Think More “About”: Meaning of “About” in Japanese

Definition

アバウト (abauto)  is a “Japlish” (Japanese English) word loaned from “about” in English. Different from the original definition, “abauto” in Japanese is used as an adjective or adverb and means “rough(ly)” or ”not too fastidious(ly)”. It can be either positive or negative depending on the context; for instance, if someone says, “You should think more abauto“, that means you should stop overthinking and become more easy-going. On the other hand, if someone says “Your plan is too abauto“, that means your plan is too rough and not well organised.

“About” (Approximately) in Japanese

To translate the original definition of “about” (approximately) into Japanese, you can use 大体 (だいたい), およそ, or 約 (やく). For instance, “about 3 minutes” can be translated as “{およそ/大体/約} ３分(ぷん)”

Example Sentences

(1) 君はもっとアバウトに生きた方がいい
You should live more ‘abauto’ (not too fastidiously/in a more easygoing way)

(2) その目標、ちょっとアバウトすぎない？
Isn’t that goal too ‘abauto’ (rough/vague)

Synonyms

Synonyms: 適当(てきとう)な, 雑（ざつ）な, 大雑把 (おおざっぱ)
Synonyms in English: rough, roughly, non fastidious, laid-back
Related words and phrases: {およそ、約(やく)、大体(だいたい)}: approximately