Emotions & Reactions

Introduction

Japanese has an incredibly expressive vocabulary for emotions, and slang takes it to the next level. From the ever-versatile やばい to the dramatic マジ, these words are the heartbeat of casual Japanese conversation.

This chapter covers the most common slang for expressing how you feel — words you’ll hear constantly in anime, on social media, and in everyday Japanese life.

Themes

All Japanese Slang in This Chapter (80)

1. やばい やばい An extremely versatile exclamation meaning awesome, terrible, dangerous, or intense — context determines whether it is positive or negative.
2. マジ マジ An emphatic expression meaning 'seriously,' 'for real,' or 'no way,' used both as a question and as an intensifier.
3. ウケる ウケる An exclamation meaning 'that's hilarious' or 'LOL,' used to react to something genuinely funny.
4. ビビる ビビる To get scared, startled, or intimidated — often used for sudden frights or being nervous about something.
5. ドン引き ドンびき The feeling of being totally put off, creeped out, or repulsed — an extreme recoil reaction to something off-putting.
6. キレる キレる To snap, lose one's temper, or blow up in anger — describes a sudden explosive outburst.
7. ムカつく ムカつく To be irritated, annoyed, or pissed off — expresses a simmering frustration or anger toward someone or something.
8. テンション テンション A person's energy level, mood, or excitement — not 'tension' in the English sense of stress or anxiety.
9. テンパる テンパる To panic, be flustered, or lose composure when overwhelmed — describes a state of frantic disarray.
10. 萎える なえる To lose motivation, feel deflated, or have one's excitement killed — describes the sudden draining of enthusiasm.
11. 凹む へこむ To feel depressed, down, or dejected — like an emotional dent has been put in you.
12. ショック ショック An expression of being shocked or devastated by unexpected bad news — used as both a noun and an emotional exclamation.
13. ざわざわ ざわざわ A feeling of unease, restlessness, or something being unsettlingly off — an internal sense of foreboding.
14. ゾッとする ゾッとする To get chills, feel horror, or experience a shudder of dread — a visceral chill running down your spine.
15. ブチギレ ブチギレ To completely lose it, explode with rage, or go ballistic — an intensified version of キレる (to snap).
16. イライラ イライラ A state of irritation, frustration, or being on edge — a sustained restless annoyance.
17. ワクワク ワクワク A feeling of excited anticipation, thrilled expectation, or eager excitement about something upcoming.
18. ドキドキ ドキドキ The sound and feeling of a pounding heart — used for nervous excitement, romantic fluttering, anxiety, or thrill.
19. ハラハラ ハラハラ Feeling anxious or on edge while watching something unfold — a nail-biting, suspenseful worry for someone or something.
20. キュンとする キュンとする A heart-fluttering, swooning feeling — the sweet pang of romantic or emotional tenderness.
21. 胸熱 むねあつ Deeply moved or heart-warming — describes the feeling of one's chest swelling with emotion.
22. 鳥肌 とりはだ Goosebumps — used to describe an intense emotional or physical reaction to something awe-inspiring, creepy, or deeply moving.
23. 号泣 ごうきゅう Bawling or ugly crying — crying intensely and uncontrollably, often loudly.
24. 爆笑 ばくしょう Burst out laughing or dying of laughter — an explosive, uncontrollable laugh.
25. ツボる ツボる To hit one's funny bone — something strikes you as so funny you can't stop laughing.
26. じわる じわる Slowly becoming funny — a delayed, creeping sense of humour that gradually builds until you can't help laughing.
27. エモーショナル エモーショナル Emotional or deeply feeling — used to describe something that evokes strong, often sentimental emotions.
28. ガチ泣き ガチなき Genuinely crying or shedding real tears — emphasises that the crying is serious and not exaggerated.
29. ブルーになる ブルーになる To feel blue or get depressed — describes falling into a low or melancholy mood.
30. メンタルやられる メンタルやられる Mentally destroyed or having one's mental health wrecked — describes being emotionally devastated or psychologically overwhelmed.
31. 病む やむ To become mentally unwell or depressed — describes falling into a dark or emotionally troubled state.
32. 沸く わく To be hyped up or to have excitement boiling over — describes a state of intense excitement or a crowd going wild.
33. アガる アガる To get pumped up or excited — describes one's mood or energy level rising.
34. サゲる サゲる To bring down the mood or kill the vibe — describes something or someone that deflates the atmosphere.
35. テンション上がる テンションあがる Getting hyped or having one's energy rising — describes becoming excited or enthusiastic.
36. テンション下がる テンションさがる Losing energy or having one's mood drop — describes becoming deflated, disappointed, or less enthusiastic.
37. 気まずい きまずい Awkward or describing an uncomfortable situation — the feeling when the atmosphere becomes tense or embarrassing.
38. しんどい しんどい Exhausted, tough, or emotionally draining — describes physical or mental fatigue and hardship.
39. つらたん つらたん So painful or suffering — a cute, playful way of expressing that something is hard or sad.
