マイクオフ

• 読み: マイクオフ
• ローマ字: maiku ofu
• 発音: /ma.i.ku.o.ɸu/

意味

Mic off, muted — having your microphone turned off during a video call, either intentionally or accidentally.

Combining マイク (microphone, from English 'mic') with オフ (off), this term became a daily-use phrase during the pandemic remote work era. 'マイクオフにして' (turn off your mic) and 'マイクオフのまま話してた' (was talking with the mic off) are universally relatable remote work experiences. It also spawned the running joke of someone passionately presenting while unknowingly muted.

例文

1. 発言しないときはマイクオフにしといてね。
2. 熱弁してたのにマイクオフだった、恥ずかしい。
3. マイクオフにし忘れて生活音全部聞こえてたらしい。

使い方ガイド

場面: video calls, remote work, online classes

トーン: practical, sometimes embarrassed

正しい言い方

• すみません、マイクオフでした。 (Sorry, my mic was off.)
• マイクオフのまま5分くらいしゃべってた。 (I was talking for about 5 minutes with my mic off.)

避ける言い方

• マイクオフを「ミュート」と言っても通じる — 場面に応じて使い分ける (You can also say ミュート (mute) — use either depending on the situation)

よくある間違い

• Forgetting to unmute when speaking — the universal remote meeting mistake that inspired countless memes

起源と歴史

Compound of マイク (microphone, abbreviated from English) + オフ (off, from English). Became ubiquitous during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) as video meetings became the norm.

文化的背景

時代: 2020 COVID-19 pandemic era

世代: Working adults and students

社会的背景: Professional/educational

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. One of the most relatable remote work experiences globally.