ゴリ押し

• Reading: ごりおし
• Romaji: gorioshi
• Kanji breakdown: ゴリ (gorilla, implying brute force) + 押し (push) → forceful pushing
• Pronunciation: /ɡo.ɾi.o.ɕi/

Meaning

Forcing or aggressively pushing something through — using brute force rather than finesse.

ゴリ押し describes the act of bulldozing through opposition to get your way, whether it is a company pushing an unpopular product, a TV network giving excessive airtime to a particular celebrity, or someone in a game using raw power instead of strategy. The ゴリ comes from ゴリラ (gorilla), evoking brute, ape-like force. It usually carries a negative connotation — the thing being pushed is not good enough to succeed on merit, so force is needed.

Examples

1. あのタレントのゴリ押し感すごいよね、どの番組にも出てる。 That celebrity is being shoved down our throats — they're on every single show.
2. ゴリ押しで企画通したけど結局うまくいかなかった。 I bulldozed the project proposal through, but it didn't work out in the end.
3. このゲーム、レベル上げてゴリ押しすればクリアできるよ。 In this game, you can beat it just by leveling up and brute-forcing it.

Usage Guide

Context: entertainment criticism, gaming, workplace, internet discussion

Tone: critical, sarcastic, sometimes strategic

Do Say

• ゴリ押しでもいいからとにかく進めよう。 (Let's just bulldoze through it — whatever works.)
• あれは完全にゴリ押しだったよね。 (That was totally forced, wasn't it.)

Don't Say

• 努力して成功した人に「ゴリ押し」は失礼 (Calling someone's legitimate success ゴリ押し is insulting — it implies they didn't earn it)

Common Mistakes

• Using ゴリ押し as a compliment — it almost always implies a lack of merit or finesse, so calling someone's success ゴリ押し is not flattering

Origin & History

Compound of ゴリ (gori, from ゴリラ/gorilla, implying brute force) and 押し (oshi, push). Gained popularity in 2000s internet culture, initially used to criticise TV networks for aggressively promoting certain talents. Now widely used for any situation where something is forced through without subtlety.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s internet culture

Generation: Millennials, Gen Z

Social background: Universal, especially online communities

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Particularly common in entertainment industry discussion and gaming communities.