Lingo Kaiava Slang 🇯🇵 Japanese Slang 22 words Japanese speakers actually
use — with what they mean, how to say them, and which ones will get you in trouble.
やばい Terrible — or amazing. Modern Japanese slang for both. すごい Amazing, incredible, wow. めんどくさい What a hassle / I can't be bothered. 懐かしい Nostalgic — said the moment something brings a memory back. 頑張って Do your best / good luck / hang in there. マジ Seriously / for real. いただきます Said before eating — roughly "I humbly receive." 先輩 Someone senior to you at school or work. お疲れ様 Thanks for your hard work — the all-purpose workplace greeting. かわいい Cute — but a much wider concept than the English word. しょうがない It can't be helped — a verbal shrug at things outside your control. バカ Idiot, fool. オタク An obsessive fan — of anime, trains, idols, anything. ツンデレ Cold on the outside, soft underneath. イケメン A good-looking guy. 後輩 Junior — anyone who started after you. 草 lol — written as the word for "grass". うざい Annoying — grating, in your face. Crude — know it before you say it 微妙 Iffy — not great, and I would rather not say so. ドタキャン A last-minute cancellation. めっちゃ Super / really — the Kansai booster that went national. ちょっと A little — and, trailing off, a polite no. Learning the words is the easy half Knowing what やばい means won't help when someone says it to you at speed. Lingo
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