すげぇ
Meaning: Amazing; wow; awesome — the rough, masculine form of すごい expressing strong admiration or surprise.
すげぇ is the gruffer, more emphatic version of すごい (sugoi, amazing). Like やべぇ from ヤバい, it follows the い→ぇ vowel shift pattern that characterises rough masculine speech. It packs more punch and emotion than the standard すごい, and is used as an exclamation of genuine surprise, admiration, or disbelief. Common in manga, anime, sports commentary, and male friend groups.
Examples
- すげぇ!一発で的に当てた! 太牛了!一发就命中靶心了!¡Guau! ¡Le ha dado a la diana a la primera!대박! 한 번에 과녁에 맞췄어!
- あいつの運動神経すげぇよな。 那家伙的运动神经也太厉害了吧。Ese tío tiene unas aptitudes deportivas brutales.걔 운동신경 진짜 대단하지.
- すげぇもん見ちゃった、信じられない。 看到了不得了的东西,简直不敢相信。He visto algo alucinante, no me lo puedo creer.엄청난 걸 봐버렸어, 믿을 수가 없어.
Pronunciation
/sɯ.ɡeː/
Usage Guide
Context: friends (male), sports, reactions, manga/anime
Tone: amazed, rough, masculine, emphatic
✓ Do Say
- すげぇ!マジでそんなことできんの? (Wow! Can you seriously do that?)太牛了!你真的能做到那个?¡Guau! ¿En serio puedes hacer eso?대박! 진짜 그런 게 돼? (와! 진심으로 그런 것도 할 수 있어?)
- あの試合すげぇ盛り上がったよな。 (That game was insanely exciting, wasn't it?)那场比赛真的超级燃。Ese partido estuvo brutalmente emocionante, ¿verdad?그 경기 엄청 뜨거웠지. (그 경기 장난 아니게 분위기 좋았지.)
✗ Don't Say
- 目上の人に「すげぇですね」は失礼 — 「すごいですね」を使うべき (Saying すげぇですね to a superior is rude — use すごいですね instead)对长辈说すげぇですね是失礼的——应该用すごいですね。Decir すげぇですね a un superior es una falta de respeto; se debe usar すごいですね.윗사람에게 「すげぇですね」는 실례 — 「すごいですね」를 써야 한다 (윗사람에게 すげぇですね라고 하는 것은 무례하다 — すごいですね를 사용해야 한다)
Common Mistakes
- Using すげぇ in polite or mixed-gender conversations where it may sound too rough — すごい is the safe, gender-neutral alternative for the same meaning
Origin & History
A phonetic variant of すごい (sugoi) where the final い becomes ぇ, following the same rough masculine speech pattern as うまい→うめぇ and ヤバい→やべぇ. This vowel shift has deep roots in Edo-period shitamachi (downtown) speech and remains a marker of casual, masculine Japanese.
Cultural Context
Era: Traditional rough speech pattern, ongoing usage
Generation: All ages in casual male speech
Social background: Casual, working-class associations
Regional notes: Used across Japan. The い→ぇ shift originated in Tokyo shitamachi dialect but is now a universal marker of rough, casual male speech throughout the country.
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