''Jjokbari'' ( ko, 쪽발이, borrowed into

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

as ja, チョッパリ, '' romaji'' choppari) is a

Korean language Korean ( South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographic ...

ethnic slur The following is a list of ethnic slurs or ethnophaulisms or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or ot ...

which may refer to

Japanese citizens Japanese nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds nationality of Japan. The primary law governing nationality regulations is the 1950 Nationality Act. Children born to at least one Japanese parent are generally automaticall ...

or people of Japanese ancestry. According to one survey, it was Korea's second-most commonly used slur against Japanese people, ahead of ''wae-nom'' () and behind ''ilbon-nom'' ().

Origin

The original meaning is "A cloven foot". ''Jjok'' means a "piece" and ''bal'' means "feet" in Korean, and when combined it roughly translates to "split feet" or "cloven hoof". This

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

refers to the fact that the Japanese wore ''geta'', a traditional Japanese wooden sandal, which separates the big toe from the others. Geta

Unlike Korean-style straw shoes which completely cover the foot, Japanese-style straw shoes and wooden ''geta'' consist of only a sole and straps to bind it to the sole of the foot. This leaves the rest of the foot exposed, including the "split" between the toes. Koreans thought of Japanese shoes as incomplete compared to their own, and the visible split as a distinctive enough trait to inspire an ethnic slur.

In Japan

The term has also been borrowed into

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ...

spoken by ethnic Koreans in Japan, where it is rendered ''Choppari''. The form ''ban-jjokbari'' (literally, "half jjokbari") originated as a derogatory reference to Japanized Koreans during the Japanese colonial period in Korea; later, it came to be used by Koreans to refer to Japanese with Korean ancestry. The Japanized pronunciation of this form, ''ban-choppari'', is also widely used by Koreans in Japan, either to refer to Japanized Koreans or to people with both Japanese and Korean ancestry.

References

{{Ethnic slurs Ethnic and religious slurs Korean words and phrases Anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea Zainichi Korean culture

Origin

In Japan

See also

References