63 Must-Know Japanese Slang Words (to Sound like a Local)

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Let’s get into Japanese slang!

Before you do, here’s my disclaimer: some of these Japanese slang words are NSFW. They’re also not to be used lightly in every conversation, but to be used appropriately with close friends and peers.

Japanese slang is often underrepresented in textbooks, and it can date quickly. It also overlaps with ordinary casual speech, regional language and older internet culture, so the labels matter. The list below points out those differences where they come up. Knowing these words will help you follow casual conversations, but using them naturally still depends on who you’re talking to and the setting.

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Everyday Japanese Slang

Japanese slang includes descriptions, greetings, and outbursts of emotion, as well as words for people. There’s no single equivalent of “dude” that works in every setting. With nicknames, you might shorten someone’s name and add a cute honorific (or omit the honorific altogether), but follow what the person is comfortable with.

This is part of why slang is so hard to translate and learn: you won’t find a direct translation between languages, you have to learn them by context.

You’ll hear many of these words in casual conversations, Japanese dramas and reality shows, especially among younger speakers. Others are regional or dated, so listen to who uses them and when before trying them yourself.

A quick grammar note: slang words can often be written in either hiragana or katakana, but if it’s an i-adjective, the “i” is often written in hiragana, even if the rest of the word is in katakana. That’s because adjectives can be conjugated, and the part that gets conjugated is the “i.” You’ll see them written in either kana, though, and both are correct.

Anyway, with all that in mind, here are some Japanese slang words to get you started:

やばい (yabai)

やばい can mean… anything. It covers everything from “terrible”, “ridiculous”, and “crappy” to “amazing” and “awesome.” Its literal meaning is “dangerous,” but is used like “wicked” in English. It could be both good and bad.

This one is incredibly common in everyday speech all around Japan. You’ll also hear it shortened to ヤバ (yaba) often, especially by men.

ウザい (uzai)

ウザい is the shortened form of うざったい (uzattai). It means “annoying,” “bothersome,” or “what a pain,” and is used to express frustration with a person or situation.

キモい (kimoi)

This one is short for 気持ち悪い (kimochi warui), which can describe feeling physically sick or finding something unpleasant or repulsive.

As for キモい, it means ‘gross’, ‘disgusting’ or ‘ew’. You can use it as an exclamation like ‘Ew!’ or say キモいね (kimoi ne) to say ‘Disgusting, right?’

イケメン (ikemen)

イケメン is used to describe a good-looking or handsome man.

It’s often used to talk about celebrities, but any man can be regarded as イケメン. It combines イケてる (iketeru, “cool” or “good-looking”) with メン, a play on 面 (men, “face”) and the English word “men.”

マジ (maji)

マジ or マジで (maji de) is used as an exclamation of “Seriously?!” or “For real?!” It comes from the word 真面目 (majime) which means “serious.”

リア充 (riajuu)

リア充 is a sometimes ironic label for someone who seems fulfilled by their offline life, social circle or relationships. It combines リアル (riaru, ‘real world’) and 充実 (juujitsu, ‘fulfilment’). It isn’t simply the opposite of オタク, and it doesn’t say that someone depends on an online persona.

オッス！ (ossu!)

If you want a greeting closest to “What’s up, dude?” or “Yo, man!”… Well, this is it. It’s a shortened form of the greeting おはようございます (Ohayou gozaimasu, “Good morning”). It’s kind of like surfer-speak, and it’s used by guys to greet each other.

半端ない (hanpa nai)

Like やばい, 半端ない can express a strong reaction: “insane,” “kickass,” “awesome,” or “outrageous.” The word hanpa means “halfway” or “unfinished”; with the negative nai, the expression conveys an extraordinary degree or intensity. “Not half-assed, it’s whole-assed” is a playful memory aid, not a literal translation, and the reaction needn’t be positive.

ムカつく (mukatsuku)

ムカつく is a long-standing colloquial verb for feeling irritated, annoyed or sick to your stomach. It’s related to ムカムカする (mukamuka suru), but the claim that つく comes from 作る is not reliable.

それな！(sore na!)

This means, “That!” or “Exactly!” It’s used like English slang when we agree with something someone said, and we simply reply with “This!” Meaning, we were thinking the same thing and 100% agree.

おつ (otsu)

Short for お疲れ様でした (otsukaresama deshita), meaning “you worked hard” or “good job.” You can use it as a slangy goodbye.

ガチ (gachi)

Used the same way as マジ, it means “seriously” or “for real.”