40. メンブレ メンブレ Mental breakdown — an abbreviated term for being mentally overwhelmed or emotionally crashing.
41. メンヘラ メンヘラ A label for someone perceived as emotionally unstable, overly needy, or having mental health issues — often used critically.
42. ヤンデレ ヤンデレ A character archetype or personality describing someone lovesick to the point of violent obsession — sick with love.
43. ツンデレ ツンデレ A personality type or character archetype that is cold and hostile on the outside but warm and affectionate on the inside.
44. 構ってちゃん かまってちゃん An attention-seeker — someone who craves attention through dramatic behaviour, helplessness, or constant validation.
45. うるっとくる うるっとくる To tear up, to get misty-eyed — that moment when your eyes well up with emotion.
46. ほっこり ほっこり Heartwarming, feeling cozy and warm inside — a gentle, fuzzy happy feeling from something touching or cute.
47. 癒される いやされる To be healed or soothed emotionally — to find comfort and peace from something or someone.
48. もやもや もやもや A nagging, hazy unease — feeling vaguely unsettled about something but unable to pinpoint exactly why.
49. そわそわ そわそわ Restless, fidgety, unable to sit still — the jittery feeling from anticipation, nervousness, or excitement.
50. ぞくぞく ぞくぞく Spine-tingling, thrilling — the shiver down your spine from excitement, fear, or chills (positive or negative).
51. 悶える もだえる To writhe — used for extreme reactions to cuteness, frustration, or cringe, expressing an emotion so intense your body can't contain it.
52. 発狂 はっきょう Going crazy — used hyperbolically online for extreme excitement, shock, or frustration when something blows your mind.
53. 感極まる かんきわまる To be overwhelmed with emotion, moved to the point of tears — a literary expression for when feelings reach their absolute peak.
54. 感動 かんどう Deeply moved, touched emotionally — one of the most common and versatile expressions for being genuinely impressed or moved.
55. 激おこ げきおこ Extremely angry, furious — a cute and humorous internet way to express rage that softens the emotion through playful language.
56. おこ おこ Angry, mad — a cute and abbreviated way to say you're upset that softens the emotion through baby-talk phrasing.
57. 泣ける なける Makes you cry, so touching or moving — used as a one-word reaction to recommend something emotionally powerful.
58. 尊い とうとい Too precious, sacred, divine — a fandom term for things or people so overwhelmingly wonderful they inspire reverence.
59. チル チル To chill, to relax — borrowed directly from English 'chill' and used as a trendy way to describe unwinding.
60. チルい チルい Chill vibes, having a relaxed and mellow atmosphere — a Japanese-coined adjective blending English 'chill' with native grammar.
61. だるい だるい Sluggish, lethargic, can't be bothered — covers both physical tiredness and mental reluctance to do anything.
62. めんどい めんどい Shortened form of めんどくさい (mendokusai) — such a pain, too much hassle, can't be bothered with the effort.
63. どうでもいい どうでもいい Don't care, whatever, it doesn't matter — expressing indifference or dismissiveness about something.
64. 無理 むり Can't handle it, impossible, I'm done — an all-purpose expression of being overwhelmed, unable to cope, or finding something impossible.
65. 限界突破 げんかいとっぱ Breaking past one's limit — used when you've pushed beyond exhaustion or when excitement exceeds all bounds.
66. 感情の渋滞 かんじょうのじゅうたい Emotional traffic jam — when too many feelings hit at once and you can't process them.
67. 情緒不安定 じょうちょふあんてい Emotionally unstable — used self-deprecatingly when your mood swings wildly or you can't control your feelings.
68. ガン萎え ガンなえ Completely deflated, total buzzkill — the strongest form of disappointment or loss of enthusiasm.
69. テンアゲ テンアゲ Tension up, getting hyped — expressing excitement, high energy, and a great mood.
70. テンサゲ テンサゲ Tension down, mood killed — the opposite of テンアゲ, expressing deflated energy and disappointment.
71. わろた わろた Laughed, LOL — internet slang past tense of 笑う (warau), expressing amused reaction to something funny.
72. 草生える くさはえる LOL, that's hilarious — internet slang where 草 (grass) represents laughter because 'www' resembles growing grass.
73. 笑う わらう As a slang reaction: 'LOL' or 'I'm laughing' — used at the end of sentences or as a standalone amused response.
74. 震える ふるえる Shaking, trembling — used hyperbolically to express intense excitement, awe, or anticipation beyond what words can capture.
75. 泡吹く あわふく To foam at the mouth — used for extreme shock or being completely overwhelmed and knocked out, often comedically.
76. 固まる かたまる To freeze up, be stunned speechless — like a computer freezing, unable to process what just happened.
77. ぐっとくる ぐっとくる To be deeply touched, to get choked up — something tugs at your heartstrings and stirs emotion.
78. ゲンナリ ゲンナリ Fed up, exhausted and drained by something tedious, repetitive, or disappointing.
79. ざわつく ざわつく To feel uneasy, get a bad vibe, sense that something is off — a gut-level inner unrest.
80. ゾワッ ゾワッ A sudden creepy shiver — that visceral moment of disgust, horror, or the creeps hitting you all at once.