キレる

• Reading: キレる
• Romaji: kireru
• Pronunciation: /ki.ɾe.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To snap, lose one's temper, or blow up in anger — describes a sudden explosive outburst.

キレる literally means 'to cut/break' (切れる) and in slang describes the moment someone's patience snaps and they explode with anger. Unlike じわじわ怒る (slow-burning anger), キレる implies a sudden, sharp breaking point. It became a social buzzword in the late 1990s with media coverage of 'キレる若者' (youth who snap). The phrase 逆ギレ (gyakugire) describes someone getting angry at the person who was rightfully upset at them.

Examples

1. 何回言っても直さないから、さすがにキレた。 I told them so many times and they never fixed it, so I finally snapped.
2. 店員にキレてる客がいて怖かった。 There was a customer yelling at the staff and it was scary.
3. そんなことでキレるなよ、大人げない。 Don't lose your temper over something like that — it's childish.

Usage Guide

Context: friends, storytelling, casual conversation

Tone: angry, explosive, frustrated

Do Say

• あんまりしつこいとキレるよ？ (If you keep pushing I'm going to snap, okay?)
• 彼女にキレられて反省してる。 (My girlfriend blew up at me and I'm reflecting on it.)

Don't Say

• 目上の人に「キレないでください」は失礼 (Telling a superior 'please don't snap' with キレる is rude — use 怒らないでください instead)

Common Mistakes

• Using キレる for mild annoyance — it specifically means an explosive, sudden outburst of anger
• Forgetting the related term 逆ギレ (getting angry back at the person who was rightfully upset)

Origin & History

From the verb 切れる (kireru, to cut/snap). The metaphor is of a thread or wire snapping — one's patience or composure breaks suddenly. Became mainstream slang in the late 1990s.

Cultural Context

Era: Late 1990s mainstream adoption

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal informal

Regional notes: Used across Japan. The phrase キレる若者 (kireru wakamono) was a major media talking point in the late 1990s about youth violence.