パクる

• Reading: パクる
• Romaji: pakuru
• Pronunciation: /pa.kɯ.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To copy, rip off, or steal someone's idea, design, or work — intellectual theft in a casual register.

パクる covers a range from petty copying to blatant plagiarism. It is used when someone copies a hairstyle, steals a joke, imitates a design, or plagiarises content. The word can also mean physically stealing something, though this usage is less common. The noun form パクリ (pakuri) describes the copied product itself. It is always negative — there is no neutral or positive use.

Examples

1. あのデザイン完全にパクってるよね、訴えられないのかな。 That design is a total ripoff, right? Surprised they haven't been sued.
2. 友達のアイデアパクったらバレてめっちゃ気まずかった。 I copied my friend's idea, got caught, and it was super awkward.
3. パクりって言われたくないから自分で一から考えた。 I didn't want to be accused of copying so I came up with everything from scratch.

Usage Guide

Context: friends, social media, creative industries, internet culture

Tone: accusatory, critical

Do Say

• それ完全にパクりじゃん。 (That's a total rip-off.)
• あの曲、有名な洋楽パクってない？ (Doesn't that song rip off a famous Western track?)

Don't Say

• 「参考にしました」と言うべきところで「パクりました」は問題 (Saying 'I ripped it off' instead of 'I took inspiration' is problematic in professional contexts)

Common Mistakes

• Using パクる for legitimate inspiration or homage — パクる always implies dishonest copying, not respectful reference

Origin & History

Possibly from パクッと (the onomatopoeia for gobbling something up in one bite) — metaphorically 'swallowing' someone else's idea whole. Another theory links it to 捕まる (tsukamaru, to be caught) via police slang. Common since at least the 1960s-70s.

Cultural Context

Era: 1960s-70s slang, still current and widely used

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Frequently comes up in discussions about music, design, and content creation.