Definition
情弱 (joujaku) is a Japanese slang term that means “lacking in common and important information or knowledge”. For instance, you’re joujaku if you bought a high-spec laptop just to use social media like Twitter, or if you are easily allured by dodgy ads online. Usually, this word is used to mock such an ignorant or gullible person, but some people use it to describe themselves as self-deprecation humour, as shown in the third example sentence below. Note that it is basically an Internet slang term and thus used predominantly on the web, but some people use it in real life.
This word is actually an abbreviation of “情報弱者” (jouhou jakusya), which consists of the two words “情報 “ (jouhou) and “弱者” (jakusya). The first word means “information”, and the second word literally means “a week person” and it describes those who are in a poor, inferior situation. See other unique Japanese words that consist of multiple words in this post.
Antonym: 情強 (joukyou)
Some people say “情強” (joukyou) to describe people who possess copious knowledge and information about various topics. Here, “強” (kyou) is an antonym of “弱” (jaku) and means “strong”. Note, however, that this word is much less common than Joujaku, and some people may not understand it.
Example Sentences
Ex1
お前Netflixも知らないの？情弱すぎるだろ
Oh you don’t know Netflix? You’re too 情弱 (lacking in common knowledge).
Ex2
彼、Twitterでいいねした内容をフォロワーが見れるのを知らなかったから、ひたすらお気に入りのエッチな画像をいいねしていたらしい。どんだけ情弱なんだよ。
He said he kept liking his favourite saucy photos on Twitter because he didn’t know that his followers could see what he liked. He’s so 情弱 (stupid).
Ex3
情弱だから、宿題が昨日までだったのを今知った。
Because I’m 情弱 (lacking in proper information), I just found out that the assignment was due yesterday.
See also
15 Unique Japanese Portmanteau Words with Example Sentences
List of Intriguing Japanese Compound Words
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