ダサい

• 読み: ダサい
• ローマ字: dasai
• 発音: /da.sa.i/

意味

Lame, uncool, or tacky — used to criticise someone's fashion, behaviour, or aesthetic sense as hopelessly unhip.

ダサい is the go-to word for calling something or someone uncool. It covers everything from bad fashion choices to embarrassing behaviour to outdated trends. While harsh, it is extremely common in casual speech and often used light-heartedly among friends. It can describe both appearances and actions, making it one of the most versatile put-downs in Japanese.

例文

1. そのコーデ、ちょっとダサくない？
2. ダサいから絶対あのTシャツ着ないでよ。
3. ダサいって言われて結構ショックだった。

使い方ガイド

場面: friends, social media, casual conversation

トーン: dismissive, critical

正しい言い方

• その髪型ちょっとダサくない？ (Isn't that hairstyle a bit lame?)
• ダサいけど楽だからいいや。 (It's uncool but comfortable, so whatever.)

避ける言い方

• 目上の人に「ダサいですね」は失礼すぎる (Saying 'dasai desu ne' to a superior is far too rude — even with polite form)

よくある間違い

• Using ダサい to describe food or flavour — it only applies to aesthetics, style, and behaviour
• Saying ダサい to someone you don't know well — it can genuinely hurt feelings outside of close friendships

起源と歴史

Emerged in the 1970s, possibly from 田舎 (inaka, countryside) suggesting rural unsophistication. Became mainstream youth slang by the 1980s and remains one of the most common criticism words in Japanese.

文化的背景

時代: 1970s–1980s mainstream adoption

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal informal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. One of the most basic and widely understood criticism words.