Think More “About” – Meaning of “アバウト” in Japlish (Japanese English)

Pronunciation

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, meaning ‘rough(ly)’ or ”not too fastidious(ly). It can be either positive or negative depending on how it is used. For instance, if someone says, ‘You should think more “abauto”.’, that means you should stop being too fastidious and think in a more easy-going way. 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 ‘about’ (approximately)  in Japanese, you can use ’大体 (だいたい)’,  ‘およそ’, or ‘約 (やく)’. For instance, ‘about 3 minutes’ are 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