M'sians Discover Hokkien Profanity 'Ni Amaji Bai' Means 'I'm Sorry' In Japanese. What?!
Google Translate can be wrong sometimes.
'Sumimasen' and 'gomen nasai' are probably what we would say when we want to apologise in Japanese
Image via tenor
But what if Google Translate tells you there is another way to say 'I'm sorry' in Japanese, but that phrase sounds like a Hokkien expletive?
Introducing 'ni amaji bai' (にあまじばい)!
According to Google Translate, regardless whether you translate that Japanese phrase to English, Malay, Mandarin, or Tamil, they all translate 'I'm sorry'.
'Ni amaji bai' in Hokkien, however, is a very vulgar phrase that refers to the female genitalia.
Image via Google Translate
Malaysian content creator Yuniyce recently discovered that the Hokkien profanity supposedly translated to 'I'm sorry' in Japanese
In an Instagram Reel posted last week, Yuniyce, an artiste from the local YouTube channel DISSY, said she came upon the Japanese phrase while texting with someone.
Driven by curiosity, Yuniyce turned to Google Translate to uncover its meaning. She was speechless after realising how the phrase sounded.
At the time of writing, Yuniyce's video has gone viral, amassing over 865,000 views and 26,000 likes. Her discovery left many netizens in stitches.
You can check out the video below:
However, despite what Google Translate says, the phrase doesn't actually mean 'I'm sorry' in Japanese
Shigehisa Ryoko, a Japanese teacher who has worked in Malaysia for the past six years, said she had never heard the phrase used in her native tongue.
"I don't understand 'にあまじばい' (ni amaji bai). I have never heard those words," she told SAYS when contacted.
Ryoko said it's best to use one of these phrases if we want to apologise in Japanese:
– すみません (sumimasen)
– ごめんなさい (gomen nasai)
– もうしわけありません (moshiwake arimasen)
So, sorry guys. As much as we want to say it, it's best that you don't say 'にあまじばい' (ni amaji bai) to your friends when apologising.
We have submitted a feedback to the developers of Google Translate to bring attention to the error. Do send them a report if you don't want other people to swear accidentally. ;)
Last year, a mak cik went viral for her proficiency in Hokkien:
A year before that, a Malaysian-born mother showed the world how to cuss in our national language on Seattle-based YouTube channel CUT:
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