Texting & Messaging

Introduction

LINE is Japan’s dominant messaging app, and it has its own language. From おけ (OK) to それな (exactly), casual text Japanese is a world apart from textbook Japanese.

This chapter covers the slang and shortcuts Japanese people use when texting, chatting, and messaging friends.

Themes

All Japanese Slang in This Chapter (80)

1. おつ おつ A casual abbreviation of otsukaresama, used as a quick 'good work' or 'bye' in texts and chats.
2. なるほどね なるほどね A casual way of saying 'I see' or 'makes sense,' used to acknowledge understanding or agreement in conversation.
3. たしかに たしかに An agreeing response meaning 'true,' 'that's a good point,' or 'you're right,' used as a standalone acknowledgment.
4. ほんとそれ ほんとそれ An emphatic agreement meaning 'literally that,' 'so true,' or 'exactly,' used to strongly validate someone else's statement.
5. ありがとね ありがとね A casual, slightly cute way of saying 'thanks,' softer and friendlier than ありがとう.
6. おやすみー おやすみー A casual, drawn-out way of saying 'good night' in texts, adding a friendly and relaxed feeling.
7. じゃね じゃね A casual parting phrase meaning 'see ya' or 'bye,' commonly used among friends in both speech and texting.
8. 〜み み A suffix that turns adjectives into abstract noun-like feelings, creating a softer, more empathetic expression of emotion.
9. つらみ つらみ The feeling or vibe of suffering, hardship, or emotional pain — a softer, more sharable way to express つらい (tough/painful).
10. うれしみ うれしみ The feeling or vibe of happiness — a soft, internet-inflected way to express joy or delight.
11. 激おこぷんぷん丸 げきおこぷんぷんまる An extremely angry state, but expressed in a humorous, exaggerated way — roughly 'furious beyond measure' as a joke.
12. あざす あざす A very casual 'thanks,' created by slurring ありがとうございます into a quick, informal abbreviation.
13. あざます あざます A casual 'thanks' that's slightly more polite than あざす, but still very informal — a middle ground in the slurring spectrum.
14. 了解です りょうかいです A quick 'understood' or 'roger that,' widely used in workplace and casual texting to confirm receipt of information.
15. 把握 はあく A workplace texting shorthand for 'understood' or 'got it,' conveying that you've grasped the information.
16. なう なう A suffix meaning 'now' or 'currently doing,' borrowed from English 'now' and used to share what you're doing in real time.
17. わず わず A suffix meaning 'was' or 'just finished doing,' borrowed from English 'was' and used to share what you just completed.
18. 笑 わらい The Japanese equivalent of 'lol,' placed after sentences to indicate laughter or amusement.
19. 泣 なき A text reaction meaning 'crying' — used like a crying emoji to express sadness, being moved, or frustration.
20. ワロタ ワロタ An internet slang past tense of 'laughed,' equivalent to 'I laughed' or 'that was hilarious.'
21. おめ おめ A quick, casual 'congrats' — shortened from おめでとう (omedetou).
22. ことよろ ことよろ A texting abbreviation for 'best regards this year too' — short for 今年もよろしく (kotoshi mo yoroshiku).
23. 〜ンゴ ンゴ A humorous sentence-ending suffix with no real meaning, used to make statements sound funny or self-deprecating.
24. 〜ニキ ニキ A suffix meaning 'bro' or 'dude,' used on forums and social media to refer to male figures or personas.
25. 〜ネキ ネキ A suffix meaning 'sis' or 'big sister,' the female counterpart to 〜ニキ, used on forums and social media.
26. 定期 ていき A tag meaning 'periodic reminder' — used when posting something you've said before or that deserves repeated attention.
27. 禿同 はげどう An abbreviation for 'strongly agree' — shortened from 激しく同意 (hageshiku doui).
28. kwsk くわしく An abbreviation for 'tell me more' or 'details please' — from くわしく (kuwashiku, in detail).
29. wktk ワクテカ An abbreviation for being excited or eagerly anticipating something — from ワクテカ (waku teka, waku waku teka teka).
30. ktkr キタコレ An excited exclamation meaning 'here it comes!' or 'yes!' — abbreviation of キタコレ (kita kore).
31. gkbr ガクブル An abbreviation expressing trembling with fear or anxiety — from ガクブル (gaku buru, shaking and trembling).
32. mjk マジか An abbreviation for 'seriously?' or 'for real?' — from マジか (maji ka).
33. うぽつ うぽつ Thanks for uploading — a comment left on new uploads to appreciate the content creator's effort.
34. 888 パチパチパチ Clapping — because 8 is read as パチ (pachi), mimicking the sound of clapping hands. Used on live streams.
35. 乙 おつ A kanji shorthand for 'good work' or 'thanks for your effort' — the kanji form of おつ (otsukaresama).
36. ま？ ま A one-character 'really?' or 'for real?' — the ultimate abbreviation of マジ (maji).
37. あーね あーね A casual acknowledgment meaning 'ah, I see' or 'yeah, right' — used to show understanding without strong enthusiasm.
38. おもろ おもろ A casual shortening of 'funny' or 'interesting' — from 面白い (omoshiroi).
39. かわよ かわよ A playfully distorted form of 'cute' — from かわいい (kawaii), ending with a よ sound for comedic effect.
40. すこ すこ A playfully distorted form of 'like' or 'love' — from すき (suki), warped for comedic and affectionate effect.
41. 微レ存 びれそん An abbreviation meaning 'a slight possibility exists,' used to express that something is unlikely but technically possible.
