What does “負け犬” mean in English?
This term is an insult that means 'loser,' often used to belittle someone who is perceived as unsuccessful or weak. The literal translation, 'losing dog,' adds a layer of defeatism to the insult.
Literally “losing dog”
It's typically directed at someone in a derogatory manner, similar to calling someone a 'loser' in English. The tone is mocking, and it carries a social judgment, making it a bit softer than harsher English insults.
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Related Japanese words
お前馬鹿か
2/5 · Coarseomae baka ka
This phrase is a rhetorical insult that questions someone's intelligence, essentially asking if they are stupid.
アホ
2/5 · Coarseaho
It means idiot or fool, often used as an insult. In some contexts, it can be playful rather than harsh.
バカ
2/5 · Coarsebaka
It means 'fool' and is used to insult someone as stupid or an idiot.
ボケ
2/5 · Coarseboke
It means fool or idiot, used as an insult. It can also refer to a comedic role in Japanese entertainment.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via Viddexa SafeText (MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.