Yomi かしきりじょうたい Rōmaji kashikiri joutai Type word Meaning A situation when you are (unexpectedly) the only person who is using a certain place or facility that is meant to be used by multiple persons (e.g. a cinema, restaurant, hot spring/spa, train/bus, etc.); to get the whole place to oneself; to have the run of a place Additional Info 貸切 (かしきり) is a noun form of the verb 貸(か)し切(き)る, meaning “to charter/reserve the entire place”, and 状態 (じょうたい) means “condition/state”. It is often used when you pay for the entrance (e.g. cinema, restaurant), but not necessarily (e.g. when you get the park to yourself). Synonym ガラガラ, 閑古鳥が鳴く Antonym いっぱい, 混雑した Example…Read More

Yomi めんくい Rōmaji menkui Type word Meaning always attracted to good-looking people Additional Info It’s often used to describe someone who is very choosy about the appearance of people Antonym B専 Example わたし面食いだからケチでもかっこいい男と付(つ)き合(あ)いたい Because I really love handsome men, I wanna date a good-looking man even if he is stingy. Related Post Related Post: Essential Japanese Words and Idioms about Love/RomanceRead More

Yomi じさくじえん Rōmaji jisaku jien Type word Literal Meaning self-make, self-act Meaning to disguise as someone else and promote one’s work/opinion; to attack oneself and play the victim Additional Info A typical 自作自演 is to support or promote one’s work or ideas using multiple accounts on social media/web forums. If you think someone is doing 自作自演, you can say “自演乙 (じえんおつ)”, meaning “自作自演お疲(つか)れ様(さま)”, i.e. “Well done on your 自作自演!”. However, this expression also has a very slang, internet-jargonish tone, and is getting outdated nowadays. Example ネット掲示板で自作自演する人は多い。 A lot of people disguise themselves as someone else and promote their work or ideas on internet forums.Read More

Rōmaji sukkarakan Type word Meaning be completely empty; become penniless Additional Info It is often used when your wallet gets completely empty (e.g. after you gamble away your savings, splurge on fancy clothes, etc.) Synonym 空っぽ Antonym パンパン, 満タン Example スロットで負(ま)けて、すっからかんだよ I lost at a slot machine and now I am penniless. コロナ禍(か)で、スーパーのトイレットペーパの棚（たな）がすっからかんになった Because of the coronavirus crisis, the shelves of toilet paper at supermarkets have gone completely empty.Read More

Yomi じしょう Rōmaji jishou Type word Meaning self-styled; so-called; call oneself Additional Info It often contains a sarcastic tone, suggesting that what one claims is doubtful/not correct Example Twitterには、自称成功者(せいこうしゃ)がたくさんいる There are many so-called “successful people” on Twitter. 自称童顔(どうがん)なオッサン an old man who describes himself as “baby-faced” アイドルを自称する女 a woman who describes herself as an idol.Read More