidai is a synonym for onna zakari (prime of womanhood). Here juku means to mature or ripen, and jo is the same kanji as onna or woman. Some new expressions such as jukunen (mature or ripened age) and naisu midoru (nice middle) were created, but they haven't become too popular.
Spurred by the feminist movement in America, there has been a trend toward nonsexist expressions in Japan as well. Finding new words to replace terms such as goshujin (literally, master; meaning husband) or oku-san (literally, lady of the house; meaning wife), however, has been difficult, with ongoing trial and error. Tsureai (partner) and haigusha (spouse), for example, don't sound natural in conversation and have not caught on so far.
Otoko masari (stronger than a man) means a spunky woman. Note that there is no such expression as onna masari. Demodori (a person returning home after a divorce) applies only to women, as do akusai (bad wife) and akujo (undesirable woman). There are no male equivalents for these two expressions. When criticizing a bad male partner, such expressions as binbō-kuji (literally, a poor lot; in this context, unluckiness), kaishonashi (shiftless), hajisarashi (shameless), ikuji-nashi (weak-minded), or waru (villain) are used.
As women have started to gain financial independence through employment, the number of divorces among those over 50 has increased, and men who haven't bothered with family life till now are beginning to feel threatened. Under such circumstances, while it may not actually come to divorce, there are many kateinai bekkyo (separate beds in the house) and kateinai rikon (in-house divorces). Thus, the teishu kanpaku (bossy husbands) who only had to utter three words in their homes, meshi, furo, futon (dinner, hot bath, and bed), are now being treated as sōdai gomi (big trash, such as worn-out furniture, refrigerators, and so on). Sōdai gomi refers to the husbands who are goro-goro shite iru, that is, loafing around the house. There are also terms like nure ochiba (wet fallen leaves that stick on the ground and are difficult to remove) for husbands who reach teinen (retirement age) and hang around the house, demanding extra meals and other services and becoming increasingly critical of their wives.
Race-Related (jinshu kanren)
Because of the prejudice directed by Japanese against Koreans and other Asians after the Meiji era, especially during the period surrounding World War II, derogatory language based on race is a very sensitive and controversial subject. Many Asians still resent the Japanese because their memories of the cruel treatment dealt by the Japanese are so bitter. So the terms introduced here should be used with great care—if at all.
Asako is a derogatory term for Koreans. The etymology of this word is a little convoluted, but here goes. In Japan, ordinary expressions for Koreans are chōsen-jin or kankoku-jin, and we'll go into the difference between them a little later. According to the usual way of making a derogatory term, one would take the chō of chōsen and add the contemptuous suffix kō as in sen-kō, which is sometimes used by disgruntled students as a derogatory term for their sensei (teacher). But chō-kō was rejected because it was potentially insulting to the chōtei (Imperial Court) especially because the chō in chōtei and chōsen are the same kanji (morning or dynasty). As this character can also be pronounced asa, chō was changed to asa before adding the derogatory suffix kō. Asa-chan,-chan being a diminutive suffix, is a contemptuous variation, slightly milder than asa-kō.
Senjin, an abbreviated form of chōsenjin (Korean person), is as historically insulting to Koreans as asa-kō and asa-chan. These days chon-kō is frequently used as well, along with derogatory derivatives such as chonbaggu (bag) and chon-gutsu (shoes) to describe possessions of Korean students in Japan.
After World War II, when Korea was freed from Japanese domination, the South Korean people insisted that they be called kankokujin. The matter is further complicated because the North Koreans have demanded that the term chōsenjin be used, stating that kankoku is not an authorized name for the unified peninsula.
The North Koreans are also opposed to the expression hoku-sen, which is a derivative and abbreviation of kita chōsen (North Korea). The character for north in Japanese can be pronounced hoku as well as kita. Thus, one must be careful to choose the proper occasions to use chōsenjin or kankokujin. Caution also needs to be exercised with hantōjin (people of the peninsula), a term implying that Korea isn't even a nation at all, but perhaps rather an annex of Japan.
Bakachon, as in bakachon kamera (foolproof camera or idiot's camera), is a popular expression that has been criticized as being discriminatory against Koreans. Critics claim that it came from the expression baka de mo chon de mo utsuseru (even a fool or a Korean can take a picture), with chon being a derogatory expression equivalent to chon-kō. But etymologically, this is not correct.
The word chon was actually created in the Edo era to mean an immature or foolish person, and had nothing to do with Koreans. People today, however, without knowing this history, have adopted the discriminatory folk etymology. The chon in a phrase like baka de mo chon to osu dake (even an idiot can take a picture by just pushing the button) actually came from the sound of the clappers heard at kabuki. But after being criticized by pro-Korean groups, the mass media decided some years ago to try to avoid controversy, and so it's rare to see this expression in Japanese newspapers nowadays. Alternatives are zenjidō kamera or ōtomachikku kamera (fully automatic camera).
Chan-koro, an extremely contemptuous expression referring to the Chinese, was used until the end of World War II. It is thought to have come from an onomatopoeia used in the Edo era. The story goes that a Chinese in the costume of the Ching Dynasty sold sweets in Edo by striking a small gong chang, chang. Koro is said to be a suffix to indicate something small, like inu-koro (puppy dog) or ishi-koro