Fashion & Appearance

Japanese slang for style, looks, beauty trends, and fashion culture

Introduction

Japan’s fashion scene is legendary, and the slang matches. From 量産型 (mass-produced look) to 地雷メイク (landmine makeup), fashion slang captures Japan’s obsession with style and self-presentation.

This chapter covers slang related to fashion, beauty, and appearance in modern Japan.

Themes

All Japanese Slang in This Chapter (80)

• 地雷メイク A makeup style featuring dark under-eye liner, pale skin, and a gothic-cute a...
• コーデ An outfit combination or coordinated look; short for コーディネート (coordinate).
• デパコス Department store cosmetics; high-end luxury makeup brands sold at department ...
• ドラコス Drugstore cosmetics; affordable everyday beauty products sold at pharmacies a...
• 垢抜ける To become stylish and refined; to glow up in appearance and manner.
• こなれ感 An effortlessly stylish, broken-in look; the quality of appearing naturally c...
• 抜け感 A relaxed, effortless vibe in fashion or makeup; the quality of looking unstu...
• 透明感 A translucent, luminous quality in skin or overall appearance; pure, ethereal...
• ツヤ肌 Dewy, glowing skin with a healthy luminous sheen; the opposite of matte skin.
• マット肌 Matte skin finish; a shine-free, velvety smooth complexion with no visible glow.
• ナチュラルメイク Natural-looking makeup that enhances features subtly without appearing heavil...
• すっぴん A bare face with absolutely no makeup on; one's natural, unadorned appearance.
• すっぴん風 A no-makeup makeup look; styled to appear as if wearing no makeup at all.
• ビフォーアフター A before-and-after transformation comparison, especially for beauty, fitness,...
• 整形 Plastic surgery or cosmetic procedure; altering one's appearance through medi...
• 整形級メイク Makeup so skillfully done that it transforms the face as dramatically as plas...
• 詐欺メイク Deceptive makeup that makes someone look like a completely different person.
• メイク動画 A makeup tutorial or beauty video showing techniques and product application.
• GRWM Get Ready With Me; a video format showing someone's morning beauty and outfit...
• 骨格診断 Body-frame typing that categorises people into skeletal types to determine th...
• パーソナルカラー Personal color analysis; a system that determines which color palette best co...
• イエベ Yellow-base; a warm skin undertone classification in personal color analysis.
• ブルベ Blue-base; a cool skin undertone classification in personal color analysis.
• 韓国っぽ Korean-style; having a look, aesthetic, or vibe reminiscent of Korean fashion...
• 中華メイク Chinese-style makeup featuring bold, glamorous elements like sharp liner, red...
• Y2K Year-2000 retro fashion revival featuring early-2000s trends like low-rise je...
• 古着 Vintage or secondhand clothing; thrift fashion.
• ハイブランド High-end luxury designer brand such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, or Hermès.
• ファストファッション Fast fashion; affordable trend-driven clothing from brands like UNIQLO, GU, H...
• ワントーンコーデ A one-tone or monochromatic outfit where all pieces are in the same color fam...
• リンクコーデ Matching or coordinated outfits worn with a partner, friend, or family member...
• 双子コーデ Twinning outfits; wearing identical or near-identical looks with a friend for...
• ゆるコーデ A relaxed, casual outfit with loose, oversized silhouettes for a comfortable ...
• きれいめ A clean, elegant, polished fashion style; smart-casual with refined feminine ...
• カジュアル Casual, laid-back fashion style; everyday relaxed clothing.
• ストリート系 Street fashion style; urban casual influenced by skateboarding, hip-hop, and ...
• モード系 Mode/high-fashion style; avant-garde, runway-influenced fashion with architec...
• ゴスロリ Gothic lolita; a fashion subculture combining gothic dark elements with Victo...
• ロリータ Lolita fashion; an elaborate Japanese fashion subculture featuring doll-like ...
• 姫系 Princess-style fashion; ultra-feminine aesthetic with pink, lace, ribbons, an...
• サブカル系 Subculture style; an indie, alternative look that signals interest in niche m...
• 系統 Fashion category or style tribe; used to classify someone's overall look into...
• バズコスメ Viral cosmetics; beauty products that blew up on social media and became must...
• リピ買い Repeat purchase; buying the same product again because you loved it so much.
• 底見え Pan is showing; having used a cosmetic product so much that the bottom of the...
• 着回し Mixing and matching wardrobe pieces versatilely; getting many outfits from a ...
• 断捨離 Decluttering; the practice of letting go of unnecessary possessions, associat...
• ミニマリスト Minimalist; someone who deliberately owns very few possessions and lives simply.
• 骨スト Straight body-frame type in 骨格診断 (bone structure diagnosis); characterised by...
• 骨ウェ Wave body-frame type in bone structure diagnosis; characterised by a soft, sl...
• 骨ナチュ Natural body-frame type in bone structure diagnosis; characterised by a long,...
• 顔タイプ Face-type diagnosis; a self-styling system that matches fashion and hair to y...
• 美容垢 Beauty-focused social media account; a separate account dedicated to beauty c...
• オシャレ Fashionable; stylish; well-dressed. A versatile compliment for someone's appe...
• ダボダボ Baggy; oversized clothing that hangs loosely on the body.
• ピタピタ Skin-tight; fitting clothes that cling closely to the body.
• ガーリー Girly; a feminine, cute fashion style featuring frills, ribbons, pastels, and...
• メンズライク Menswear-inspired; a women's fashion style that borrows masculine elements li...
• ジェンダーレス Genderless fashion; a unisex style that intentionally blurs the line between ...
• タトゥー Tattoo; still carrying social stigma in Japan due to historical yakuza associ...
• ピアス Piercing or pierced earrings; the most common form of body modification acces...
• ネイルアート Nail art; elaborate manicure designs that are a significant part of Japanese ...
• ジェルネイル Gel nail manicure; a durable, glossy nail treatment that is the standard in J...
• エクステ Hair extensions; added hair for extra length, volume, or colour without cutti...
• インナーカラー Inner colour; a hidden layer of dyed hair underneath the top layer, creating ...
• ハイトーン High-tone; light, bright hair colour achieved through heavy bleaching, typica...
• カラコン Coloured contact lenses; decorative contacts worn to enlarge or change eye co...
• マツエク Eyelash extensions; semi-permanent lashes applied individually at a salon for...
• 二重 Double eyelid; a visible crease on the upper eyelid, considered a desirable e...
• アッシュ Ash-toned hair colour; a cool grey-ish shade that neutralises warm tones in A...
• ウルフカット Wolf cut; a layered, shaggy hairstyle with short top layers and longer bottom...
• 推しカラー Your oshi's representative colour; worn or carried as a visible marker of fan...
• 推しネイル Nail art themed around your oshi; incorporating their colours, motifs, or ima...
• ヘアアレンジ Hair arrangement or styling; creating various hairstyles through braiding, tw...
• 眉メイク Eyebrow makeup; shaping, filling, and styling eyebrows, which is a major tren...
• ワイドパンツ Wide-leg pants; loose-fitting trousers with a wide silhouette that have been ...
• オーバーサイズ Oversized fit; deliberately wearing larger-than-normal clothing for a relaxed...
• くすみカラー Muted, dusty colours; softly desaturated tones that are a huge trend in Japan...
• シアー Sheer; semi-transparent fabric or finish used in fashion and beauty for a sof...
• センターパート Centre-parted hairstyle; hair parted down the middle, a Korean-influenced tre...