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Maa Maa Meaning: So-So, Not Bad, and Now, Now in Japanese
Māmā (まあまあ, often written maa maa) means so-so or not bad: better than poor but not great. Said about your own things it is often modest and can mean quite good, said about someone else's effort it can sound lukewarm, and said with a calming tone it means now, now, take it easy.
9 min readSekkaku Meaning: Making the Most of It and Refusing Kindly
Sekkaku (せっかく) points to something valuable that took effort or is a rare chance, and it means roughly since we have the chance, after all that trouble or kind of you. Sekkaku dakara means let's make the most of it, sekkaku ... noni expresses disappointment that effort went to waste, and sekkaku desu ga is a gentle way to decline an offer.
9 min readToriaezu Meaning: とりあえず, For Now, First and Just to Start
Toriaezu (とりあえず) means 'for now', 'to start with' or 'at least for the moment'. It marks a first step or a temporary solution, as in toriaezu biiru, 'beer to start', the line many people say as they sit down at an izakaya.
11 min readNakanaka Meaning: なかなか, Quite Good and Not Easily
Nakanaka (なかなか) has two main meanings. With a positive word it means 'quite' or 'pretty', better than expected: nakanaka ii, pretty good. With a negative it means 'not easily' or 'just won't': nakanaka konai, it just won't come.
10 min readRiajuu Meaning: リア充, Japanese Slang for a Full Real Life
Riajuu (リア充, riajū) is Japanese internet slang for someone whose real, offline life is full and happy: friends, plans and often a partner. It is short for riaru ga jūjitsu shite iru, 'their real life is fulfilling', and is usually said with playful envy.
10 min readShindoi Meaning: しんどい vs Darui vs Kitsui, Three Kinds of Tough
Shindoi (しんどい) means 'exhausting', 'hard going' or 'I'm worn out', for the body or the mind. Darui (だるい) is a heavy, sluggish feeling, and kitsui (きつい) describes something tight, demanding or harsh. All three are everyday words for when things are tough.
10 min readErai Meaning: えらい as Great, Important, Awful and Tiring
Erai (偉い, えらい) first means 'great, admirable' and 'important, high-ranking'. In everyday speech it also means 'terrible, serious', as in erai koto ni natta, things got serious, and in Kansai and other regions it can mean 'very' or even 'exhausting'.
10 min readIi Kanji Meaning: いい感じ, Nice, Going Well and Just Right
Ii kanji (いい感じ) means 'nice', 'looking good', 'going well' or 'just right'. Kanji here is 感じ, feeling or impression, not 漢字, the characters, so ii kanji is literally 'a good feeling' about how something looks, works or is going.
10 min readIchiou Meaning: 一応, Just in Case, More or Less, Technically
Ichiou (一応, ichiō) means 'just in case', 'more or less', 'for the time being' or 'technically'. It softens a statement: you did it, but not perfectly; you are checking, but only to be safe; you have a title, but you do not want to boast.
10 min readKawaisou Meaning: かわいそう, Poor Thing, and Kinder Ways to Say It
Kawaisou (かわいそう, kawaisō) means 'poor thing', 'pitiful' or 'I feel sorry for them'. It is pity, not cuteness, and it is natural for animals, children and stories, but said directly to an adult it can sound condescending, so kinder phrases like sore wa tsurai ne often work better.
10 min readOtona Meaning: 大人, Otonappoi, Otonagenai and Otona-gai
Otona (大人) means 'adult' or 'grown-up'. Around it Japanese builds many everyday words: otonappoi, mature-looking; otonagenai, childish for an adult; otona-gai, buying something in bulk that you could only dream of as a child; and otona no aji, a grown-up flavour.
10 min readJitsu Wa Meaning: 実は, Actually and To Tell the Truth
Jitsu wa (実は) means 'actually', 'to tell the truth' or 'the thing is'. It signals that you are about to reveal something the listener does not know yet: news, a confession, a surprising fact, or the background to a favour you are going to ask.
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