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【No. 1181】Bonkura (ぼんくら - Idiot)

Mar 13, 2018 15:30
Yesterday I introduced you to the Japanese word 間抜け (manuke - stupid).

There is another Japanese term, ぼんくら (bonkura), which has the similar meaning of "manuke."

ぼん (bon) means "tray," but it is also a gambling term that means "gambling parlor."

くら (kura) means "dark," but it also means "careless" in the gambling field.

That is to say, "bonkura" originally represented a careless person/personality in gambling, and it has come to mean a stupid person/personality.

Since being careless could become a matter of life and death for gamblers, "bonkura" was one of the most hated personality in gambling.
ぼんくら

昨日は「間抜け」という言葉を紹介しましたが、それと似た意味を持つ言葉に「ぼんくら」があります。

「ぼん」は "tray" を意味しますが、賭博用語で「賭場」 (gambling parlor) を表します。

「くら」は "dark" を意味しますが、賭博では「目が利かない」(careless) ことを表します。

すなわち「ぼんくら」とは、賭博において不注意な人間や性格を表し、そこから間抜けな人/性格を指すようになったというわけです。

博徒において不注意であることは死活問題であるため、「ぼんくら」はもっとも嫌われた気質の一つでした。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 Tiger
  • くら (kura) means "dark," but it also means "careless" in the gambling field.
  • くら (kura) means "dark," but it also means "careless" in gambling.

    The japanese version never says "gambling world".

  • Since being careless could become a matter of life and death for gamblers, "bonkura" was one of the most hated personality in gambling.
  • Since being careless could become a matter of life or death for gamblers, "bonkura" was one of the most hated personalities in gambling.

    Is bonkura a person or personality? It is unclear. 曖昧ですね!

if Lang-8 supported it, all foreign language words are in italics.

Toru
Thank you so much for the corrections! :)

> Is bonkura a person or personality?
"Bonkura" is used both as the meaning a person and personality.

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