All Entries
80 entries1
セクハラ せくはら
Short for 'sexual harassment' — Japan's first mainstream harassment term
Neutral
2
しか勝たん しかかたん
Nothing beats ___ — the stan culture catchphrase for declaring your absolute favorite.
Casual
3
知らんけど しらんけど
A Kansai-born phrase tacked onto the end of statements to dodge responsibility — 'but I dunno though.'
Casual
4
それな それな
"Exactly" / "that" — the shortest possible way to agree with someone
Casual
5
ただしイケメンに限る ただしいけめんにかぎる
"...but only if you're hot." A cynical internet meme about looks privilege.
Casual
6
タイパ たいぱ
Short for 'time performance' — how much value you get for the time you spend.
Casual
7
体力お化け たいりょくおばけ
Someone with insane stamina or endurance — literally a "stamina monster"
Casual
8
タメ語 ためご
Casual speech without honorifics — the way you talk to equals and close friends.
Casual
9
タワマン たわまん
Short for 'tower mansion' — a high-rise condo that doubles as a status symbol
Neutral
10
テイクアウト ていくあうと
Wasei-eigo for buying food or drinks to go — sounds like English but isn't quite how native speakers say it
Neutral
11
尊い とうとい
Something so beautiful or precious that it moves you to tears — the highest form of fan devotion.
Casual
12
豆腐メンタル とうふめんたる
Someone who's mentally fragile — their mind crumbles like tofu at the slightest pressure.
Casual
13
使えない つかえない
"Useless" / "incompetent" — a harsh way to call someone worthless at their job
Casual
14
ツッコミ つっこみ
The "straight man" role in comedy — also used for calling out nonsense in daily life
Casual
15
積ん読 つんどく
Buying books and letting them pile up unread — one of the most famous "untranslatable Japanese words"
Neutral
16
上から目線 うえからめせん
Talking down to someone — acting superior when you have no right to
Casual
17
ウケる うける
"That is hilarious" — the classic laugh reaction, especially "ウケるんだけど！"
Casual
18
ワンチャン わんちゃん
"Maybe" / "there is a chance" — from "one chance," now means any slim possibility
Casual
19
ワロタ わろた
Internet-speak for 'I laughed' — the predecessor to 草 (kusa), born on 2ch forums.
Casual
20
やばい やばい
The ultimate all-purpose slang — can mean anything from "amazing" to "terrible"
Casual
21
ヤンキー やんきー
In Japan, 'yankee' doesn't mean American — it means juvenile delinquent.
Casual
22
やりらふぃー やりらふぃー
Slang for high-energy, party-people-style Japanese youth — and their fashion. Born from a Japanese mishearing of a Norwegian lyric that went viral on TikTok.
Casual
23
よっ よっ
The ultimate minimal male greeting — just one syllable
Casual
24
陽キャ ようきゃ
An outgoing, sociable person — short for "sunny character"
Casual
25
優勝 ゆうしょう
This wins!' — crowning something the undisputed champion. An SNS catchphrase where 優勝 (yūshō, 'championship') is used to declare something the absolute best — nothing else compares.
Casual
26
映える ばえる
Looks great in photos — born from "Insta-bae" (Instagram-worthy)
Casual
27
バカかっこいい ばかかっこいい
Synonymous with "super cool." Here, バカ (baka / "stupid") is not an insult — it works as a positive intensifier.
Casual
28
バズる ばずる
To go viral on social media. From the English word "buzz."
Casual
29
ビジュ びじゅ
Short for 'visual' — a trendy way to talk about someone's looks. Borrowed from K-POP fan culture, where each group has a designated 'visual member' (the best-looking one).
Casual
30
微妙 びみょう
In everyday speech, a polite way of saying 'meh' — not terrible, but definitely not good.
Neutral
31
ブラック企業 ぶらっくきぎょう
A company that exploits its workers — long hours, no pay, toxic bosses
Casual
32
ボケ ぼけ
The funny one in a comedy duo — or a blunt way to call someone an idiot (especially common in Kansai as a light jab).
Casual
33
チル ちる
To chill out and relax — borrowed straight from English and given a Japanese twist.
Casual
34
ダサい ださいい
Uncool, lame, or out of style — the go-to word for calling out bad taste.
Casual
35
ディスる でぃする
To diss / trash-talk — from English "disrespect," turned into a Japanese verb
Casual
36
ドン引き どんびき
To be so put off by someone's behavior that you mentally recoil.
Casual
37
ドンマイ どんまい
No worries!' — a wasei-eigo pick-me-up borrowed from English 'don't mind.' Used to brush off minor setbacks, but increasingly also used mockingly to mean 'tough luck for them.'
Casual
38
ドタキャン どたきゃん
Bailing on plans at the very last minute — a portmanteau of 'last moment' and 'cancel.'
Casual
39
エモい えもい
Emotionally moving — from English "emotional"
Casual
40
エンジョイ勢 えんじょいぜい
The 'in it for the fun' crowd — casual players who prioritize enjoyment over winning. The opposite of ガチ勢 (gachi-zei, hardcore players).
