Word of The Day

ヤンキー
Yankii
Yankee - Redneck

That's right. The Japanese word for "redneck" is literally Yankee. I was explaining goose hunting to my host mother (forgive me, ya'll) and I wanted to use the word "redneck" but it wasn't in my dictionary. I realize that this is a rather harsh term, but please remember that my vocabulary is limited and often I still use monosyllabic grunts and Sofia Sign Language to communicate so I was just going with what I know, OK? 

Anyway, I made this roundabout explanation to get Yukako-san to tell me how to say redneck in Japanese. "What do you call the people who live in the mountains?" "Poor." "No, no, no....not that. Like...the people who use ora instead of boku." (These are pronouns for "I". They change depending on social class, age, and gender. Ora is a hillbilly way of saying "I".) Finally, she said "Oh! You mean "Yankee"!" 

Say what.

Yankee is seriously what Japanese people call Japanese rednecks. Fisherman? "Yankees." Obnoxious classmates? "Yankees." People who live in the mountains? "Yankees."

I did my best to explain that that word is a really old word from the days of America's infancy. Basically, that's the impression we gave the Japanese during WW2. We're all booze chugging, sea-shanty singing rednecks. (Sea shanties are more European, but it paints the picture I want you to envision). 

Good Ol' Uncle Sam. Passing on the good stuff.

And that, ladies and gentlefriends, is your Japanese word of the day.