Japanese

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) てまえ [tèmáé] (Heiban - [0])^[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [te̞ma̠e̞]

Noun

手前 ‎(hiragana てまえ, romaji temae, historical hiragana てまへ)

1. position that is just in front or before; in the nearer position

   あの店 (みせ)は交差点 (こうさてん)の手前 (てまえ)にある。

   Ano mise wa kōsaten no temae ni aru.

   That store is just in front of / just before the intersection.

Pronoun

手前 ‎(hiragana てまえ, romaji temae, historical hiragana てまへ)

1. (vulgar, male) you, you son of a bitch

Usage notes

More commonly pronounced as and written in hiragana as てめえ ‎(temē).

Antonyms

• (distant): 奥 (おく) ‎(oku)

Etymology 2

Alteration of temae. The vowel shift emphasizes the confrontational sense of the term.^[2][3]

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) てめえ [tèméé] (Heiban - [0])^[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [te̞me̞ː]

Pronoun

手前 ‎(hiragana てめえ, romaji temē)

1. (vulgar, male) you, you son of a bitch

   手前 (てめえ)は殺 (ころ)してやる！

   Temē wa koroshite yaru!

   I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch!

Usage notes

This is one of the ruder, more confrontational Japanese terms for you. Rough, often used in anger. Often pronounced and written as てめえ ‎(temē).

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 1 2 3 4 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
3. 1 2 3 4 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0

• 2000, Jonathan Bunt, Gillian Hall, The Oxford Starter Japanese Dictionary, First Edition, New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198601972