Casual
41
フラグ ふらぐ
A narrative 'flag' — a sign that foreshadows what's coming next. 'Death flag,' 'romance flag,' and the joy of watching flags get raised and triggered.
Casual
42
ガチャ がちゃ
From capsule toys to mobile games to life itself — the randomness-is-fate word
Casual
43
ガチ勢 がちぜい
The 'dead serious' crowd — people who go all-in on a hobby or activity. The opposite of エンジョイ勢 (enjoy-zei, casual players).
Casual
44
ガチ がち
"Dead serious" / "legit" — like マジ but cranked up a notch
Casual
45
ギリギリ ぎりぎり
Just barely, by the skin of your teeth — cutting it impossibly close.
Casual
46
ググる ぐぐる
To google something. 'Gugutte' means 'look it up.'
Casual
47
ギュられる ぎゅられる
Internet slang meaning "to get wiped out by the AI singularity" — i.e., to have your job, skills, or relevance taken over by AI. Built from a clipped, Japanified version of the English word "singularity" plus the Japanese passive ending "-rareru."
Casual
48
一応 いちおう
Just in case' / 'sort of' — a hedge word that softens everything it touches.
Neutral
49
イケてる いけてる
Cool, stylish, looking good — the opposite of ダサい.
Casual
50
陰キャ いんきゃ
Someone who's introverted and quiet — short for '陰気なキャラクター' (gloomy character).
Casual
51
結構 けっこう
A versatile word meaning 'quite,' 'enough,' or 'no thank you' depending on context.
Neutral
52
キモい きもい
Short for 'kimochi warui' (gross/disgusting) — a blunt, high-damage insult
Casual
53
貴様 きさま
A second-person pronoun familiar from anime. In modern Japanese, it's essentially a hostile insult.
Casual
54
コイツ こいつ
A rough way to say "this guy" or "this thing." Sounds blunt and can be rude depending on context.
Casual
55
この野郎 このやろう
A heated insult meaning 'you bastard' — for real anger or joking between close friends.
Casual
56
コスパ こすぱ
Short for "cost performance" — means bang for your buck
Neutral
57
空気 くうき
The unspoken mood of a room — the invisible social atmosphere everyone is expected to read.
Neutral
58
草 くさ
The Japanese "lol" — literally "grass," born from how "wwwww" looks like grass growing
Casual
59
空気読む くうきよむ
To read the room — sensing the unspoken mood and acting accordingly.
Casual
60
KY けーわい
Stands for 'Kuuki ga Yomenai' — someone who can't read the room.
Casual
61
マジ まじ
"Seriously" / "for real" — the go-to intensifier in everyday Japanese
Casual
62
めっちゃ めっちゃ
The go-to intensifier meaning "very" or "super" — originally Kansai dialect, now used everywhere in Japan
Casual
63
港区女子 みなとくじょし
Women who party in Tokyo's flashiest district — glamorous but loaded with judgment
Casual
64
港区 みなとく
Tokyo's richest ward — used as slang for wealth, status, and a certain lifestyle
Neutral
65
マウント まうんと
Flexing your superiority — the act of one-upping someone to establish dominance. Used in 'マウントを取る' (to take the mount / to flex on someone).
Casual
66
無理 むり
"I can't" / "I'm done" — the one-word shutdown for when you've hit your limit, good or bad.
Casual
67
ネタバレ ねたばれ
Spoiling a story's plot — the Japanese word for 'spoiler.'
Casual
68
ンゴ んご
A suffix from 2ch/5ch forums — add "-ngo" to sentences for self-deprecating humor
Casual
69
沼 ぬま
A bottomless obsession you can't escape — "falling into the swamp"
Casual
70
ワンオペ わんおぺ
Handling everything solo — short for 'one-man operation.' Originally about understaffed restaurants, now widely used for solo parenting and overwork.
Casual
71
鬼 おに
A prefix meaning 'insanely' or 'crazy' — oni-strong, oni-cute, oni-hard.
Casual
72
推し おし
Your favorite person/thing you stan — from idol culture, now used for everything
Casual
73
お疲れ様です おつかれさまです
The all-purpose workplace greeting — works as "hello," "goodbye," and everything in between
Polite OK
74
オワコン おわこん
Short for 'owatta kontentsu' (finished content) — something or someone past their prime.
Casual
75
ぱおん ぱおん
One notch past "pien" on the sadness scale — an elephant's trumpeting call standing in for full-on bawling, almost always played for laughs.
Casual
76
パリピ ぱりぴ
Casual
77
ぴえん ぴえん
A cute way to say "I am sad" / "I wanna cry" — huge in 2019, now a bit dated
Casual
78
ポンコツ ぽんこつ
A go-to casual word for anything (or anyone) broken-down, useless, or barely functional — often used self-deprecatingly, sometimes even affectionately.
Casual
79
リア充 りあじゅう
Someone whose offline life is thriving — they've got friends, a partner, and actually go outside.
Casual
80
あざす あざす
A bare-bones 'thanks!' — 'arigatou gozaimasu' chopped down to its smallest possible form.
Casual