Modern Slang & Internet English
Gen Z / Current Slang (2024-2026)
| Slang | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| slay | やばい、最高 | You slayed that presentation! |
| sus | 怪しい (suspicious) | That excuse is kind of sus. |
| no cap | マジで (not lying) | That was the best meal ever, no cap. |
| cap | 嘘 | That's cap! (嘘つくな!) |
| bussin | めちゃくちゃ美味い/最高 | This ramen is bussin! |
| rizz | 異性を魅了する力 | He's got so much rizz. |
| GOAT | 史上最高 (Greatest Of All Time) | Messi is the GOAT. |
| vibe | 雰囲気/気分 | This cafe has such a good vibe. |
| vibe check | 雰囲気チェック | Vibe check — how are you feeling? |
| ate | 完璧にやった | She ate that performance. She left no crumbs. |
| main character | 主人公(のように振る舞う) | She's giving main character energy today. |
| NPC | モブキャラ的な人 | He's just standing there like an NPC. |
| brainrot | ネットの見過ぎ | Too much TikTok gave me brain rot. |
| ick | ドン引き | His eating habits give me the ick. |
| era | 〜期 | I'm in my productive era. (生産的な時期) |
| delulu | 妄想的 (delusional) | She thinks he likes her? That's so delulu. |
| rent free | 頭から離れない | That song is living rent free in my head. |
| understood the assignment | 完璧にやった | She showed up in that dress — she understood the assignment. |
| it's giving | 〜っぽい雰囲気 | That outfit is giving 90s grunge. |
| lowkey / highkey | ちょっと / めっちゃ | I lowkey want to skip work today. / I highkey love this song. |
| bet | OK、了解 | "Wanna grab food?" "Bet." |
| mid | 普通、大したことない | That movie was mid. |
| based | 正直で勇気ある | That's a based opinion. |
| yeet | 投げる/勢いよく | He yeeted the ball across the field. |
| simp | 好きな人に尽くしすぎる人 | He bought her flowers every day? What a simp. |
| toxic | 有害な(関係/人) | She's in a toxic relationship. |
| ghosting | 急に連絡を絶つ | He ghosted me after our third date. |
| gaslighting | 相手の認識を操作する | Stop gaslighting me! I know what I saw. |
| red flag | 危険信号 | He never texts back? That's a red flag. |
| green flag | 良い兆候 | He remembers small details? Green flag. |
| situationship | 曖昧な関係 | We're not dating, it's more of a situationship. |
| flex | 自慢する | Nice car, no need to flex though. |
| glow up | 見た目が劇的に良くなる | She had such a glow up since high school! |
| Roman Empire | 男性がよく考えること | "How often do you think about the Roman Empire?" |
| say less | 了解、それだけで十分 | "Want to get pizza?" "Say less." |
| W / L | Win(勝ち) / Loss(負け) | Getting that promotion was a huge W. |
| caught in 4K | 動かぬ証拠で捕まった | She lied about being sick, but we caught her in 4K at the mall. |
| touch grass | 外に出ろ(ネットやりすぎ) | You've been online for 12 hours. Go touch grass. |
| unalive | 死ぬ(SNSの検閲回避) | The villain tried to unalive the hero. |
Internet / Social Media Language
Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning | Japanese |
|---|---|---|
| tbh | to be honest | 正直に言うと |
| imo / imho | in my (humble) opinion | 私の意見では |
| ngl | not gonna lie | 正直に言って |
| idk | I don't know | 知らない |
| idc | I don't care | どうでもいい |
| iirc | if I recall correctly | 確か |
| smh | shaking my head | 呆れる |
| fomo | fear of missing out | 取り残される不安 |
| jomo | joy of missing out | 参加しない喜び |
| fwiw | for what it's worth | 参考までに |
| tldr / tl;dr | too long; didn't read | 長すぎ、読まなかった/要約 |
| ELI5 | explain like I'm 5 | 簡単に説明して |
| LMAO | laughing my ass off | 大爆笑 |
| ROFL | rolling on the floor laughing | 爆笑 |
| SMH | shaking my head | 呆れる |
| IIRC | if I recall correctly | 確か |
| FYI | for your information | ちなみに |
| BRB | be right back | すぐ戻る |
| GTG | got to go | 行かなきゃ |
| DM | direct message | ダイレクトメッセージ |
| AMA | ask me anything | 何でも聞いて |
| ICYMI | in case you missed it | 見逃した人のために |
| TIL | today I learned | 今日知ったこと |
Texting Shortcuts
- u = you, r = are, ur = your/you're
- gonna = going to, wanna = want to, gotta = got to
- lemme = let me, gimme = give me
- cuz / cos = because
- thx = thanks, pls = please
- rn = right now, atm = at the moment
- omw = on my way
- nvm = never mind
- k / kk = ok
Tone & Register in Casual English
Softening Language
- "I feel like..." (I thinkのカジュアル版)
- "kinda / sorta" (kind of / sort of)
- "I mean..." (つまり...)
