Abbreviations & Contractions

Japanese abbreviated words, initialisms, and shortened expressions

Introduction

Japanese loves abbreviation. Long words get chopped (smartphone → スマホ), English phrases become initialisms (KY = 空気読めない), and common phrases shrink to a few characters (りょ = 了解).

This chapter covers the most common Japanese abbreviations and contractions — essential for texting and casual speech.

Themes

All Japanese Slang in This Chapter (80)

• JK Abbreviation of 女子高生 (joshi kōsei), meaning female high school student. One o...
• GJ Abbreviation of 'good job,' used online and in casual text to praise someone'...
• りょ Ultra-short abbreviation of 了解 (ryōkai, 'understood/roger that'), used in tex...
• あけおめ Abbreviated form of あけましておめでとう (akemashite omedetō, 'Happy New Year'), used i...
• スマホ Abbreviated form of スマートフォン (sumāto fon, 'smartphone'). The standard everyday...
• コンビニ Abbreviated form of コンビニエンスストア (konbiniensu sutoa, 'convenience store'). The ...
• パソコン Abbreviated form of パーソナルコンピューター (pāsonaru konpyūtā, 'personal computer'). Th...
• メアド Abbreviated form of メールアドレス (mēru adoresu, 'mail address/email address'). Use...
• アプリ Abbreviated form of アプリケーション (apurikēshon, 'application'). The standard word ...
• バイト Part-time job. Abbreviated from アルバイト (arubaito), which itself comes from the...
• ファミレス Abbreviated form of ファミリーレストラン (famirī resutoran, 'family restaurant'). Refer...
• デパ地下 Abbreviated form meaning 'department store basement' — the gourmet food halls...
• コスプレ Abbreviated form of コスチュームプレイ (kosuchūmu purei, 'costume play'). Dressing up ...
• リモート Shortened from リモートワーク (rimōto wāku, 'remote work'). Refers to working from h...
• スタバ Abbreviated nickname for Starbucks (スターバックス). The universally used casual nam...
• マクド Abbreviated nickname for McDonald's (マクドナルド), primarily used in the Kansai re...
• プレゼン Abbreviated form of プレゼンテーション (purezentēshon, 'presentation'). Used in both b...
• ディスる To disrespect, diss, or trash-talk someone. A verb formed by combining Englis...
• サボる To skip, slack off, or play hooky. A verb formed from the French/English word...
• ネカフェ Abbreviated form of ネットカフェ (netto kafe, 'internet café'). Refers to Japanese ...
• リスケ Abbreviated form of リスケジュール (risukejūru, 'reschedule'). Used to propose or an...
• アラサー Abbreviated from 'around thirty' (アラウンドサーティー), referring to people approximat...
• アラフォー Abbreviated from 'around forty' (アラウンドフォーティー), referring to people approximat...
• ドタキャン A last-minute cancellation — canceling plans at the very last moment. Combine...
• インスタ Abbreviated nickname for Instagram (インスタグラム). The universally used casual nam...
• マック Abbreviated nickname for McDonald's (マクドナルド), primarily used in the Kanto reg...
• ネトフリ Abbreviated nickname for Netflix (ネットフリックス). The casual name for the streamin...
• ユーチューバー Japanese adaptation of 'YouTuber' — a person who creates and posts videos on ...
• プチプラ Abbreviated from 'petit price' (プチプライス), meaning affordable/budget-friendly f...
• デコる To decorate something elaborately, especially phone cases, nails, accessories...
• ぼっち Being alone or being a loner. Shortened from 一人ぼっち (hitori bocchi, 'all alone').
• ニート Japanese adoption of the English acronym NEET (Not in Education, Employment, ...
• フリーター A person who works a series of part-time or temporary jobs rather than having...
• ブラック企業 An exploitative company that overworks employees, pays poorly, or has abusive...
• ホワイト企業 A good, ethical company to work for — the opposite of ブラック企業. Characterized b...
• ムリゲー An impossible game; by extension, any hopeless or unwinnable situation in rea...
• クソゲー A crappy, terrible, or poorly made game. Combines クソ (kuso, 'crap/damn') and ...
