なう

• 読み: なう
• ローマ字: nau
• 発音: /na.ɯ/

意味

A suffix meaning 'now' or 'currently doing,' borrowed from English 'now' and used to share what you're doing in real time.

なう is a Japanese adaptation of the English word 'now,' written in hiragana and attached to nouns or locations to indicate current activity. It became the defining word of early Japanese Twitter culture — posting things like '渋谷なう' (at Shibuya now) was the quintessential tweet format. While its peak was around 2010, it's still widely recognized and used, though sometimes ironically.

例文

1. カフェなう、新作のラテ飲んでる。
2. 空港なう！これから沖縄行ってくる。
3. 残業なう…早く帰りたい。

使い方ガイド

場面: social media, texting, Twitter/X

トーン: playful, sharing

正しい言い方

• 東京タワーなう！景色すごい (At Tokyo Tower now! The view is amazing)
• ランチなう、今日はカレー (Lunch now, curry today)

避ける言い方

• 業務報告で「出張なう」は不適切 (Using 'shutchou nau' in a business report is inappropriate — use 出張中です)

よくある間違い

• Using なう in formal or professional communication
• Not knowing it can sound dated or ironic to some younger users

起源と歴史

Borrowed from English 'now.' Became a social media phenomenon in Japan around 2010 when Twitter was rapidly growing. Won the 新語・流行語大賞 (New/Buzzword Award) in 2010. Adapted into hiragana as なう to fit Japanese text naturally.

文化的背景

時代: 2010 Twitter boom, Buzzword Award winner

世代: Millennials and Gen Z

社会的背景: Universal online

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. Iconic word of early Japanese social media culture.