Note: This post contains many rude words!
\n<\/p>\n
Aka \u30a2\u30ab, “Red”.<\/strong> Meaning a leftist. Because this does not refer to a stated political leaning but is rather a generalization, it is insufficiently accurate for Japanese news reports. This term can only be used when it is necessary to provide historical accuracy, to report the views of non-communists of the past. As such, it is marked on lists of banned phrases along with other politically insensitive terms.<\/p>\n Chosen \u671d\u9bae<\/strong> The name for Korea when it was ruled by Japan, the current name of the Korean peninsula, and the current name of the imaginary single Korean republic according to North Korea. However, South Korea refers to Korea as Kankoku \u97d3\u56fd. If you use Chosen, you offend South Koreans; if you use Kankoku, you offend North Koreans (and Japan has many). I recommend people use the word Chosen at all times, because North Koreans are scarier when offended, but people appearing on television must read 2 pages about the appropriate situations when each of the two words may be used. The name of the single Korean language used in both North and South Korea is especially delicate. On the NHK the Korean language is referred to as “that language” or “the language written in Hangul”.<\/p>\n Inchiki, Detarame, Usotsuki \u30a4\u30f3\u30c1\u30ad\u30fb\u30c7\u30bf\u30e9\u30e1\u30fb\u3046\u305d\u3064\u304d: “Bogus, Irresponsible, Liars”.<\/strong> News commentators are prohibited from saying these libelous words when referring to organizations.<\/p>\n Stewardess, Indian, Gypsy, Eskimo, Dutchman, etc.<\/strong> The Japanese news stations keep up to date with the latest developments in people being offended overseas, and advise their commentators on prohibited foreign words as they come to notice.<\/p>\n Gaijin \u5916\u4eba<\/strong> Became offensive in the 1990s thanks to the exhausting efforts of Arudou Debito. “Gaikokujin” is now used in the media. However, the word gaijin is not censored when gaijin themselves say it.<\/p>\n Kuronobou \u9ed2\u3093\u574a “Blackie”<\/strong> Formerly used to refer to people with a nice tan; some beaches even had blackie competitions. But its misuse by some people to refer to black-skinned folks has led to its being weeded out.<\/p>\n Taiwan seifu \u53f0\u6e7e\u653f\u5e9c “Taiwanese government”<\/strong> This expression was explicitly banned in 1972 when Japan recognized Red China. People who appear on TV must use the designated alternate phrase \u53f0\u6e7e\u5f53\u5c40, “Taiwanese authorities”.<\/p>\n Uranihon \u88cf\u65e5\u672c “Back of Japan”; South Pacific Mandate<\/a><\/strong> Kindai terms for the Japan Sea coastline and Micronesia, respectively. Both sound a little off to the modern ear.<\/p>\n \u65e5\u672c\u306e\u30c1\u30d9\u30c3\u30c8 “Tibet of Japan”<\/strong> An off-the-cuff term used sometimes for sparsely inhabited parts of the countryside. Inappropriate for use by politicians and news commentators.<\/p>\n Onanie, chinko, manko \u30aa\u30ca\u30cb\u30fc, \u3061\u3093\u3053, \u307e\u3093\u3053<\/strong> Rude words for sexual acts and body parts. One of Japan’s baseball imports was named Frank Mankovitch, but his official name as reported by the team and the government was “Frank Manny”. The port (kou<\/em>) of the Okinawan village Itoman \u7cf8\u6e80 is only ever called Itomangyokou.<\/p>\n Ai no ko \u3042\u3044\u306e\u3053, “child of miscegenation”.<\/strong> Refers to the product of a mixed marriage between a pure Japanese and another race, but became offensive many decades ago. Up until the 1970s, the replacement word was konketsu<\/em> \u6df7\u8840, “mixed blood”. This is also now offensive. In the 1970s this was replaced with the word “half” \u30cf\u30fc\u30d5, meaning half-Japanese. Recently the term “half” is also being found offensive by someone somewhere, on grounds I do not understand; probably just the euphemism treadmill<\/a> at work. It is being replaced with three English words I find more offensive: “colored”, “mixed”, and “double”. The first two are mistaken borrowings, using old and slightly rude-sounding English words for what we would now call multiracial, and therefore improving nothing. But “double” is extremely annoying to me. A person cannot have double the heritage of another person. This is condescending to the family, and I would prefer people use “half”.<\/p>\n Honya \u672c\u5c4b, “the bookseller”<\/strong> Since the 1960s it has become inadvisable to use this without -san, i.e. \u672c\u5c4b\u3055\u3093 “Mr. Bookseller”.<\/p>\n Kichigai, \u6c17\u9055\u3044 “crazy”<\/strong> One of the most offensive words in Japan, despite its ubiquitous use in American English. Other words like “schizophrenic” are also banned.<\/p>\n \u77e5\u6075\u9045\u308c retarded, \u767d\u75f4 idiot<\/strong> Not for use on television except when you are talking about a Dostoevsky novel. <\/p>\n “Fools don’t catch colds”, “Illness starts with the mind”<\/strong> These incredibly common Japanese phrases are banned from Japanese television because they go against scientific medicine. The word “cold” is itself sometimes referred to as “the so-called cold” \u300c\u3044\u308f\u3086\u308b\u98a8\u90aa\u300d on television.<\/p>\n