42. ファッ!? ファッ An exaggerated exclamation of surprise or disbelief, similar to 'What!?' or 'Huh!?' in English.
43. ぐう聖 ぐうせい A compliment meaning 'genuinely a saint' — used to praise someone who is exceptionally kind or admirable.
44. ぐう畜 ぐうちく A criticism meaning 'genuinely terrible/scummy' — used to describe someone who is undeniably awful or behaves badly.
45. もうむり もうむり An expression meaning 'I can't anymore' or 'I'm done,' used to convey overwhelm from exhaustion, laughter, cuteness, or stress.
46. まって まって Literally 'wait,' but used in texting as an exclamation of amazement, shock, or excitement — equivalent to 'hold on' or 'wait, what.'
47. てかさ てかさ A casual discourse marker meaning 'by the way,' 'actually,' or 'anyway' — used to change topics or redirect a conversation.
48. ぶっちゃけ ぶっちゃけ A casual expression meaning 'honestly,' 'to be blunt,' or 'frankly speaking' — used to preface candid statements.
49. ワロス ワロス An internet laughing term meaning 'lol' — a deliberately distorted version of 笑った (waratta, laughed).
50. 怒 おこり A single-kanji text reaction meaning 'angry' or expressing irritation, used as a concise emotional marker in messages.
51. なんJ なんジェー Short for なんでも実況J板 — the 'Anything Live Commentary J' board on 2ch/5ch, and the culture/language style associated with it.
52. イッチ イッチ Thread starter or original poster (OP), derived from いち (one/first) — the person who created the thread.
53. ぬるぽ ぬるぽ Short for NullPointerException — a classic internet meme and call-and-response gag where the correct reply is ガッ (a hitting sound).
54. ガッ ガッ The mandatory response to ぬるぽ — a hitting/whacking sound effect that completes the classic 2channel call-and-response.
55. おけまる水産 おけまるすいさん A playful, emphatic way of saying 'OK!' — an exaggerated extension of おけまる (OK + period) with a fish company-sounding suffix.
56. ンゴねぇ ンゴねぇ A humorous sentence-ending expression conveying wistful agreement or resigned acceptance — combining ンゴ with the reflective particle ねぇ.
57. 承知しました しょうちしました A very formal way of saying 'acknowledged' or 'understood' — sometimes used ironically in casual texting for humorous effect.
58. 〜してる してる Casual contraction of 〜している (doing something) — the standard casual progressive form used in everyday texting.
59. やばたにえん やばたにえん A playful, silly version of やばい — made to sound like a company name (like 谷園, a food company suffix).
60. 卍 まんじ Used in text for emphasis, excitement, or to express that something is cool or intense — a multipurpose hype symbol.
61. マジで草 マジでくさ A combination of 'seriously' and 'LOL' — expressing that something is genuinely hilarious.
62. どした どした Casual contraction of どうした (what happened? / what's wrong? / what's up?) — standard in texting and casual speech.
63. きゃぱい きゃぱい A slang term meaning 'at capacity' or 'can't handle anymore' — from キャパシティ (capacity) blended with the しんどい/やばい feeling.
64. おはあり おはあり Short for 'thanks for the good morning greeting' — a response used in streaming and online community culture.
65. りょりょ りょりょ A doubled abbreviation of 了解 (ryoukai, understood) — meaning 'roger roger' or 'got it got it' in a casual, friendly way.
66. ほんま ほんま Meaning 'really' or 'truly' — originally Kansai dialect but now widely used across Japan in texting and casual speech.
67. せやな せやな Meaning 'that's right' or 'yeah' — a Kansai-origin agreement expression now used nationally in texting.
68. なんならさ なんならさ A casual discourse marker meaning 'if anything,' 'actually,' or 'what's more' — used to add emphasis or redirect conversation.
69. まじか まじか An expression of disbelief meaning 'for real?' or 'seriously?' — one of the most common reactions in texting.
70. まって無理 まってむり A two-part reaction meaning 'wait, I can't' — expressing being so overwhelmed by something amazing, funny, or cute that you can't handle it.
71. それはある それはある A casual agreement phrase meaning 'that's valid,' 'I can see that,' or 'that's a thing' — used to acknowledge someone's point.
72. ふぁ!? ふぁ An exaggerated text expression of surprise or confusion, softer than ファッ!? — like a bewildered 'huh!?' or 'wha!?'
73. すこすこ すこすこ An emphatic doubled form of すこ (like/love) meaning 'love it love it' — expressing enthusiastic affection.
74. まぢ まぢ Gyaru-style spelling of まじ (really/seriously) — using ぢ instead of じ for a cute, rebellious look.
75. 亀レス かめレス A very late reply to a message or forum post — literally 'turtle response,' acknowledging the slowness.
76. 安価 あんか An 'anchor' or reply-link on message boards — a reference to another post number, used to direct or receive instructions.
77. 半年ROMれ はんとしロムれ A blunt directive meaning 'lurk for six months before posting' — a message board culture rule for newcomers.
78. 長文失礼 ちょうぶんしつれい A polite phrase meaning 'sorry for the long message' — used when sending a lengthy text or post.
79. 返信不要 へんしんふよう A phrase meaning 'no reply needed' — added to messages to relieve the recipient of the obligation to respond.
80. スレ主 スレぬし Thread starter or original poster — the person who created the thread (スレッド) on a message board.