2020s

№ 048 しゃばい shabai A delinquents’ put-down from the 1980s, left for dead — dug up and worn again by kids who never met the first users. 2020s № 047 ○○構文 kōbun A dry grammar-class word — “sentence pattern” — became slang the moment a generation started collecting the way people talk, like specimens. 2020s № 046 チル chiru A borrowed English word for taking it easy — with which a busy generation gave a name to the unhurried mood itself. 2020s № 045 ドパガキ dopa-gaki “Dopamine brat”: what a generation raised on the endless scroll calls itself — and sometimes each other. Half confession, half jab. 2020s № 044 蛙化現象 kaeru-ka genshō “Frog-ification”: a psychology term from a Grimm fairy tale, adopted by a generation — who changed its meaning almost completely on the way. 2020s № 043 界隈 kaiwai An old word for “neighborhood” that moved onto the internet — where the neighborhoods have no streets, only shared obsessions. 2020s № 042 親ガチャ oya-gacha “Parent gacha”: you cannot choose your parents, the way you cannot choose what a capsule machine dispenses. A toy metaphor that started a national argument. 2020s № 041 しか勝たん shika katan The highest praise in the language, built entirely out of a negation: “nothing wins except...” 2020s № 040 知らんけど shiran kedo State your opinion firmly. Then add: “I don’t know, though.” The Kansai art of the instant disclaimer, adopted by the whole country. 2020s № 039 匂わせ niowase “Letting the scent drift”: announcing a secret romance through two coffee cups in one photo. Saying nothing, and making sure everyone smells it. 2020s № 038 陽キャ・陰キャ yōkya / inkya All of humanity, sorted into two kanji: sun-people and shade-people. Ancient Chinese philosophy, reborn as school-cafeteria taxonomy. 2020s № 037 沼 numa “The swamp”: where a casual interest becomes a hobby, the hobby becomes a life, and your savings are never seen again. 2020s № 013 推し oshi A verb for “push” became a noun for the person you support. Then it became a way of life. 2020s № 012 ぴえん pien The sound of a face about to cry — one syllable, and the emoji that never leaves its side. 2020s