ゆるい

• 読み: ゆるい
• ローマ字: yurui
• 発音: /ju.ɾu.i/

意味

Loose or chill — describes something relaxed, laid-back, and not strict or intense.

Beyond its literal meaning of physically loose or slack, ゆるい describes an atmosphere, person, or activity that is relaxed and unhurried. It carries a positive connotation — something ゆるい is pleasantly low-pressure and comfortable. Common in descriptions of workplaces (ゆるい職場 = chill workplace), relationships, hobbies, and content. The related ゆるキャラ (loose characters = cute mascots) shows how embedded this concept is in Japanese culture.

例文

1. この職場ゆるくて居心地いい。
2. ゆるい感じのカフェ見つけたから今度行こう。
3. 今日はゆるい予定だからのんびりしよう。

使い方ガイド

場面: friends, social media, casual conversation

トーン: relaxed, positive

正しい言い方

• ゆるい雰囲気のバーが好き。 (I like bars with a chill vibe.)
• この授業ゆるくて楽。 (This class is laid-back and easy.)

避ける言い方

• 上司に「この会社ゆるいですね」はだらしないと思われる (Telling your boss 'this company is yurui' might be taken as calling it slack or sloppy)

よくある間違い

• Using ゆるい negatively when it is usually positive in slang — it means pleasantly relaxed, not negligent
• Confusing ゆるい with だらしない (sloppy) — ゆるい is intentionally relaxed, だらしない is carelessly messy

起源と歴史

From the adjective ゆるい (loose/slack), which expanded from describing physical looseness to a positive descriptor of relaxed atmospheres and lifestyles. The ゆるキャラ (cute mascot) boom of the 2000s-2010s helped popularise the positive connotation.

文化的背景

時代: 2000s-2010s, boosted by ゆるキャラ boom

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across Japan. The ゆるキャラ (cute mascot) movement made ゆるい a universally positive descriptor of anything charmingly relaxed.