にわか (niwaka) Meaning “Newbie” in Japanese Slang

Pronunciation

Definition

にわか (にわか, niwaka) is a Japanese slang word that describes newbies in a negative way. It is often used to criticise pretentious beginners who behave as if they have a lot of knowledge and experience about what they started a couple of weeks/months ago. One of the most common phrases is “にわかファン” (niwaka fan), meaning “a bandwagon fan”, who supports a particular team or person as soon as they have become popular or trendy. For instance, every time the FIFA world cup comes around, you see a sea of “にわかサッカーファン (niwaka soccer fan)” popping up out of nowhere and expressing their “passion” about football.

Original Definition

Generally, にわか (niwaka) is used as an adverb “にわかに” (niwaka ni) meaning “suddenly” or “immediately”. For instance, “にわかには信しんじがたい” (niwaka ni ha shinji gatai) is a common expression that literally means “I cannot believe it immediately”, that is, “I find it hard to believe”. Also, the word “にわか雨あめ” (niwaka ame) is a common word, that literally means “sudden rain” and indicates rain that falls suddenly. See the link below for a variety of Japanese words related to 雨.

Comprehensive Explanations of Japanese Words Related to Rain (雨, あめ)

Example Sentences

Ex1
僕ぼくプログラミングにわかだから、 JavaとJavaScriptの違ちがいがよくわからない
Because I’m a niwaka (newbie) of programming, I don’t know the differences between Java and JavaScript

(note) As in this example, にわか is also often used as a mean of self-deprecation.

Ex2
筋きんトレのにわかはよくプロテインの重要性を長々ながながと語かたっている
Niwaka of weight training often rambles on how important it is to drink protein.

Ex3
優勝ゆうしょうしてから、あのチームはにわかに注目ちゅうもくを浴あびた
After having won the tournament, the team suddenly got a lot of attention.

Synonyms: 初心者しょしんしゃ (beginner)、新参しんざん (newcomer)
Synonyms in English: beginner, newbie, bandwagon fan
Related words and phrases: にわか雨あめ (rain shower)