ハズレ

• Reading: ハズレ
• Romaji: hazure
• Kanji breakdown: From 外れ (hazure, off-target/miss): 外 (outside) + れ (result of action) → missed the mark
• Pronunciation: /ha.zɯ.ɾe/

Meaning

A miss, dud, or letdown — something that fails to meet expectations, like a bad purchase or disappointing experience.

From 外れ (hazure, 'miss/off-target'), ハズレ is used when something turns out to be disappointing. It is commonly applied to restaurants, products, gacha pulls, movies, blind dates, and anything else where you hoped for something good but got something bad. The katakana spelling emphasises the casual, slangy usage. The opposite is アタリ (atari, a hit/winner).

Examples

1. ガチャ10連引いたけど全部ハズレだった。 I did a ten-pull on the gacha and every single one was a dud.
2. 今日のランチ完全にハズレだわ。 Today's lunch was a total miss.
3. あの映画ハズレっぽいからやめとこう。 That movie looks like a dud, so let's skip it.

Usage Guide

Context: friends, reviews, gaming, casual conversation

Tone: disappointed, resigned

Do Say

• あの店ハズレだったわ。 (That restaurant was a dud.)
• 今回の福袋ハズレだな。 (This lucky bag was a miss.)

Don't Say

• 人に対して「あの人ハズレだった」は冷たすぎる — 特に紹介された相手には言わない (Calling a person 'hazure' is too cold — especially someone you were introduced to)

Common Mistakes

• Not knowing the opposite アタリ (a hit/winner) — these two are always used as a pair
• Using ハズレ in formal product reviews — it is casual and subjective

Origin & History

From the verb 外れる (hazureru, to miss/be off target). Written in katakana for emphasis in casual and gaming contexts. The gacha/lottery meaning has been around for decades, with broader casual usage expanding in the 2000s.

Cultural Context

Era: Long-standing word, casual slang usage from 2000s

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal informal

Regional notes: Used nationwide. Especially common in gacha gaming and restaurant reviews.