あいつ and こいつ

I’ve been currently seeing a lot of use of the word こいつ, and the word あいつ
What exactly does this word mean, and is it derogatory or is it fine to use in public?
Also, what situations can I use it for?

1 Like

Im almost certain you shouldnt use those words in public at all.

4 Likes

oh
oops
sorry ;-;

I don’t even know their meaning . . .

1 Like

Yeah, you’d pretty much only ever use them with close friends. The sort of friends you’re close enough with to insult in friendly fashion, because calling someone こいつ is a bit derogatory. They’re not anywhere near as commonly used as they are in anime/manga.

Side note, the difference between こいつ and あいつ is the same as the difference between これ and あれ.

7 Likes

Thnx for clearing this up
I feel so embarassed now >///<

I didn’t expect it to inappropriate :cry:

1 Like

No need to be embarrassed! You thought to ask about a word you were unsure about, before you used it in practice. It would be embarrassing if you used it without knowing the real connotations. Now you can use it in appropriate situations!

7 Likes

lol yeah
If i hadn’t asked . . .

Yeah lets just say terrible things would have happened if i ever visited japan XD

1 Like

Ah, mostly likely they would have just gone “ah, another gaijin who learnt Japanese from anime” and rolled their eyes at you behind your back. Noone would have challenged you to a duel for slighting them. Probably.

8 Likes

Terrible I tell you XD

But funny I didn’t see that word in anime or manga . . .

I have learnt my lesson
This is the last time i’m ever going to repeat words I randomly saw on Twitter . . .
I blame Dogen . . . But he’s just so funny XDD

4 Likes

Probably depends which Izakaya you’re drinking at. :wink:

10 Likes

You’ve got the answer, but to address the meaning. It’s kind of like how 手前てめえ is derogatory. While it’s literally “you”, it’s kind of like saying “you b*stard”.

So あいつ/こいつ, is kind of like “those bstards" and "these bstards” although it’s not quite that. “These idiots” maybe? The nuances of swearing in Japanese are hard to convey in English.

8 Likes

My favorite own translation is “lol this guy”.

6 Likes

My girlfriend has a coworker that she calls あいつ or, sometimes, くそやろう, lol.

7 Likes

Doesn’t anyone from Kansai automatically get a pass on やろう? lol

1 Like

Hehehehe I’d be done for whether I said it at an Izakaya or a children’s playground XD

I vaguely recall the way my Japanese teacher explained it as こいつ・そいつ・あいつ is like you’re addressing the ground on which the subject is standing. In other words, addressing that person as if you’re looking down on them.

4 Likes

I think so, but only because in Kansai dialect, だ turns into や, so when someone says やろう when speaking in Kansai dialect, they actually mean だろう, which is just a casual/masculine でしょう. A similar thing happens when they say だから, which gets turned into やから. So when they say やろう, they don’t mean it in the same way that someone from Tokyo would mean it.
But I’m not sure you should listen to me, as 98% of my knowledge of Kansai dialect comes from the Yakuza games… :joy:

1 Like

It completely depends on who you’re talking to, and who about.
Sometimes あいつ sounds just more natural than あの人.

There is no bad language.

uh, yeah, that was the joke :wink:

2 Likes