うんこ – Several Types of Poop in Japanese
It is no secret that the popularity of poop has taken off in the last couple years. Partially it maybe due to the smiling poop emoji, or maybe it is not as a taboo subject in the past and people feel more free to joke about it. Before the poop phenomenon spread the globe though, poop had already taken Japan by storm. Many peoples jokes along with popular cultural references had already made an impact there. So, if you are interesting in learning more about how to talk about poop in Japanese, you came to the right place. Here we will look at a few ways to talk about poop and the types of poop in Japanese.
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How to say Poop in Japanese?
There are several ways to say poop in Japanese. うんこ is going to be the most common one you will hear but there are others. So, let’s take a look at all the ways to say poop in Japanese.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/うんこ and うんち – The Common Words for Poop in Japanese
These are the two main words for poop in Japanese. These are what you will hear most often.
うんこ
First we have the most common word for poop in Japanese which is うんこ. Just like in the English, the most popular word for poop in Japanese is not a super fancy or scientific word. うんこ is the colloquial way of talking about poop.
Supposedly the word comes from the sound someone would make while straining to poop. That would be the うん sound, and the こ is added as a suffix at the end.
うんち
Next we have a word that is very similar to うんこ. The word うんち means the same things and is said in much the same situations that you would here うんこ. The word うんち though replaces the こ for ち and is the slightly cuter sounding way to say poop in Japanese.
This difference is apparent if you think about the children’s book, Everyone Poops. This is originally a Japanese story book titled みんなうんち.
大便 – The Formal name for Poop in Japanese
大便 is the formal way to say poop. However, even if it is the formal way it is not the proper way to say poop. Unlike the word うんこ or うんち, nothing sounds cute about saying 大便. If you say 大便 around people this is the more descriptive way of bringing images to peoples mind of the pooping process. So, if you are in a conversation about poop, in most situations うんこ would be the best word to use.
More about the Kanji 便
This Kanji actually has a variety of different meanings. It can refer to something that is convenient, or refer to mailing and shipping. It also shows up in many words related to poop.
- 便器 – Toilet
- 便所 – Bathroom
- 便秘 – Constipation
- 下痢便 – Diarrhea
- 野ぐそ – Pooping outside
便 can be pronounced as べん or びん. Whenever you are talking about poop it will be pronounced as べん.
くそ – Shit
The word closest to damn it or shit in Japanese is くそ or in Kanji, 糞. This Japanese word for poop is not adorable like うんこ. When someone says くそ they are not sending positive energy out. If you talk about actual poop using the word くそ it has the same effect as saying shit in English. Also, like English, people say くそ when they want to express some disappointment, irritations or something about some event.
Words Containing 糞
In Japanese, the word くそ also shows up in several different compound words.
Other bodily wastes
くそ when in compound words for different body parts refer to some kind of body waste. So, for example boogers would be 鼻くそ since 鼻 means nose. Also, 目糞 would be eye boogers, eye crusties, or whatever they are called.
Depending on the word though, saying くそ will have a different nuance. For 鼻くそ that is the normal word for boogers. However, 目糞 sounds more like slang, and instead you could say 目やに or 目垢.
Insults and negative emotions with くそ
When you put くそ in front of various words it becomes an insult. For example, がき is the word for a brat in Japanese. If you say くそがき it strengths the insult.
Also, if you put くそ in front of an adjective you can express a negative feelings toward that situation. So, くそ暑い for example would mean really hot and unpleasant.
巻きぐそ – Anime Poop 💩
If you have watched any anime, or used the internet for that matter you have at one time, or several times seen 巻きぐそ. This word for poop in Japanese refers to the iconic whipped cream like, or frozen yogurt shaped poop. The exact translation of 巻きぐそ clearly represents its shape. 巻き is the verbal noun form of the verb 巻く which means to roll up, or to wind up. Just like the shape.
ふん – Poop and Animals
ふん is the Japanese word for animal poop or droppings. You would say ふん when referring to for example dog poop in the park. So, you will see signs telling people to clean up their dog’s poop and here they will refer to it as ふん.
猫ばば – Cat Hiding Poop (Extra)
猫ばば is an interesting word. First, ばば is a childlike word for poop or something dirty and 猫 means cat. So, 猫ばば means embezzlement or stealing and hiding something. It refers to the behavior of cats where they hide their poop.
If you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
