You might be aware that there is currently a book on sale that will teach Japanese folks how to use the word f*ck properly. It is comprehensive and hilarious and comes complete with audio CD with lessons on using others words like sh*t, damn, and hell. The last two probably used as filler because they’re not f*cking swear words anymore.
Anyway, the wonderful gent who runs Abroad In Japan bought a few copies of the book and put it to the test with some natives in Japan and the above video is the result. It seems like a lot of fun. From Metro:
‘Surprisingly swear words are never covered in the Japanese-English language-teaching system,’ Broad says.
His first pupil is baffled to discover that the name of Japan’s favourite rice wine drink is a word commonly used in English expletives. ‘Do me a favour and just shut the f*** up for f***’s sake…. Sake?… what’s f***’s sake?’.
Only in Japan would that be a surprise. I learned my swear word craft on the streets, from the people. If they covered that in school, I think I might’ve tried to stay in school more and pay attention. Instead I skipped to go dick around and see Star Wars. And here I am, the pathetic man writing this article.
I have some experience with the foreign fascination with curse words, just not with Japanese folks. My Korean roommate was hooked on learning how to say certain phrases whenever he could find a moment to ask me and I could routinely get him going with “that sh*t’s whack, yo.” He also liked to drink a lot. There probably wasn’t a day that went by where four or five Korean guys were sprawled out all over the house like a bad game of whack-a-mole.
(Via Abroad In Japan)