do ド Prefix - Meaning

do ド is added before a word in Japanese. For example do-inaka ド田舎, do-mannaka ド真ん中, do-heta ド下手, and so on. But what does the prefix do mean in Japanese?

Basically, it just adds emphasis. You can translate it as "very" or "super" or "hyper" or "mega" or "ultra" or "master" or "blaster," etc. However, note that do ド prefix isn't used the same way as "very" in English, that is, you don't (normally) say "very happy" by saying do-ureshii ド嬉しい.

do ド prefix is found mostly in certain specific words. For example, inaka 田舎 means "countryside," so do-inaka ド田舎 would mean "super countryside." But that sounds stupid in English, so it'd probably be translated like the "boondocks" or whatever makes sense.


Another example: heta 下手 means "unskilled" (written with heta, and do-heta ド下手 would be "super-bad" or "awful" or "shit" or "you picking up a paintbrush desecrates the memory of the old masters" or "very bad," etc.

If mannaka 真ん中 means "center," then do-mannaka ド真ん中 means at "the very center" or "right in the middle," etc. How you'd translate it doesn't matter The important thing is that it adds emphasis to the meaning.

Note that while do ド is do-heta ど下手.

Dirty Words

For certain words, a translation with an expletive in place of do ド often makes sense, even thought do ド isn't an expletive. For example:

• do-hentai ド変態
  Fucking pervert.
• do-S ドS
  Damn sadist.
• do-M ドM
  Damn masochist.
• do-sukebeドスケベ
  LIBERTINE!!!

弩 Kanji

Instead, theド prefix is found mostly in certain specific words. For example,田舎 means "countryside," soド田舎 would mean "super countryside." But that sounds stupid in English, so it'd probably be translated like the "boondocks" or whatever makes sense.Another example:下手 means "unskilled" (written with the kanji for "down" and "hand") or something done "poorly (in skill)." So if someone draws "bad," you could say, andド下手 would be "super-bad" or "awful" or "shit" or "you picking up a paintbrush desecrates the memory of the old masters" or "very bad," etc.If真ん中 means "center," thenド真ん中 means at "the very center" or "right in the middle," etc. How you'd translate it doesn't matter The important thing is that it adds emphasis to the meaning.Note that whileド is normally written with katakana , and does not have kanji , it can sometimes be written with hiragana instead:ど下手.For certain words, a translation with an expletive in place ofド often makes sense, even thoughtド isn't an expletive. For example:

It's not common, but sometimes, maybe because of aesthetics, the prefix do ド may be written with the kanji, like this: do 弩.

The meaning of the kanji is associated with bow-like weapons that sling projectiles at stuff. A reading of it is ishiyumi 弩, meaning "crossbow" or "slingshot."

Origin

do ド prefix is written with that kanji is a weird one.

According to the Pixiv dictionary (entry: 超ド級 ), the reason why theド prefix is written with that kanji is a weird one.

A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far away

doreddonooto ドレッドノート, is used instead.

It starts in the 20th century, when the United Kingdom came with a new kind of battleship of its Royal Navy: the "Dreadnought." Obviously, dreadnought is not a Japanese word, it's an English one (I assume), so to write it in Japanese, its katakanization ドレッドノート, is used instead.

Now, if you've ever played an online game or watched a movie that's set in space with space battles and stuff, I'm pretty sure you'll have realized by now that Dreadnought ship kind of got its name famous. Because a lot of other battleships (even sci-fi spaceships) started being called Dreadnoughts too. That's because of how impressive the Dreadnought was.

So ships that looked like the first Dreadnought got called Dreadnought in English, and doreddonooto-kyuuドレッドノート級 , Dreadnought-class," in Japanese.

Of course, since technology is always moving forward, it didn't take long for "Super-Dreadnoughts" to appears, or in Japanese: chou-doreddonooto-kyuu 超ドレッドノート級, "Super-Dreadnought-class."

Since both names are kind of long, they're normally abbreviated to do-kyuu ド級 and chou-do-kyuu 超ド級.

More Kanji, Please

katakana do ド sticks out like a sore thumb next to the kanji, it'd be better to write the whole word with kanji, but do ド is the abbreviation of a kanji of its own. What do?

In the abbreviations above, theド sticks out like a sore thumb next to the, it'd be better to write the whole word with, butド is the abbreviation of a loan-word , so it doesn't have anyof its own. What do?

kanji was do 弩. So it doesn't matter a whole lot that this kanji means "crossbow" or "slingshot," because it wasn't chosen by its meaning.

The solution to this was just picking a random kanji which could be read like that without caring much for the kanji's meaning , and thatwas弩. So it doesn't matter a whole lot that thismeans "crossbow" or "slingshot," because it wasn't chosen by its meaning.

With this you could write the words as dokyuu 弩級, "Dreadnought," and choudokyuu 超弩級, "Super-dreadnought."

These Two Things Have Basically Nothing To Do With Each Other

Now you might be thinking that maybe the prefix do ド we've been talking about came from the English word "Dreadnought" because do ド means "very" and Dreadnoughts were considered to be "impressive." But that'd be wrong.

Literally the only relation one thing has to the other is that someone saw that dokyuu ド級 could be written as dokyuu 弩級 and figured: why not write do-esu ドS as do-esu 弩S then?!

That's just it. They are not the same thing at all. The do ド prefix even existed in Japanese words before 1900, so it's not possible that it cam from the word Dreadnought of the battleships created in 1900.

Sometimes, the syllableド is added before a word in Japanese. For exampleド田舎,ド真ん中,ド下手, and so on. But what does the prefixmean in Japanese?Basically, it just adds emphasis. You can translate it as "very" or "super" or "hyper" or "mega" or "ultra"etc. However, note thatド prefix isn't used the same way as "very" in English, that is, you don't (normally) say "very happy" by sayingド嬉しい.