• インフルエンサー Japanese adaptation of 'influencer' — a person with significant social media ...
• ファンサ Abbreviated from ファンサービス (fan sābisu, 'fan service'). Refers to idols or cele...
• プロフ Abbreviated form of プロフィール (purofīru, 'profile'). Refers to a user profile on...
• グルチャ Group chat — an abbreviation of グループチャット used to refer to group messaging con...
• レスバ An online argument or flame war conducted through replies, abbreviation of レス...
• ガクチカ What you worked hard on or devoted yourself to during college — a key concept...
• テレビ Television — the universally used Japanese abbreviation of テレビジョン, now the st...
• アニキ Big bro — a term of respect and affection for an older male figure, whether a...
• リア充 Someone who is fulfilled and thriving in real life, especially in terms of ro...
• エンカ An encounter — running into someone in real life, especially someone you know...
• ロケハン Location hunting or scouting — visiting places in advance to check their suit...
• ゲネプロ A dress rehearsal — a full run-through of a performance in costume and with a...
• リア事 Real-life matters or obligations — things happening in your actual life as op...
• あざまる A cute, abbreviated way of saying 'thank you' — shortened from ありがとうございます wit...
• おつまる A cute, abbreviated way of saying 'good work' or 'thanks for your effort' — s...
• ちなみ Shortened form of ちなみに (by the way/incidentally) — used casually to introduce...
• タヒる Internet slang for 'to die' or 'I'm dying' — derived from decomposing the kan...
• メリクリ Abbreviated form of メリークリスマス (Merry Christmas) — a casual holiday greeting.
• テンプレ Template — something formulaic, predictable, or following a standard pattern....
• イケボ A hot or attractive voice — abbreviation of イケメンボイス, describing someone whose...
• カワボ A cute or adorable voice — abbreviation of カワイイボイス, describing someone whose ...
• トプ画 Profile picture — abbreviation of トップ画像, referring to the main image on a soc...
• ワンオペ育児 Solo parenting — raising children single-handedly, typically because a partne...
• ドンキ Abbreviation of ドン・キホーテ (Don Quijote), Japan's iconic discount variety store ...
• セカスト Abbreviation of 2nd STREET (セカンドストリート), a popular secondhand shop chain in Ja...
• コラボカフェ A collaboration cafe — a themed pop-up or permanent cafe based on anime, mang...
• タメ語 Casual or informal speech — the opposite of keigo (polite language), used amo...
• パワスポ Power spot — a place believed to have spiritual energy, good vibes, or healin...
• シネコン Cinema complex — a multiplex movie theatre with multiple screens, abbreviated...
• ボカロ Vocaloid — synthesised singing voice software and the music/culture surroundi...
• バリキャリ A career-driven woman who works intensely — combining バリバリ (vigorously) and キ...
• ミスド Abbreviation of ミスタードーナツ (Mister Donut), the popular doughnut chain in Japan.
• マツキヨ Abbreviation of マツモトキヨシ, one of Japan's largest drugstore chains.
• アラフィフ Around fifty years old — describing someone in their late 40s to early 50s.
• ラブホ Love hotel — a type of short-stay hotel designed for couples, abbreviated fro...
• セルカ Selfie — derived from 'self camera,' entering Japanese primarily through Kore...
• ユニバ Abbreviation of Universal Studios Japan (USJ), the popular theme park in Osaka.
• スノピ Abbreviation of Snow Peak (スノーピーク), the premium Japanese outdoor brand.
• アフター After-party or post-event gathering — going somewhere to socialise after the ...
• タメ口 Casual speech register used with equals and close friends — synonymous with タ...
• オフパコ Hooking up with someone you met online — meeting offline for a sexual encounter.
• アニオタ Anime otaku — someone deeply devoted to anime, abbreviated from アニメオタク.
• ジャニオタ A Johnny's (now STARTO) fan/otaku — someone deeply devoted to idols from the ...