Japanese Slang...

PaulTB · 15 May 2004

Here's a fun one that isn't really slang and you might be able to get it just from context. What is ドラクエ ?

～会社のトビラがたくさんある部屋で打ち合わせが終わって．．．～

A: じゃあ、そろそろ帰ります（と言って一つのドアノブに手をかける）．
B: おい．そのドアはトイレだぞ．
A: あら．帰り道はこっちのドアでしたっけ？
B: そっちは給湯室．帰りはあの奥のドアだよ．方向音痴なんか？
A: すいません．近いドアから開ける癖がついてて．ドラクエのせいで．

Golgo_13 · 15 May 2004

PaulTB said:
New slang (to me anyway)
バカい
I don't think anybody will have trouble working out what that means. ^^;

[EDIT]
Also a rather tougher one イメチェン
rep point for anyone who gets it.

イメチェン is the easy one. IMAge + CHANge = Imechen

How about a "Dekichatta Kekkon"? Easy.

PaulTB · 15 May 2004

Golgo_13 said:
How about a "Dekichatta Kekkon"? Easy.

Pardon my katakana, but is that ショットグン・ウエディング ?

Golgo_13 · 15 May 2004

Correct. Makes sense doesn't it? "Kodomo ga dekichatta!"

Gun can be written in katakana as "gan".

Do you what "Chanbara" is (though it's no longer consider a slang as it's been in use for so long)? This one is pretty obvious if you think about it.

Golgo_13 · 18 May 2004

I wonder if this phrase is still in use in Japan. It was 30 - 40 years ago.

"Kuru kuru paa"

Exidez · 18 May 2004

Golgo_13 said:
I wonder if this phrase is still in use in Japan. It was 30 - 40 years ago.

"Kuru kuru paa"

yes, they still use that phrase...
means someone is crazy.... as in there head goes round and round
right?

Golgo_13 · 18 May 2004

Yes, using your index finger to indicate the spinning

PaulTB · 18 May 2004

Golgo_13 said:
Do you what "Chanbara" is (though it's no longer consider a slang as it's been in use for so long)? This one is pretty obvious if you think about it.

I just happened across this article

mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0403/0318supochan.html

and remembered this thread.

^^; Still had to check a dictionary to see where it came from.

「ちゃんちゃんばらばら」の略

成る程

Kentaro · 21 May 2004

ひっかけ橋 is a bridge in Osaka. Its real name is 戎(えびす)橋.
ひっかけ is the act of ひっかける(引っ掛ける).
引っ掛ける has many meanings but in this case it means to "hit on somebody".
戎橋ではナンパ（this is also slang)が多いためひっかけ橋と呼ばれます。

Golgo_13 · 22 May 2004

PaulTB said:
I just happened across this article

mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0403/0318supochan.html

and remembered this thread.

^^; Still had to check a dictionary to see where it came from.

「ちゃんちゃんばらばら」の略

成る程

It's not so much the sport or martial art of sword-fighting, but "Chanbara" comes from the sound made when two sword baldes collide, and it means (at least it used to mean) TV shows and movies about samurai where there might be swordfighting scenes. E.g., "Zenigata Heiji", "Yojimbo", etc.

PaulTB · 26 May 2004

Continuing the 'stick る on anything and call it a verb' line -

流行る

Glenn · 28 May 2004

Isn't that はやる, "to be in fashion/style/etc."?

Golgo_13 · 28 May 2004

Glenn said:
Isn't that はやる, "to be in fashion/style/etc."?

Yes. Without the "ru" the kanji alone would be read "ryuukou" as an adjective, so they just add the "ru" and make it an "irregular reading" Kanji (as I call it)

Other examples of irregulars are:

omiyage (お土産) Looks like "odosan"
okami (女将)-san Looks like "Joshou"
inaka (田舎) You would think the word is "Ta" something because of 田

But these are standard words, not slang

Glenn · 28 May 2004

Golgo_13 said:
...so they just add the "ru" and make it an "irregular reading" Kanji (as I call it)

Wouldn't that be called 当て字? Or is that not the right term for these types of words?

PaulTB · 28 May 2004

Glenn said:
Wouldn't that be called 当て字? Or is that not the right term for these types of words?

Ack! Enough, I got it wrong. :sorry:

I hereby abdicate my title.

Golgo_13 · 29 May 2004

Glenn said:
Wouldn't that be called 当て字? Or is that not the right term for these types of words?

Yes, but your link states "漢字の本来の意味とは関係なくその音や訓を借りてあてはめた漢字".

In the examples I gave above, the Kanjis do have the same meaning as the "irregular" pronunciation.

omiyage (お土産) Looks like "odosan"
okami (女将)-san Looks like "Joshou"
inaka (田舎) You would think the word is "Ta" something because of 田
anata (貴方) Looks like "ki kata"; actually, "kihou" is an accepted but rarely used pronunciation

Glenn · 29 May 2004

Hmm, in my kanji reference book it says that kanji that are used for meaning only with nonstandard readings are also considered to be ateji, but the daijirin disagrees. Interesting. Now I'm not sure what to make of this... :?

Golgo_13 · 29 May 2004

I just found another one in this article I'm reading in the Japanese Daily Sun paper.

"へべれけ" (written in Katakana in the paper) = intoxicated. Hebe comes from "heavy" and reke from "liquor". So it should have been "hebirika"

Golgo_13 · 2 Jun 2004

-----------------------------

Found another one over the weekend:

"Mentore" MENtal + TRAining.

What athletes do to psychologically prepare themselves for competition.

This is not a slang but I thought it was funny:

Garagara hebi.

First one to figure out what it is wins a weekend in . . .

Golgo_13 · 4 Jun 2004

--------------------------

I wondered if this word was ever discussed previously:

"Batsu'ichi"

Today's assignment. Tell me what it means and how the term came about.

JREF · 7 Dec 2019

The article Japanese Slang has been updated:

Added a few new phrases.

Japanese Slang...

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一切皆苦

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JREF Editor

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