晒す

• Reading: さらす
• Romaji: sarasu
• Kanji breakdown: 晒 (expose to sun/air) → extended meaning: to expose someone publicly online
• Pronunciation: /sa.ra.su/

Meaning

To publicly expose or shame someone online by sharing their personal information, screenshots, or embarrassing content.

In internet culture, 晒す (sarasu, to expose) means publicly posting someone's private information, embarrassing messages, or wrongdoing for others to see. It can range from sharing screenshots of a rude DM to full-blown doxxing. The term carries a strong negative connotation — being 晒された (exposed) can lead to severe online harassment (炎上). While sometimes seen as justified accountability, 晒し (sarashi, the act of exposing) often crosses into cyberbullying. '晒しアカ' (sarashi aka) refers to accounts dedicated to exposing others.

Examples

1. DM晒すのはさすがにやりすぎでしょ。 Posting someone's DMs publicly is going too far.
2. 晒されたくないならネットで変なこと書かない方がいい。 If you don't want to get exposed, don't write stupid stuff online.
3. あの人のツイート晒されてめっちゃ炎上してる。 Someone's tweet got exposed and now they're getting absolutely roasted.

Usage Guide

Context: social media, online forums, internet drama

Tone: aggressive, accusatory

Do Say

• DMを勝手に晒すのはマナー違反だよ。 (Publicly sharing someone's DMs without permission is bad etiquette.)
• 晒して炎上させようとするの最低。 (Trying to expose someone to start a pile-on is the worst.)

Don't Say

• 軽い気持ちで人のツイートを晒す (Don't casually expose someone's posts — it can lead to serious harassment)

Common Mistakes

• Treating 晒す as harmless sharing — in Japanese internet culture, it specifically implies malicious intent to embarrass or punish
• Not understanding that 晒す can have legal consequences in Japan under privacy and defamation laws

Origin & History

From the verb 晒す (sarasu), originally meaning to expose to sunlight or air. Extended to mean 'to expose publicly' in general Japanese, then adopted into internet culture to specifically mean sharing someone's private information or embarrassing content online. Active since the early internet forum era (2channel).

Cultural Context

Era: Early 2000s (2channel era), ongoing

Generation: All internet users

Social background: Universal internet culture

Regional notes: Used across Japan. Japan has strict privacy and defamation laws that make online 晒し potentially illegal, unlike in many other countries.