Dang slang

Talking to my wife this evening, I was discussing a word I came across on Twitter --　ぼったくり, which translates as "ripoff." Immediately, I thought this was a great word, a word that I could use on a regular basis, and, therefore, one that I wouldn't soon forget.

Which got me thinking again: I probably wouldn't ever actually here this word in its proper context again.

Why?

Because it's rude. And though we might call a shop a ripoff to our friends and even to said shop owner's face, that is not the case here in Dai Nippon. And it is even more so the case for Japanese learners. Slang is just often not used in front of us. It's a reality that's hard to escape.

Which leads me to this post. What slang -- and I'm not talking about the この野郎 stuff -- has been helpful for you, loyal readers? Here are a few from me. This list may be updated.

1. ぶっちゃけ： To put it bluntly. Similar to 正直に言えば, but more emphasis.
2. あり得ない： No way.
3. うざい： Shut it! A harsher version of うるさい.
4. あぶねえ： Derived from 危ない; emphasizes one narrowly escaped danger.
5. あいつ・そいつ・こいつ： That guy/This guy, but derogatory.
6. ぶさいく： Butt-ugly.
7. ださい： Lame, uncool.
8. はまる： Totally addicted to something (in a good sense).
9. ほら： Hey! Look!
10. こら： Hey! (usually preceding an angry statement).
11. きもい： Gross. Shortened version of 気持ちが悪い.
12. 面倒くさい： A pain in the ass.
13. むずい： Hard; difficult. Shortened version of 難しい.
14. 押忍(おっす）： 当て字 for the common greeting.*
15. ～ってば： Emphasizing preceding statement. ”I said ~"
16. うけた： To "get" a joke; that was funny.
17. K.Y./ 空気が読めない: Unable to read a situation well.
18. 超（ちょう）：Super; Very.
19. ドタキャン： Last-minute cancellation.
20. ~っていうか： ...er, rather...