ズッ友
zuttomo
In Japanese, the English slang term "bestie" is expressed as ズッ友 (zuttomo).
ズッ友 is used to refer to a person's closest and dearest friend. While it is a slang term, it is most commonly used in written form, such as in text messages or social media captions, rather than in spoken conversation.
Which one should you use?
The term ズッ友 is highly informal slang often associated with youth culture. For a playful slang term used among younger people, you can use マジ友. If you want to describe a "close friend" in an informal way, use 親しい友だち. For formal situations where you need to say "most intimate friend," use 最も親しい友人.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ズッ友 is highly informal slang. マジ友 is also a playful slang term used by younger people. 親しい友だち is informal, while 最も親しい友人 is the appropriate choice for formal situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
ズッ友 is a noun and does not change its form based on gender or number.
How do you pronounce it?
zuttomo
Did you know?
- While it translates to 'bestie', the root word ずっと emphasizes the concept of 'eternity' or 'always', implying a promise that the friendship will never end.
- The term ズッ友 emerged from the 'Gal' or ギャル subculture, which was known for inventing its own unique vocabulary and writing styles to distinguish themselves from mainstream society.
- The phrase ズッ友 is a clipping of ずっと友達, a process where words are shortened to fit the limited character spaces of early mobile phone screens.
Examples in context
- 私たちはズッ友だよ。Watashitachi wa zuttomo da yo.We are besties.
- あいつとはズッ友だぜ。Aitsu to wa zuttomo da ze.He's my bestie.
Example conversation
Two friends are taking a photo together.
- 美咲 Misakiこの写真、すごくいい感じ！kono shashin, sugoku ii kanji!This photo looks great!
- 陽太 Yota本当だね。最高の一枚になったよ。hontou da ne. saikou no ichimai ni natta yo.You're right. It turned out perfect.
- 美咲 Misakiやっぱり陽太は私のズッ友だね。yappari youta wa watashi no zuttomo dane.Youta, you really are my bestie.
- 陽太 Yotaもちろん！これからもよろしくな。mochiron! kore kara mo yoroshiku na.Of course! I'm counting on you from here on too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ズッ友, CC BY-SA 4.0.
