All Entries
73 entries1
ツッコミ つっこみ
The "straight man" role in comedy — also used for calling out nonsense in daily life
Casual
2
積ん読 つんどく
Buying books and letting them pile up unread — one of the most famous "untranslatable Japanese words"
Neutral
3
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
4
ウケる うける
"That is hilarious" — the classic laugh reaction, especially "ウケるんだけど！"
Casual
5
ワンチャン わんちゃん
"Maybe" / "there is a chance" — from "one chance," now means any slim possibility
Casual
6
ワロタ わろた
Internet-speak for 'I laughed' — the predecessor to 草 (kusa), born on 2ch forums.
Casual
7
やばい やばい
The ultimate all-purpose slang — can mean anything from "amazing" to "terrible"
Casual
8
ヤンキー やんきー
In Japan, 'yankee' doesn't mean American — it means juvenile delinquent.
Casual
9
よっ よっ
The ultimate minimal male greeting — just one syllable
Casual
10
陽キャ ようきゃ
An outgoing, sociable person — short for "sunny character"
Casual
11
映える ばえる
Looks great in photos — born from "Insta-bae" (Instagram-worthy)
Casual
12
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
13
バズる ばずる
To go viral on social media. From the English word "buzz."
Casual
14
微妙 びみょう
In everyday speech, a polite way of saying 'meh' — not terrible, but definitely not good.
Neutral
15
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
16
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
17
チル ちる
To chill out and relax — borrowed straight from English and given a Japanese twist.
Casual
18
ダサい ださいい
Uncool, lame, or out of style — the go-to word for calling out bad taste.
Casual
19
ディスる でぃする
To diss / trash-talk — from English "disrespect," turned into a Japanese verb
Casual
20
ドン引き どんびき
To be so put off by someone's behavior that you mentally recoil.
Casual
21
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
22
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
23
エモい えもい
Emotionally moving — from English "emotional"
Casual
24
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
25
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
26
ガチャ がちゃ
From capsule toys to mobile games to life itself — the randomness-is-fate word
Casual
27
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
28
ガチ がち
"Dead serious" / "legit" — like マジ but cranked up a notch
Casual
29
ギリギリ ぎりぎり
Just barely, by the skin of your teeth — cutting it impossibly close.
Casual
30
ググる ぐぐる
To google something. 'Gugutte' means 'look it up.'
Casual
31
一応 いちおう
Just in case' / 'sort of' — a hedge word that softens everything it touches.
Neutral
32
イケてる いけてる
Cool, stylish, looking good — the opposite of ダサい.
Casual
33
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
34
結構 けっこう
A versatile word meaning 'quite,' 'enough,' or 'no thank you' depending on context.
Neutral
35
キモい きもい
Short for 'kimochi warui' (gross/disgusting) — a blunt, high-damage insult
Casual
36
貴様 きさま
A second-person pronoun familiar from anime. In modern Japanese, it's essentially a hostile insult.
Casual
37
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
38
この野郎 このやろう
A heated insult meaning 'you bastard' — for real anger or joking between close friends.
Casual
39
コスパ こすぱ
Short for "cost performance" — means bang for your buck
Neutral
40
空気 くうき
The unspoken mood of a room — the invisible social atmosphere everyone is expected to read.
Neutral
41
草 くさ
The Japanese "lol" — literally "grass," born from how "wwwww" looks like grass growing
Casual
42
空気読む くうきよむ
To read the room — sensing the unspoken mood and acting accordingly.
Casual
43
KY けーわい
Stands for 'Kuuki ga Yomenai' — someone who can't read the room.
Casual
44
マジ まじ
"Seriously" / "for real" — the go-to intensifier in everyday Japanese
Casual
45
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
46
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
47
港区 みなとく
Tokyo's richest ward — used as slang for wealth, status, and a certain lifestyle
Neutral
48
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
49
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
50
ネタバレ ねたばれ
Spoiling a story's plot — the Japanese word for 'spoiler.'
Casual
51
ンゴ んご
A suffix from 2ch/5ch forums — add "-ngo" to sentences for self-deprecating humor
Casual
52
沼 ぬま
A bottomless obsession you can't escape — "falling into the swamp"
Casual
53
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
54
鬼 おに
A prefix meaning 'insanely' or 'crazy' — oni-strong, oni-cute, oni-hard.
Casual
55
推し おし
Your favorite person/thing you stan — from idol culture, now used for everything
Casual
56
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
57
オワコン おわこん
Short for 'owatta kontentsu' (finished content) — something or someone past their prime.
Casual
58
パリピ ぱりぴ
Casual
59
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
60
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
61
セクハラ せくはら
Short for 'sexual harassment' — Japan's first mainstream harassment term
Neutral
62
しか勝たん しかかたん
Nothing beats ___ — the stan culture catchphrase for declaring your absolute favorite.
Casual
63
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
64
それな それな
"Exactly" / "that" — the shortest possible way to agree with someone
Casual
65
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
66
タイパ たいぱ
Short for 'time performance' — how much value you get for the time you spend.
Casual
67
体力お化け たいりょくおばけ
Someone with insane stamina or endurance — literally a "stamina monster"
Casual
68
タメ語 ためご
Casual speech without honorifics — the way you talk to equals and close friends.
Casual
69
タワマン たわまん
Short for 'tower mansion' — a high-rise condo that doubles as a status symbol
Neutral
70
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
71
尊い とうとい
Something so beautiful or precious that it moves you to tears — the highest form of fan devotion.
Casual
72
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
73
使えない つかえない
"Useless" / "incompetent" — a harsh way to call someone worthless at their job
Casual