I came across this fascinating list of forbidden words in Japanese broadcasting:
http://www.big-c.or.jp/~makichan/100420housoukinsi.pdf
A lot of them are obvious - don't use ethnic slurs, yakuza reverse-talk, or insults.
But then there are the ones like "rosuke" which is the Japanese version of "Russkie", which is going right into my vocabulary
"ちゃりんこ" for pickpocket urchins, and "筍医者" for quack doctors (which we used to say in English in the late 19th century).
小人 is discouraged in favor of ドワーフ, including a suggestion to rephrase "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" that way XD
"An Indian never lies" is banned, but "All Cretans are liars" is still fine.
Another word for a spinster, forbidden for being a barbarous wasei-eigo as well as being discriminatory, is オールドミス
And "himo" is banned
http://www.big-c.or.jp/~makichan/100420housoukinsi.pdf
A lot of them are obvious - don't use ethnic slurs, yakuza reverse-talk, or insults.
But then there are the ones like "rosuke" which is the Japanese version of "Russkie", which is going right into my vocabulary
"ちゃりんこ" for pickpocket urchins, and "筍医者" for quack doctors (which we used to say in English in the late 19th century).
小人 is discouraged in favor of ドワーフ, including a suggestion to rephrase "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" that way XD
"An Indian never lies" is banned, but "All Cretans are liars" is still fine.
Another word for a spinster, forbidden for being a barbarous wasei-eigo as well as being discriminatory, is オールドミス
And "himo" is banned