“Wow, man, is that your new car? That’s so bad!” In the United States about 30 years ago (give or take a decade), all of a sudden everything that was “good” was now “bad.” It was originally used as a code word among thieves and criminals to indicate that an act was too risky to pursue. It is believed that the word “ yabai” has been in use since the Edo period. Put them together, and you get the kanji 危 ( ki), which means “dangerous.” This kanji then acts as an anchor to the word 危ぶむ, which means “to be afraid of…,” “to have misgivings about….,” “to be apprehensive of…,” “to fear,” etc. 勹 ( hou) is the radical for wrapping,卩 ( setsu) is the radical for seal, and 厂 ( kan) is the radical for trailing cliff. If we take a closer look at the kanji for 危ぶむ, we see that it is made up of three different radicals. Yabai is an adjective that comes from the root verb 危ぶむ ( ayabumu). Where did this word come from, and how did it take on so many different meanings? The Origin of Yabai Risky, dangerous, amazing, cool, insane, crazy, extreme… Looking 「やばい」up in the dictionary will produce a number of results. Yabai!(やばい): A Common Japanese Phrase to Show How Cool You Are 1 Yabai!(やばい): A Common Japanese Phrase to Show How Cool You Are.It is considered that “suteki” using this kanji includes the meanings “not suitable”, “unbearable”, “not realized” and the like.Īnd the meaning of “not realized” is thought to be the trigger for using the kanji of “敵(teki, an enemy”) which has the same sound. The meaning of “適(teki)” is “meet”, “fit”, “conform to”, “match” and the like. In some cases, this word has even more different kanji character as “素適(suteki)” in addition to the “素敵”. One theory is a paraphrase of the word “deki-sugi” (meaning” too good “)”.Īnother theory is that the “su” of the word “subarashii (すばらしい、素晴らしい: meaning “splendid”, “glorious”, “gorgeous”, “stunning”, etc.)” had a suffix of “teki”, and then became a word. There are various theories as to why “enemy” is included in this word. Then, in the Showa era, the kanji began to spread among ordinary people.ĭoesn’t it sound very friendly if it contains kanji meaning “enemy”, does it? It is said that these kanji began to be used in the Taisho era. Originally it was described as “すてき(suteki)” in Hiragana, but in the Meiji era, the word “素的(suteki)” started to be used, and the meaning gradually changed to the one used today.Īs mentioned above, the “敵(teki)” of “素敵(suteki)” used at present means “enemy”. Nowadays, “suteki” is used in the sense of “attractive” or “marvelous”, but originally it was not always used in a good meaning. The term was used by the common people and had the meaning of “very”, “recklessly”, “extremely” and “extraordinary”. The origin of “suteki” seems to have various theories.Īccording to the dominant theory, it began to be used as a buzzword in the late Edo period. Kare no sakuhin wa dore mo subarashii desu. Konya no kanojo pafo-mansu wa totemo suteki da. This word can be used in both casual and business situations. More example sentences with “suteki”Įxample sentences using “suteki” are as follows. I like you very much as you are so wonderful. Then, the meanings of the above examples are as follows. “Suteki” means “attractive”, “good-looking”, “handsome”, “wonderful”, “great”, “nice”, “splendid”, “glorious” and so on. In writing “suteki” in kanji, it is “素敵”, and the word “敵” means “enemy”. If a Japanese tells you something like the above, you should be pleased. “Suteki” is a word that often appears in Japanese conversations.
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