poorly made article; defective item; dud
Slangy noun for something that is broken, defective, or of shoddy quality. Often used in manufacturing or everyday contexts. The term derives from the image of a poorly cast Buddha statue.
This watch broke down right after I bought it.
Polite term for the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. The prefix お adds respect. Used in religious or formal contexts.
See also: 釈迦
お釈迦のスマホを修理に出す。
I'm sending my busted smartphone for repair.
I study the teachings of the Buddha.
I prayed before the statue of the Buddha at the temple.
不良品 is a formal term for a defective product, while お釈迦 is slangy and often implies complete uselessness or breakage.
Standard polite spelling with honorific prefix お. Used for both the Buddha and the defective article sense.
Katakana spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
Kana spelling, often used in casual writing or when the kanji are not needed.
Formal kanji spelling using 御 for the honorific prefix. Less common in everyday writing.
The slang sense 'defective article' likely comes from the image of a poorly cast Buddha statue, implying something that is a failure. The polite term for Buddha is simply お + 釈迦 (Shakyamuni).