さいてい (saitei)

This translates as “the lowest.” But as a slang term, it’s used to call someone or a situation “the worst!”

ずるい (zurui)

This one means “sly” or “sneaky,” but it can also be used as an exclamation like “You suck!” It expresses both disgust and admiration for someone’s sneaky behaviour. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is an example: you’re a bit dismayed at his bad behaviour, but also impressed he went through with it.

微妙 (bimyou)

Bimyou means “questionable,” “iffy,” or even “kind of sucks.” It’s somewhere between まあまあ (maa maa, “so-so”) and まずい (mazui, “disgusting”) or ひどい (hidoi, “awful”).

ウケる (ukeru)

It means “that’s funny” or “hilarious.” It’s actually a verb, but it’s used more like “haha!” in English.

Regional Japanese Slang

Tokyo-Ben Slang

Standard Japanese is based on Tokyo speech, but Tokyo-ben and the standard aren’t identical. Like New York, Tokyo brings together people from around the country, whose speech can influence one another. You may hear the following expressions in Tokyo, but they aren’t exclusive to the region:

• 超 (chou): Very, totally. Used like とても (totemo).
• すげー (suge-): Amazing. It’s the shortened, more masculine form of すごい (sugoi).
• はずい (hazui): Embarrassing. Short for 恥ずかしい (hazukashii).
• むずい (muzui): Difficult. Short for 難しい (muzukashii)
• うそ！ (uso!): No way! You’re lying!

Kansai-Ben Slang

Kansai-ben includes varieties across the Kansai region, with Osaka speech among the best known. Endings such as ya nen, na, and the negative hen can sound different from textbook Japanese; that doesn’t make the dialect inherently harsh or rude. Shortened forms also occur in casual speech. Here are a few expressions from the region:

• めっちゃ (meccha): The same as 超 and とても, it means “very.”
• あほ (aho): Idiot.
• おおきに (ookini): Thank you.
• ほんま (honma): Really?
• あかん (akan): Bad, not good
• なんやこれ / なんでやねん (nan ya kore / nande ya nen): What’s this?! What the heck?!
• おもろい (omoroi): Interesting, amusing, funny
• ちゃうで! (chau de!): It’s not like that! That’s wrong!
• しんどい (shindoi): Tired, exhausted

Japanese Text and Internet Slang

Japanese text and internet slang combines English letters and Japanese characters into shorthand that can be interesting but confusing at first glance. Learning it can help you immerse yourself in the language online and read older Twitter posts as well as newer conversations.

KY

KY is an abbreviation for 空気読めない, romanised as “kuuki yomenai”. The Latin initials give KY, meaning someone “can’t read the air” or is oblivious to the mood of the room or another person.

なう (nau)

なう means exactly what it sounds like: “now.” It’s used online to say what someone is doing at that moment, especially on Twitter. An example: ランチなう (ranchi nau). “Eating lunch now.”

ファボる (faboru)

This meant ‘to favourite’ a post on Twitter. It became dated after Twitter replaced favourites with likes in 2015, and いいねする (iine suru) is the current everyday wording.

かまちょ (kamacho)

This is short for 構ってちょうだい (kamatte choudai), which means “please pay attention to me” or “keep me company”. As a slang term, it’s posted online as a way to say “I’m bored, let’s chat” or “Talk to me.”

W

Yes, just “w.” It’s the Japanese equivalent of “lol” in English text slang. Why “w?” Because the word for “laugh” is 笑い (warai), so it starts with “w.” If you wanted to say “haha” though, you’d use the kanji itself, usually in parentheses. Like this: (笑)

ぐぐる (Guguru)

Like in English, ‘Google’ has become a verb. To say you’re ‘googling it’, you use ぐぐる in Japanese. You may also come across the old text shorthand GGRKS, from ググれカス (gugure kasu), a hostile way to say ‘Google it yourself’. It belongs to an older era of Japanese internet culture, so recognise it rather than copying it.

ドンマイ (donmai)

This phrase comes from English “don’t mind” and means “Don’t worry about it.” It is used to encourage someone who feels down after a mistake or setback.

KWSK

KWSK is older internet shorthand for “I need the details!” or “Details, please!” It comes from 詳しく (kuwashiku), using the consonants in its romanised spelling. You may encounter it in older posts or deliberately old-school chat.

WKTK

WKTK abbreviates ワクワクテカテカ (wakuwaku tekateka), an exaggerated way to show excitement and anticipation. It was common on older Japanese message boards, but now reads as dated internet slang.

