Japanese Lessons
J-Slang 10: Donbiki
Today’s J-Slang is…
ドン引き
donbiki = to creep people out, to make people feel awkward or turned off
彼が痴漢で逮捕されたんだって。どんびきだよね。
kare ga chikan de taihou saretan datte. donbiki da yo ne.
They say he was arrested for molesting women. That’s so creepy. (It leaves me cold)
Donbiki is a phrase that refers to when people get creeped out or turned off by something. It’s used when something happens or someone says something that makes people feel uncomfortable and don’t know how to react.
彼が寒い冗談を言ったら皆がドン引きされていた。
kare ga samui joudan wo ittara mina ga donbiki sareteita.
When he told that terrible joke everyone was left cold.
J-Slang 09: Futoppara
Today’s J-Slang is…
太っ腹
Futoppara = to generous, broad minded, openhearted
彼って太っ腹だね
kare tte futoppara da ne = He’s a really broadminded guy
Although the Kanji 太っ腹 literally means fat stomach, it really refers to someone who is generous or openminded. In the past, travellers to Japan were often shocked when new Japanese acquaintances would give compliments such as “Nice to meet you Mr Smith. my, how fat you are”.
Of ocurse, these days, calling someone fat in Japan would not be a good idea unless you wanted to get a slap in the face. Women have been brought up on a diet of photoshopped magazine stick insect models as the rest of world has. It’s interesting that although 太っ腹 literally migh be quite rude, it has retained its positive real meaning and can be used as a compliment. And that’s phat!
J-Slang 08: Occhokochoi
Today’s J-Slang is…
おっちょこちょい
Occhokochoi = to be clumsy
おっちょこちょいだね
kanojo tte occhokochoi da ne = She’s really clumsy isn’t she
This has to be one of my favorite words in Japanese partly because of the way it rolls off the tongue. I wouldn’t say this is a particularly mean word. It is usually used for children or between friends and contains an element of cuteness or fondness of the person it is being used for. For example, “oh look at little Kenta, he’s dropped his build blocks, bless…(he’s clumsy)”
J-Slang 07: Atama ni kuru
Today’s J-Slang is…
頭に来る
atama ni kuru = to be angry, get mad, pissed off
もう頭に来た
mou atama ni kita = I’m really pissed off
ATAMA NI KURU literally means “it’s come to the head” so perhaps that sounds a little like “I’ve had it up to hear” in English. Of ocurse this is a useful phrase to express how angry you are. Another similar phrase is きれた /KIRETA which literally means something has been cut. Both KIRETA and ATAMA NI KURU imply that you have slightly lost control because you are so angry.
J-Slang 06: Usankusai
Today’s J-Slang is…
うさんくさい
usankusai = Suspicious, shady, dodgy
あの人の言うことうさんくさいよね
ano hito no yuu koto usankusai yo ne = The things he says are suspicious (I don’t trust what he says)
Buyer beware. I once had the misfortune to go drinking with an acquaintance who tried to hoodwink me into investing in a pyramid scheme. Lots of money for no work? Yes it was too good to be true. I was a little offened that he thought I would be so stupid as to fall for this. So I said to him お前の言うことうさんくさいよ /omae no yuu koto usankusai yo / What you’re saying is suspicious. Or in more natural English “Dude, do I have the word sucker pasted on my forehead”?
J-Slang 05: Dekichatta Kekkon
Today’s J-Slang is…
できちゃった結婚
Dekichatta Kekkon = Getting married because of a pregnancy
僕たちできちゃった結婚しちゃいました
bokutachi dekichatta kekkon shichaimashita = We got married because (she) got pregnant
I was going to write about the various issues surrounding birth control in Japan but on second thoughts I decided to give this one a miss. Suffice it to say, the pill was only made available in Japan as late as 1999 only after viagra became available.
Don’t be surpirsed if you hear the above phrase…
J-Slang 03: Samu!
Today’s J-Slang is…
さむっ
SAMU = That’s not funny
あの冗談さむっ
Ano joudan samu = That joke is terrible!
SAMU comes from the adjective SAMUI which means cold. Use SAMU when someone tells an unoriginal joke, usually with a pathetic punch line or an awful pun, so bad it almost makes you shiver.
These are also sometimes referred to as 親父ギャグ / OYAJI GYAGU or a joke an old guy would tell such as an annoying uncle at a family get together with a bad sense of humor. I hear this a lot when someone cracks an old groaner and everyone wants to let the person know they shouldn’t give up their day job.
From Twitter: tomoakiyama@japanesepodcast Good one! Often “sabui” to emphasize it’s so cold that your nose is stuffy and you can’t help pronouncing “m” like “b”.
J-Slang 02: Do Wasure
Today’s J-Slang is…
ど忘れ
DO WASURE
I completely forgot
今日会議だった、ど忘れしてた
Kyou kaigi datta, dowasure shiteta
Today there was a meeting, I completely forgot
Of course DOWASURE is a very casual way to say you completely forgot something. In more polite Japanese you would say “wasurete shimatta” or ” wasurete shimaimashita” which is even more polite.
J-Slang 01: Bakappuru
Welcome to J-Slang, a new weekly article teaching street Japanese to amaze and terrify your Japanese friends. We will be posting these every Monday with a new phrase which is usually funny and regularly used by Japanese people. As the title suggests this is slang so it may be wise to not use these phrases in a formal settings when trying to be polite. We hope this will amuse, not offend and inspire you to learn some more Japanese.
So here’s the first phrase:
バカップル
bakappuru – A stupid couple
あの二人、バカップルだね
ano futari bakappru da ne – Those two are a stupid couple aren’t they?
This phrase is taken from the words “BAKA” which means stupid and “KAPPURU” which is an imported word from English meaning couple.
Incidentally, the kanji for BAKA is 馬鹿 which is comprised of the kanji for horse 馬 and deer 鹿.
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