Is Baka a swear word

There is a guy I hate and would like to shout Baka at him, but I need to know would it be considered swearing, I don't want to get in trouble. If it's not a swear word but is offensive I'm fine with that. I don't think he even speaks Japanese.

I don't believe there are any outright banned words like in the US, and baka at least is on the softer spectrum anyway -- it's very casually thrown around by pretty much everyone, on TV, children's programs, etc.

Would seem weird if used in a non-Japanese context, though...

Define "swearing".

It is not equivalent to F word, not even as bad as S word. But what is the point if the guy doesn't speak/know Japanese?

If you just walk up to that guy and says that, he might get the idea that you want to get his attention :(

i called him baka like 50 times today he knew it was an insult(because i hate him). it was a lot funnier because yesterday we watched a documentary about Japan and one guy was speaking a little Japanese and one of the words he said was baka and it had the english meaning and when i said it he was pretty confused even though he had just seen it with english subtitles the day earlier.

Growing up in Tokyo, we used "baka" a lot amongst friends joking around. Technically it means someone not very smart. Continued using it until I met someone from Kansai region (and beyond), who got very offended. It turns out Kansai people use "aho" for similar situation, and baka is a lot more offensive to them.

Baka = Idiot ???

OP wrote:
If it's not a swear word but is offensive I'm fine with that.

I agree with Firas. And maybe the question was a joke.

Why use japanese to begin with? Especially if you don't get the meaning of the word yourself. If you think he's an idiot/dumba** then say it so that he understands?

kids these days....

i know it means stupid/idiot/fool but the point is he knows that its a insult (he knows i would never compliment him) and i can't get in trouble for saying it since my teachers don't know what it mean either. I had just heard mixed opinions if it was a swear word or not and i just wanted to double check

I think it is very childish. Either ignore the guy, or face him and try to solve your problems. What good did it do to you to utter 50 times a word that neither understand? Did it solve anything? Will everything be smooth for you now? Maybe you feel very smart for "fooling" him and your teachers, well let me break it to you: the fool, here, is no one but you.

Let him answer Firas' question before posting anything else ;)

If you know that baka means stupid/idiot/fool. Then why ask if it is a swear word? Cos stupid/idiot/fool ins't a swear word in any English language speaking nation across the globe.

Hataka,.... Doesn't matter that 'idiot' isn't a swear word in other countries. It can be offensive in Japanese. You can't compare words so simply because you aren't taking into consideration the cultural aspects of language. It's like how I'm Japan to express your dislike you say you "don't really like something" rather than the less direct way of saying "I hate something", which is what westerners do.
You don't know Japanese so why are you trying to answer Japanese questions?

Well you didnt mention swear word. You just mentioned offensiveness. And that is the point.

It is not a swear word. It is just used as an insult.

You don't get it. Japanese swear words aren't really a thing. Being offensive is the equivalent of swearing. You are comparing apples with bananas. しかし、りんごはバナナではないよ。

After reading the whole post, we have learned more in this field. Thanks for your nice sharing, we will pay much attention to this when travel to japan.

Torence is a bot.

I do not believe that baka is a swear word. Its translation isn’t a swear word, so it should logically have the same categorization as merely offensive. It shows up on many shows meant for children and most people don’t introduce children to profanity.

As Firus suggested two years ago, there is no equivalent to the idea of "swear words" in Japan. One word can be used as offensively as an English swear word while also being used affectionately. The Japanese language doesn't work in the same way as fxxx or shxx or sob or the numerous male names that mean penis.