Japanese

鹿にする

こばかにする
Meaning: to belittle someone; to mock someone with a condescending attitude
Part of Speech: Verb

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Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 小馬鹿にする 小馬鹿にしない
Polite 小馬鹿にします 小馬鹿にしません
Past 小馬鹿にした 小馬鹿にしなかった
Polite + Past 小馬鹿にしました 小馬鹿にしませんでした
Te-form 小馬鹿にして 小馬鹿にしなくて
Potential 小馬鹿にできる 小馬鹿にできない
Passive 小馬鹿にされる 小馬鹿にされない
Causative 小馬鹿にさせる 小馬鹿にさせない
Imperative 小馬鹿にしろ 小馬鹿にするな

Example

同僚を小馬鹿にする発言は、信頼を失う原因になる。
A remark that belittles a coworker becomes a reason for losing trust.

Usage Notes

Used when someone treats another person as foolish or inferior, often in a subtle but clearly disrespectful way.

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