飯テロ

• Reading: めしテロ
• Romaji: meshi tero
• Kanji breakdown: 飯 (meal/rice) + テロ (terrorism, from English 'terror') → food terrorism
• Pronunciation: /me.ɕi te.ɾo/

Meaning

Posting mouthwatering food photos on social media at night or other inconvenient times to torment hungry viewers.

A playful term combining 飯 (meal) and テロ (terrorism) to describe the act of sharing irresistible food photos — especially late at night — that make viewers desperately hungry. It's used with humorous exaggeration, treating delicious food posts as a form of 'attack' on anyone trying to diet or go to sleep without eating.

Examples

1. 深夜にこんな写真あげるなんて飯テロすぎるでしょ。 Posting a photo like this in the middle of the night is total food terrorism.
2. 友達の飯テロで我慢できなくてコンビニ行っちゃった。 My friend's food terrorism post broke my willpower and I ended up going to the convenience store.
3. ダイエット中なのにタイムラインが飯テロだらけでつらい。 I'm on a diet but my timeline is full of food terrorism and it's killing me.

Usage Guide

Context: social media, friends, online

Tone: humorous, playful

Do Say

• こんな時間に飯テロやめてよ！ (Stop with the food terrorism at this hour!)
• 飯テロされてラーメン食べに行っちゃった。 (Got food-terrorized and ended up going out for ramen.)

Don't Say

• テロという言葉が不適切な場面では使わない (Avoid in contexts where the word 'terrorism' would be insensitive or taken literally)

Common Mistakes

• Taking the term too seriously — it is always used humorously and never implies actual malice

Origin & History

Emerged on Japanese Twitter/2ch in the early 2010s. Combines 飯 (meal) with テロ (terrorism, from English) in a humorous way to describe food posts that 'attack' hungry viewers.

Cultural Context

Era: Early 2010s, popularized on Twitter and 2ch

Generation: Millennials and Gen Z

Social background: Universal among social media users

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Especially prevalent on late-night Twitter/X and Instagram.