Japan

Japanese Slang for Romance & Flirting

6 Japanese slang terms for romance & flirting, each with its meaning, how it is pronounced and an example of it in use.

Flirting, dating, attraction and rejection. Rich in euphemism, and the category where a literal translation is most likely to embarrass you.

adjective · Informal · cha-RAI

Flashy and insubstantial; a bit of a player. Of a man whose clothes, patter and dating history all suggest he should not be relied upon.

noun · Colloquial · GOH-kon

A group blind date: a few friends of one gender meet the same number of another at a restaurant, arranged by one person from each side.

+1 more sense

noun · Colloquial · EE-keh-men

A good-looking man. Neutral, extremely common, and usable in print — magazines and television use it without irony.

verb · Informal · koh-KOO-ru

To confess your feelings and formally ask someone out. In Japan this is a discrete event with a yes-or-no answer, not a gradual drift into dating.

noun · Colloquial · moh-toh-KA-noh

An ex-girlfriend. 元カレ is the male equivalent, and the two are used symmetrically.

noun, adjective · Informal · TSOON-deh-reh

Someone prickly on the surface and soft underneath, who shows affection by insulting you and then quietly doing you a favour.

+1 more sense