culture corner: VVord Up! Japanese Slang

I g2g. Whatup? TTYL (talk to you later)! While LOL (laugh out loud) and ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing) have become a part of modern English (giving grief to school teachers and baffling parents in the process), people in Japan are facing their own modern lingo epidemics, largely popularized by comedians and entertainers.

When someone makes a comment that utterly kills the mood during a conversation, it is typically followed by an embarrassing awkward silence. In Japan, it’s not uncommon for someone (or even several people) of Japan’s younger generation to break that silence by shouting, “KY!" This is an abbreviation for “Kuuki yomenai." The phrase literally translates as “Can’t read the air," but it is interpreted as “Wow. Awkward,”“Clueless,” or “What the—.” Most of the time the phrase is used in e-mails, chat rooms, blogs, and instant messages.

“KY language” is the Japanese equivalent to American internet slang. In fact, Japanese teens (and even adults) are so absorbed in this conversational craze that there are online dictionaries and TV specials devoted to KY language (KY; KY-go). While IT is either a pronoun or an abbreviation for “information technology” in the English language, in Japan it means “Aisu tabetai?“ or "Wanna get ice cream?” The number sequence 4649 becomes “Yoroshiku,” or “Nice to meet you.” And a shortcut to asking someone about their plans for college is “ODD," an acronym for “Omae daigaku dousuru?”

Some other popular Japanese slang words/phrases include:
Omoroi (Omoshiroi): “interesting”
Muzui (Muzukashii): “difficult”
Uzai (Urusai): “annoying”
Mendoi (Mendo kusai): “What a pain."
Kimoi! (Kimochi warui): “Gross!” or “Eew!”
Mecha: “very”
Ikeru!: “Cool!," “Sweet!," or “Oh yeah!”

Currently, one of the number one slang phrases is “Dondake?!” This phrase is often coupled with a little "tsk tsk” shake of the index finger. Like many modern Japanese slang phrases, it was popularized by an entertainer, in this case, lkko—an okama (drag queen) who frequently appears on national TV. Dondake was originally used by residents of the Shibuya area in Tokyo. But this phrase became a part of modern Japanese jargon when Ikko popularized it in a music video. The approximate meaning would be something along the lines of “What the—?!” and it is interjected into normal (informal) conversation among friends.

So, even in a country known for its formality and sense of tradition, Japan has its own language quirks that rival American teen’s OMG and C u 2morrow! —Ja-na-- ! Bye-bye!

—Mina Furusho