スペック

• Reading: スペック
• Romaji: supekku
• Kanji breakdown: From English 'specifications.' Katakana loanword applied to evaluating people
• Pronunciation: /sɯ.pek.kɯ/

Meaning

A person's specs or stats — their measurable attributes like income, height, education, and looks, especially in a dating context.

Borrowed from tech language (specifications), スペック is used to evaluate potential partners based on quantifiable traits. Common attributes discussed include 年収 (income), 身長 (height), 学歴 (education), and 顔 (looks). While commonly used, it's somewhat controversial as it reduces people to checkboxes. Heavily used in 婚活 culture and dating app profiles.

Examples

1. スペック高い人って競争率も高いよね。 People with high specs have a lot of competition, right?
2. 婚活でスペックばかり気にしてたら誰とも合わなかった。 I was too focused on specs during marriage hunting and ended up not matching with anyone.
3. スペックだけじゃ人の良さはわからないよ。 You can't know someone's true worth just from their specs.

Usage Guide

Context: friends, dating discussion, 婚活

Tone: analytical, sometimes shallow

Do Say

• スペックだけで選ぶと後悔するよ。 (You'll regret it if you choose only based on specs.)
• スペック高くても性格悪かったら意味ない。 (Even if someone has high specs, it's meaningless if their personality is bad.)

Don't Say

• 本人に「スペック低いね」は完全に失礼 (Telling someone 'your specs are low' is completely rude)

Common Mistakes

• Using スペック in a positive way about yourself without irony — it comes across as arrogant and shallow

Origin & History

From English 'specifications' (スペック), originally used for electronics and computers. Applied to people in the dating/婚活 context from the 2000s, treating partner selection like comparing product specs.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s, 婚活 culture era

Generation: 20s-40s

Social background: Common in marriage-hunting circles

Regional notes: Used across Japan. Reflects the increasingly data-driven approach to dating in modern Japan.