あんぽんたん

あ

ん

ぽ

ん

た

ん

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

fool; idiot

usually written using kana alone

A light, old-fashioned, and somewhat affectionate insult for a foolish or silly person. Often used in a teasing or playful way, similar to 'dummy' or 'nincompoop'.

そんなこともわからないの？あんぽんたん！
You don't even know that? You dummy!
あのあんぽんたんがまたやらかしたよ。
That fool messed up again.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Kanji

安relax, cheap, low
本book, present, main
丹rust-colored, red, red lead

Related words

馬ば鹿か
馬鹿 is a more common and stronger insult for 'fool' or 'idiot'. あんぽんたん is milder, more playful, and somewhat dated.
阿あ呆ほ
阿呆 is a dialectal (Kansai) and casual term for 'fool'. あんぽんたん is less regional and has a softer, more teasing tone.

Written forms

あんぽんたんUsage47%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
アンポンタンUsage53%
kana-only spelling
Katakana variant, sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.
安あん本ぽん丹たん
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Etymology

The exact origin is uncertain. It may be a playful sound-symbolic formation, possibly influenced by あんぽん (a dialectal or old-fashioned word for 'fool') and the suffix たん.