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くそ

kuso[kɯ̟̊so̞]

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This entry covers くそ, an expression in Japanese as used in Japan.
Machine translation Some text on this page is machine-translated and has not been reviewed yet.
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Meaning

Excrement; as an interjection “damn it!”, and as a prefix a derogatory intensifier (くそ〜).12Machine-assisted translation

Pronunciation

Romanization
kuso
IPA
[kɯ̟̊so̞]

“KOO-so” — flat, short vowels.1

How it's used

Japanese profanity works through register rather than a large swear lexicon: くそ is mild in absolute terms but breaks です・ます politeness instantly.1Machine-assisted translation

Cultural context

Wiktionary lists the noun, the interjection and the derogatory prefix/suffix uses (くそ爺い, 下手糞) under the entry 糞.1Machine-assisted translation

Literal meaning

excrement12

When to avoid it

Situations in which the expression is generally best avoided.

  • At school — Best avoided
  • At work — Best avoided
  • On the street — Context-dependent. Said out loud in public it draws looks.

Sources

Every claim on this page traces back to these entries.

  1. ↑Meaning↑Pronunciation↑How it's used↑Cultural context↑Literal meaning くそ — English Wiktionary (Japanese)Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · summarised and translated here · accessed 2026-08-28
  2. ↑Meaning↑Literal meaning 糞 — ウィクショナリー (Japanese Wiktionary)Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · summarised and translated here · accessed 2026-08-28

Passages derived from these dictionary entries are redistributed under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.