ゲッソリ

• Reading: ゲッソリ
• Romaji: gessori
• Pronunciation: /ɡes.so.ɾi/

Meaning

Looking haggard, gaunt, or visibly drained — having lost weight or vitality from exhaustion, illness, or stress.

ゲッソリ describes the visible physical deterioration from illness, extreme stress, overwork, or grief. Sunken cheeks, dark circles, dramatic weight loss — the kind of change that makes people say 'what happened to you?' It's exclusively about appearance and always implies something negative happened. ゲッソリ痩せた means having lost an alarming amount of weight, not the healthy kind of slim.

Examples

1. 入院してゲッソリ痩せちゃったね。 You got so thin and gaunt after being in the hospital.
2. 徹夜続きでゲッソリした顔してるよ。 You look haggard from pulling all those all-nighters.
3. 受験のストレスでゲッソリしてた。 The stress of entrance exams left me looking worn out.

Usage Guide

Context: health, appearance, exhaustion, illness

Tone: concerned, shocked, sympathetic

Do Say

• ゲッソリしてるけど大丈夫？ (You look gaunt, are you okay?)
• 夏バテでゲッソリ痩せた (I got haggard from summer fatigue)

Don't Say

• 健康的に痩せた人に「ゲッソリ」は失礼 (Telling someone who lost weight healthily that they look 'gessori' is rude — it implies sickly thinness)

Common Mistakes

• Using ゲッソリ as a positive weight loss comment — it always implies unhealthy, alarming deterioration
• Confusing ゲッソリ with グッタリ — ゲッソリ is about appearance (looking gaunt) while グッタリ is about energy (being drained)

Origin & History

Japanese mimetic word (擬態語) expressing the visual impression of someone whose vitality has been drained. The ゲッ beginning has a slightly startling quality, matching the shock of seeing someone visibly diminished.

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional onomatopoeia

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Common in medical and health contexts when describing a patient's deteriorated appearance.