てめえ

て

め

え

JLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

usually written using kana alonederogatorymale term, language, or name

Highly derogatory second-person pronoun used mainly by men in rough, confrontational, or very casual speech. Equivalent to 'you bastard' or 'you jerk'. Not used in polite conversation.

Kanji

手hand
前in front, before

Related words

お前まえN3sense 1
お前 is also rough, informal 'you' but noticeably less hostile than てめえ, which carries a strong confrontational or insulting tone.
俺おれN1sense 2
俺 is the common rough masculine 'I', while てめえ used for oneself is even coarser and more defiant in tone.
貴き様さま sense 1
貴様 and てめえ are both extremely derogatory second-person pronouns used to provoke or insult, with 貴様 sounding slightly more archaic or theatrical.
汝うぬ
てめえ is a rough, colloquial insulting 'you' typical of angry speech, whereas 汝 sounds more old-fashioned or literary in its vulgarity.

Politeness

あなたpolite 丁寧語N5sense 1
あなた is the neutral, polite way to say 'you', while てめえ is a crude, insulting version of the same pronoun.

Don't confuse with

手て前まえN2sense 1
手前 read てまえ means 'in front of oneself' or a humble 'I', a completely different, non-insulting word from てめえ despite sharing the same kanji.

Written forms

テメー
- てめえ
  Katakana variant used for emphasis or rough tone in manga and informal writing.
- テメー
  kana-only spelling
てめぇ
- てめえ
  Variant kana spelling with small ぇ, common in casual writing.
- てめぇ
  kana-only spelling
手前てめえ
Kanji form is rare for this reading; usually read as てまえ with a different meaning.

Etymology

Originally a compound of 手 (hand) and 前 (front), meaning 'before one's hand' or 'oneself'. The reading てめえ is a contraction of てまえ. The derogatory second-person use developed from the reflexive meaning, similar to how 'yourself' can be used aggressively in English.