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the abusive imperative

The "abusive" imperative can be used:

  1. When you are angry, to tell your enemies what to do.
  2. To give orders to a subordinate.
It is insulting if you use it to somebody who is not a subordinate. (Well— in fact, a subordinate will feel insulted too, but won't complain.)

Some people, mainly soldiers and male teenagers, may use this verbal form in a friendly tone, but only between very close friends. You are not very close with any Japanese right now, understood?

To form the abusive imperative: RU-verbs turn their final lu る into lo ろ, and U-verbs turn U into E:
milu
みる		sees
milo
みろ		look!
tomalu
とまる		stops
tomale
とまれ		freeze!
In ancient times, this form was far less insulting than it is now, in fact it was a familiar way of giving orders. That's why it appears in indirect speech:

sennsei wa mizu o takusann nome to oshshaimashita
せんせい は みず を たくさん のめ と おっしゃいました
Sensei told me to drink lots of water
and in proverbs and tonguetwisters:
tola o, tolu nala,
とら を、 とる なら、		tiger, if catches,
tola o, tolu yoli,
とら を、 とる より、		tiger, instead of catches,
toli o tole
とり を とれ		bird, catch
toli wa otolini tola o tole
とり は おとりに とら を とれ		bird, as bait, tiger, catch
= "if you are going to catch a tiger, instead of catching the tiger,
catch a bird, and use the bird as bait to catch the tiger".


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Copyright (c) 2003-2008 Jordi Mas Trullenque.
email: jordimastrullenque at gmail dot com
http://purl.oclc.org/NET/manga/ero.en.html
Last revised: 2008-10-02