ブス

• 読み: ブス
• ローマ字: busu
• 漢字の分解: Possibly from 附子 (busu, aconite/wolfsbane poison). Written in katakana for the insult usage
• 発音: /bɯ.sɯ/

意味

Ugly — a very rude and direct insult about someone's physical appearance, primarily directed at women.

ブス is one of the harshest appearance-based insults in Japanese, almost exclusively targeting women. While its use is universally considered rude, it remains unfortunately common online and in bullying contexts. A softer compound 性格ブス (personality-ugly) has emerged to criticise someone's character rather than looks. Many people push back against the word, arguing that judging people by appearance is shallow and that using ブス reveals more about the speaker than the target.

例文

1. ネットでブスって言われて傷ついた。
2. 性格ブスの方がよっぽどタチ悪いよ。
3. ブスとか言う奴の方が人間として終わってる。

使い方ガイド

場面: internet, bullying contexts

トーン: cruel, direct

正しい言い方

• 性格ブスの方が見た目より問題だよ。 (Being ugly on the inside is worse than looks.)
• ブスって言葉、もう使うのやめない？ (Can we stop using the word 'ugly' already?)

避ける言い方

• 誰に対してもブスと言うべきではない — 非常に傷つく侮辱 (You should never call anyone ブス — it is a deeply hurtful insult)

よくある間違い

• Thinking ブス is mild or joking — it is a genuinely hurtful insult, not playful banter
• Not knowing the compound 性格ブス (personality-ugly) which shifts the criticism from appearance to character

起源と歴史

Etymology debated — possibly from 附子 (busu, aconite poison), referring to the contorted facial expression of someone who has consumed poison. Has been used as an appearance insult since at least the Edo period.

文化的背景

時代: Long-standing insult, possibly Edo period origins

世代: All ages (widely known, widely condemned)

社会的背景: Universal (negative)

地域メモ: Used nationwide but universally recognised as rude. Increasingly criticised in modern discourse about lookism.