盛る

• 読み: もる
• ローマ字: moru
• 漢字の分解: 盛 (to pile up/heap/serve) → figuratively piling on exaggeration or enhancement
• 発音: /mo.ɾɯ/

意味

To exaggerate or embellish — making a story, photo, or claim sound more impressive or dramatic than reality.

While the original meaning is to heap or pile up, the slang usage captures the act of piling on exaggeration. It's used in two main ways: embellishing stories (話を盛る) and enhancing photos with filters and editing (写真を盛る / 盛れる). The photo-editing usage became especially common with the rise of selfie culture and beauty apps like Snow and Ulike. The term is generally lighthearted — everyone does it — but can become critical when the exaggeration crosses into dishonesty.

例文

1. その話、だいぶ盛ってない？
2. 写真盛りすぎて本人と全然違うじゃん。
3. 武勇伝を盛るのはいいけど、バレるよ。

使い方ガイド

場面: friends, social media, casual conversation

トーン: skeptical, teasing

正しい言い方

• 絶対盛ってるでしょ、その話。 (You're definitely exaggerating that story.)
• このアプリ、めっちゃ盛れるよ。 (This app really makes you look good in photos.)

避ける言い方

• フォーマルな場で「盛ってる」と言うのはカジュアルすぎる (Saying 'you're exaggerating' with 盛る is too casual for formal settings — use 誇張 instead)

よくある間違い

• Not distinguishing between the story-telling meaning (話を盛る) and the photo-editing meaning (写真を盛る) — both are common but used differently
• Confusing with the standard meaning of 盛る (to serve food / to pile up)

起源と歴史

From the standard verb 盛る (moru, to pile up/heap). The figurative meaning of 'piling on exaggeration' became widespread in the 2000s-2010s, with the photo-editing meaning emerging alongside selfie culture and beauty apps.

文化的背景

時代: 2000s-2010s (story exaggeration), 2010s-2020s (photo editing)

世代: Gen Z and millennials

社会的背景: Universal informal

地域メモ: Used nationwide. The photo-editing meaning is especially common among young women.