爆買い

• 読み: ばくがい
• ローマ字: bakugai
• 漢字の分解: 爆 (explosion, explosive) + 買い (buying) → explosive buying; massive shopping spree
• 発音: /ba.ku.ɡa.i/

意味

A massive buying spree; shopping in enormous quantities, originally describing Chinese tourists' shopping habits in Japan.

This term exploded in popularity around 2015 when Chinese tourists flooded Japanese shops, buying electronics, cosmetics, and medicine in bulk. It won the Buzzword Award (流行語大賞) that year. While originally associated with inbound tourism, it's now used for anyone who shops excessively, including self-deprecating posts about one's own haul.

例文

1. セールで爆買いしちゃって、クレジットカードの請求が怖い。
2. ドラッグストアで外国人観光客が爆買いしてて、棚がガラガラだった。
3. 推しのグッズ全種類爆買いしたから今月もう金欠。

使い方ガイド

場面: social media, news, friends

トーン: dramatic, self-deprecating

正しい言い方

• コストコ行くとつい爆買いしちゃうんだよね。 (Whenever I go to Costco I end up buying a ton.)
• ブラックフライデーで爆買いした戦利品見せて！ (Show me your haul from Black Friday!)

避ける言い方

• 日常の食料品の買い物に「爆買い」は大げさ — use まとめ買い for regular bulk grocery shopping

よくある間違い

• Using 爆買い for planned, sensible bulk purchases — it implies excessive, almost reckless shopping

起源と歴史

Compound of 爆 (explosive) + 買い (buying). Coined by Japanese media around 2015 to describe the massive shopping sprees of Chinese tourists. Won the 2015 Buzzword of the Year Award (新語・流行語大賞).

文化的背景

時代: 2015 buzzword, still widely used

世代: All ages, especially active on social media

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used nationwide. Originally associated with inbound tourism shopping in areas like Ginza and Akihabara, now used broadly.