貶す

kenasu
to speak ill of

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another verb I had heard in use, but its meaning didn't hit home until I listened to Hiro go off on how the guys who do Top Gear (the English show for automotive geeks) were totally slamming Korean cars as junk. this verb came up quite often in Hiro's little diatribe, or perhaps homage, as Hiro is also a veteran hater of Korean-made products. it's a Japanese thing. defies logic sometimes. not that we Americans are ever logical to begin with.