乙

乙 is read おつ (otsu) and is used online as shorthand for お疲れ様 or お疲れ様でした. It can acknowledge someone’s effort or thank them for posting something useful. The character itself does not mean ‘moth’.

555

The number 5 in Japanese is ご (go), so it’s tempting to read 555 as “Go, go, go!” Don’t rely on that as a general Japanese gaming expression: 555 is well documented as Thai internet laughter, “hahaha”. Japanese comments use 888 for applause, playing on はち (hachi, “eight”) and パチパチ (pachi pachi), the sound of clapping. Simply repeating はちはちはち (hachi hachi hachi) isn’t the clapping sound itself.

こｎ / んｐ / うｐ(kon / np / up)

こｎ is an old chat shorthand for こんばんは (‘good evening’). The final Latin n reflects fast IME typing before it is converted to ん. You may still see it in games or livestream chats.

As for the other two, んｐ is the same as English “np” which means “no problem.” And うp is short for “upload.”

Japanese Slang Insults

Use these words with care. Some can be joking between close friends, but the same word can sound aggressive or insulting when the relationship and setting change.

• ばか (baka): Idiot.
• ダサい (dasai): Lame, out of style, dorky, or sucky.
• お前 (omae): A context-sensitive way to say ‘you’. It can sound rude, confrontational or intimate depending on the relationship and tone, and its historical origin does not literally mean that the listener is a thing in front of you.
• われ (ware): Can mean a confrontational “you” in Kansai speech. It also has “I” and “oneself” meanings in other contexts, so don’t treat it as a general substitute for お前.
• やつ (yatsu): Like calling someone “guy” or “bloke.” It can be used casually between friends, but it’s also a bit insulting because it’s something you don’t have much respect for and think of as “lower” than you.
• ぶす (busu): An offensive insult meaning “ugly woman”. It targets appearance, so it isn’t a direct equivalent of “bitch” in English.
• 悪ガキ (warugaki): Brat.

Japanese Swear Words

In case you feel the need to let out a curse under your breath, you can do so in Japanese. Again, use caution with these. While くそ is quite common in Japanese, none of these words are safe to throw around lightly.

くそ (kuso)

くそ literally means “shit” and is also a common exclamation of frustration, often translated as “dammit” or, in stronger English dialogue, “fuck”. Those translations depend on context; the English words aren’t interchangeable in every use. You may hear it muttered under someone’s breath.

死ね! (shine!)

This means “Die!” or “Go to hell!” It’s one that you’ve probably heard in Naruto and other shonen anime and manga.

ファック (fakku)

Exactly what it sounds like: “fuck.” Imported straight into the language from English.

くそったれ (kusottare)

This is a strong insult, often rendered as “shithead” or, in stronger English dialogue, “MF’er”. Those are contextual translations, not a literal word-for-word match or a fixed ranking of swear-word strength.

ちくしょう (chikushou)

“Son of a bitch” in Japanese, although it can also be used as an exclamation of “Dammit!” The literal translation is a “beast” or a “brute.”

Japanese Slang Phrases

Last up, here are some general slang phrases that you’ll hear and see online.

• こんちは (konchiwa): A short form of こんにちは, “hello.”
• 調子どう? (choushi dou?): “How are you?” or “How’s it going?”
• 一足す一は？ (Ichi tasu ichi wa?): “One plus one equals?” It’s used in place of “Say cheese!” when taking a picture, and the response is “に！” (ni!) in Japanese.
• 一杯どう？ (ippai dou?): A slang way to ask someone if they want to grab a drink. “How about one?”
• とりあえずビール (toriaezu bi-ru): “A beer for now.” It’s such a common thing to say, it’s become a set phrase in Japanese.
• 誰得 (daretoku): It more or less means “Who gets something from this?” or “Why do this?” It’s used like the internet slang, “Y tho?” in English.
• 相変わらず (aikawarazu): This is standard vocabulary rather than slang. It means ‘as usual’ or ‘as ever’, and it is not a general ‘so-so’ response to ‘How are you?’
• わりーね (warii-ne): “My bad.” A rough, casual alternative to ごめん (gomen), for people you know well.

Now it’s Your Turn to Share Japanese Slang!

Did I miss any Japanese slang or other cool Japanese phrases you’ve heard or used? Share it with me in the comments!

If you want to hear more casual speech and slang in context, check out JapanesePod101.