ドタキャン (dotakyan) Meaning “Last-Minute Cancellation” in Japanese Slang

Definition

ドタキャン (dotakyan) is a Japanese slang word that means “to cancel something at the last minute”. It is used either as a noun (last-minute cancellation) or a verb (to cancel at the last minute). It is an abbreviation of “土壇場どたんばでキャンセルする”, where 土壇場 (どたんば, dotanba) means “at the last moment/chance” and キャンセルする means “to cancel”.

Antonym: ドタ参 (dotasan)

On the other hand, “ドタ参” (dotasan) means “to join something at the last minute” and it is an abbreviation of “土壇場で参加する”, where 参加(さんか)する means “join”. It is usually used as a noun, as in “ドタ参でもOKです” meaning “dotasan is also OK”, that is “You can still join us”. Compared to ドタキャン, ドタ参 is much less commonly used and sounds more slangy, and therefore some people (esp. elderly people) probably do not understand it.

Usage of 土壇場 (dotanba)

Contrary to ドタキャン and ドタ参, the word “土壇場” is rather formal and often used in sports news articles to describe a game-changing play (either a good or bad one) that has taken place near the end of the game. For example, “彼かれが土壇場で逆転ぎゃくてんホームランを放はなった” means “He hit a home run that led to the come-from-behind win near the end of the game.”

Example Sentences

Ex1
彼女かのじょに映画えいがドタキャンされたから一人ひとりで行いくわ
I was cancelled on by my girlfriend to go see a movie, so I’m going alone.

Ex2

美容院びよういんをドタキャンして申もうし訳わけなく感かんじる
I feel sorry for cancelling my haircut appointment at the last minute.

Related Post

15 Unique Japanese Portmanteau Words with Example Sentences

* Portmanteau Words: words that combine parts of multiple words (e.g. “brunch” in English)

15 Unique Japanese Portmanteau Words with Example Sentences

List of Japanese Abbreviated Slang Expressions

List of Japanese Abbreviated Words and Phrases