ミーム

• 読み: ミーム
• ローマ字: mīmu
• 漢字の分解: From English 'meme,' coined by Richard Dawkins
• 発音: /mī.mu/

意味

A meme — a viral joke format, image template, catchphrase, or concept that spreads and evolves across internet communities.

ミーム (from English 'meme') is used in Japanese to describe viral internet humor that follows recognizable formats or templates. While Japan has its own rich tradition of internet humor (2chのコピペ, ニコニコのネタ), the term ミーム specifically gained traction as Japanese users became more connected with global internet culture. Japanese ミーム often blend local references with international formats. The term is most commonly used by younger internet users familiar with platforms like Twitter, TikTok, and Reddit.

例文

1. このミーム海外でも流行ってるみたいだよ。
2. 新しいミームが出るたびについ保存しちゃう。
3. 元ネタ知らないミームの意味がわからなくて困る。

使い方ガイド

場面: social media, internet culture, casual conversation

トーン: playful, trendy

正しい言い方

• このミーム面白いから保存した。 (This meme is funny so I saved it.)
• 最近のミームついていけてる？ (Are you keeping up with recent memes?)

避ける言い方

• 仕事のプレゼンにミームを入れる (Don't put memes in work presentations unless you're certain of the audience)

よくある間違い

• Pronouncing ミーム as English 'meem' — in Japanese, it is ミーム (mīmu) with elongated first syllable
• Not distinguishing between ミーム (meme format) and ネタ (joke/material) — ミーム implies a specific replicable format

起源と歴史

From English 'meme,' originally coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976 for units of cultural transmission. The internet meaning was adopted into Japanese in the 2010s as global meme culture spread.

文化的背景

時代: 2010s adoption from global internet culture

世代: Gen Z and young Millennials

社会的背景: Internet-savvy users

地域メモ: Used across Japan. Japanese meme culture blends local traditions (2ch humor, ニコニコ動画) with global meme formats.