ガチ (gachi)

What it means

1. 1.

   For real; no messing about; done in earnest rather than casually. ガチで走る is to actually run, not jog.

2. 2.

   As a modifier, marks someone as a committed practitioner rather than a dabbler: ガチ勢, the serious crowd.

Examples with translations

• あの人ガチで強いよ。

  That guy is genuinely strong — no exaggeration.

• 冗談じゃなくてガチの話だから。

  I'm not joking, this is a real thing.

Where it comes from

From sumo, where ガチンコ (gachinko) describes a bout fought honestly, as opposed to a fixed one. The shortened ガチ spread through gaming and sport in the 2000s and now sits alongside マジで with a slightly stronger flavour of commitment rather than surprise.

First attested: 1990s in general use

Other forms

Romanised as:

gachi