Japanese buzzwords 2025
Ehho Ehho – エッホエッホ
This photo of a running owl became an SNS hit. What does it mean?
“Ehho ehho” is the sound of heavy breathing when we are tired.
People often posted the photo to show that they are in a hurry (and out of breath)
out of breath = breathing deeply because you are tired
Chappie – チャッピー
This is the nickname for Chat GPT
What have you used Chappie for?
Have you heard of any surprising uses of Chat GPT?
Mental Coach - You can learn how to deal with stress or depression
Travel Agent - You can enter your budget, dates of travel and things you hate or love to do
Negotiation coach - You can ask ChatGPT for possible arguments by your customer or supplier. Then you can ask them to prepare responses.
Chef - People take photos of their ingredients and ask ChatGPT to suggest recipes
Fashion advisor - People take photos of their outfit and ask Chappie if it’s OK for a restaurant or type of party
Old Media – オールドメディア
Young people use this to describe TV and newspapers. Many of the younger generation believe these are outdated or biased so they prefer social media to get their news.
outdated = old so no longer useful
biased “bai-usst” = strongly supports one side
Do you agree with them?
Onkaji – オンカジ
Online Casinos were in the news a lot this year because some celebrities were arrested for gambling.
A survey of 6000 people was conducted last year. 2.8% said they had used an online casino in the last year.
Asahi Saito - Comedian
Hiroshi Sano - Comedian
Rui Okoye - Baseball (Giants)
Daiki Masuda - Baseball (Giants)
Kuruma Takahira - Comedian (Reiwa Roman)
Taisuke Yamaoka - Baseball pitcher (Orie)
Koki Niwa - Table Tennis player
Dai Yoshimoto - Comedian (Daisaku)
What kind of gambling is allowed in Japan now? (5 types)
Why were casinos banned in the past?
Why are casinos allowed now?
What can the government do to prevent people getting addicted to gambling?
Korea - only foreign tourists can enter
Singapore - foreign tourists can enter freely, local residents must pay $100 to enter
UK - In the past casinos were for members only. British residents had to have a background check for debt. Tourists could enter freely.
… These days most casinos allow anyone in
Do you think online casinos will be allowed in the future?
Legal gambling in Japan:
Horse Racing, Auto Racing (Motorbikes), Boat racing, Cycling, Lottery.
Do you think online casnios will be allowed in Japan in the future?
Kokuho – 国宝
Kokuho was one of the biggest hits in Japan last year.
What does Kokuho mean?
What is the movie about?
National Treasure = 国宝
Japan has an official list of “Living National Treasures.” As far as I know English speaking coutries don’t have an official list like this but people often use the phrase to describe people. “Paul McCartney is a living national treasure”
In the UK people can be given the title “Sir” or “Dame” for their achievements.
Famous Dames: Anna Wintour, Julie Andrews , Agatha Christie
Famous Sirs: David Beckham, Anthony Hopkins, Elton John, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney
Kokokomai – 古古古米
Old old old rice = stockpiled rice
Rice prices doubled in one year. Why?
The government set rice growing limits to protect the price however the extremely hot summers caused less rice to be grown for a couple of years.
While Koizumi was agriculture minister he decided to sell stockpiled rice to try to lower prices for customers. Was this a good idea?
Otetsutabi – おてつたび
Otetsutabi, a website that started in 2018, allows people to travel and do some work (help) or volunteer. The concept was already popular in Europe and Australia at hotels and farms which were short-staffed.
What kind of work do you think helping travellers do?
restaurant staff
drive delivery vans
receptionists / customer service at tourist attractions
work in fields on farms
clean rooms
cooking / cleaning kitchens
Why do you think this has become popular in 2025?
The service is most popular with people between 18 and 30.
High Inflation means many people can’t afford to travel anymore.
Some travelers want to meet new people or experience local culture
Some people do it to find a place to live in the future
Would you consider doing Otetsutabi or have you done it in the past?
Shichigatsu Itsuka – 7月5日
Based on the manga, The Future I Saw by Ryo Tatsuki, a rumor spread online about a catastrophic earthquake that was due to hit Japan on July 5, 2025.
Her manga was first published in 1999 but it only became famous when people realized she predicted a big disaster would hit Japan in March 2011.
People believe her dreams also predicted the death of Freddie Mercury and Princess Diana… however there was no time period for those predictions
Did this have an impact on Japanese people?
In late June and early July, tourists from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea have dropped dramatically (by 80%). For the year bookings are down 50%.
チョコミントよりもあ・な・た
“Ai Scream,” the debut song of the girl group AiScReam, became a social media hit this year. The song features the line, “I love you more than chocolate mint.”
Toranpu Kanzei – トランプ関税
Trump Tariffs = Import taxes
In April Trump announced a 24% tariff on all goods from Japan. Later it was reduced to 15%.
Have these tariffs impacted you or your customers?
Many Japanese exporters to the US decided to not raise prices and instead reduced their own profits
The tariffs had a big impact on many countries (like China) and their economic growth slowed dramatically. This then affected Japanese companies who exported to Chinese companies.
Niki – 二季
People are worried that Japan’s famous shiki (four seasons) may be reduced to niki (two seasons) in the future.
What are the economic impacts of Japan’s long hot summers?
lower productivity - factory, agriculture and construction workers have to work less in the extreme heat
Farms produce less rice and green vegetables - which leads to inflation of food prices
Fish farms are also affected. The heat leads to fewer or smaller fish
Outdoor activities are dramatically reduced (theme parks, sporting events, festivals)
Tourists avoid visiting Japan in these months
On the other hand, indoor activities have higher demand (shopping in malls, cinemas)
Nuikatsu – ぬい活
ぬいぐるみ = stuffed toy / plushie
A new SNS trend is when people take photos of their stuffed toys when they go travelling, shopping or visit restaurants.
Do you know anyone who does this?
Work Work Work – 働いて働いて働いて働いて働いてまいります
Before becoming Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi said, “I myself will abandon the idea of work-life balance. I will work, work, work, work and work.”
She said to government workers: “I will make you work like horses.”
How do you feel about this comment? How did people react?
In 2019, overtime was limited to 45 hours per month. In special cases it is 100 hours a month.
Takaichi asked lawmakers to try to “relax” these rules.
Her comments and policies have been criticized by workers rights groups and unions.