- "like..." (えーっと... — filler word)
- "you know..." (ね、わかるでしょ)
- "just" (ちょっと — 柔らかくする) "I just wanted to ask..."
- "actually" (実は)
- "honestly" (正直)
- "basically" (基本的に)
- "literally" (マジで — 強調、文字通りではない使い方)
- "I'm literally dying." (マジで死にそう = めちゃくちゃ面白い/疲れた)
Filler Words & Expressions
- "So, yeah..." (そんな感じ — 話を締める)
- "Anyway..." (とにかく — 話題を変える)
- "I dunno" = I don't know
- "Whatevs" = whatever
- "No worries" = You're welcome / It's OK
- "My bad" = Sorry, my fault
- "Same" = 共感 "I'm so tired." "Same."
- "Mood" = 共感 "I want to sleep forever." "Mood."
- "I can't even" = 言葉にできない(面白い/信じられない)
- "Dead" = 面白すぎて死にそう "I'm dead 💀"
- "It is what it is" = しょうがない
- "That tracks" = それは辻褄が合う
- "Fair enough" = 確かに、それもそうだね
Sarcasm & Humor Patterns
Common Sarcasm
- "Oh, great." (最悪だ — 反語)
- "Yeah, right." (ありえない)
- "Sure, Jan." (はいはい — 信じてない)
- "That went well." (全然うまくいかなかった)
- "Well, that's just perfect." (最悪)
- "I'm thrilled." (全然嬉しくない)
- "What could possibly go wrong?" (絶対うまくいかない)
Humorous Exaggeration
- "I'm literally dying." (超面白い/超つらい)
- "I've told you a million times." (何度も言った)
- "It took forever." (すごく時間がかかった)
- "I could eat a horse." (超お腹すいた)
- "This weighs a ton." (超重い)
Self-deprecating Humor (自虐ネタ)
英語圏では自虐ネタが好まれる。 - "I'm a disaster." (私ダメ人間) - "My life is a mess." (人生めちゃくちゃ) - "I'm running on caffeine and anxiety." (カフェインと不安で動いてる) - "I have the attention span of a goldfish." (金魚並みの集中力)
Generational Differences
Millennial vs Gen Z
| Millennial (1981-1996) | Gen Z (1997-2012) |
|---|---|
| I can't even | It's giving... |
| adulting | being in my ___ era |
| on fleek | ate/slayed |
| dead 💀 (funny) | skull emoji 💀 |
| I'm screaming | no cap |
| yaass queen | slay |
| goals | understood the assignment |
| savage | based |
| throwing shade | being sus |
注意: スラングは変化が早い!
- 2023年のスラングが2025年には古くなることも
- 無理にスラングを使うと不自然 — 理解できれば十分
- ビジネスでは使わない
- 年上の人との会話では控えめに