How to Say “Lame” in Japanese

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ダサい
dasai[da̠sa̠i]
The Japanese word for lame is ダサい (dasai).
ダサい is a slang adjective used to describe something that is failing to be cool, funny, interesting or relevant. It can be applied to a person's fashion sense, their social behavior or even a joke that fails to land. It is the opposite of かっこいい, which means cool or good-looking.
Meaning: slang: failing to be cool, funny, interesting or relevant (adj)

Which one should you use?

While ダサい specifically refers to a lack of style or being uncool, other words for 'lame' have different nuances: つまらない is a common, neutral term for something uninteresting, dull or plain. くだらない describes something trivial, worthless or pointless. しょーもない is used among friends to describe something trivial, silly or ridiculous. And しょぼい describes something that is poor in quality, cheap or unsatisfactory.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

ダサい is an informal, colloquial adjective. For the word meaning uninteresting, the less formal variation つまんない can be used in casual conversations instead of the more standard つまらない.

How does it change in a sentence?

To express the past tense, use ダサかった (was lame). To say that something is not lame, use the negative form ダサくない.

How do you pronounce it?

dasai

Did you know?

  • One theory suggests ダサい comes from a humorous misreading of the word for 'countryside' 田舎, effectively labeling rural styles as 'lame'.

Examples in context

  • これはダサいよ。
    This is lame.
    This sentence shows how to use ダサい to describe an object.
    Tatoeba #10628766 by small_snow, translation #2233705 by CK
  • ダサい奴には、なりたくない。かっこよくなりたい！
    I don't want to be lame, I want to be cool!!
    This sentence uses ダサい to express a desire to avoid being uncool and instead be cool.
    Tatoeba #920400 by hambird, translation #1336 by Zifre
  • その映画はつまらないです。
    That movie is lame.
  • そのパーティーはつまんないよ。
    That party is lame.
  • そのテレビ番組はくだらないよ。
    That TV show is lame.
  • その冗談しょーもないね！
    That joke is lame!
  • そのコンサートはしょぼかった。
    That concert was lame.
  • そのファッション、ちょっとダサいよ。
    Sono fasshon, chotto dasai yo.
    That fashion is a bit lame.

Example conversation

Misaki and Yota are looking at a new phone case.

  1. 美咲 Misaki

    このデザイン、どう思う？
    Kono dezain, dou omou?
    What do you think of this design?
  2. 陽太 Yota

    正直、かなりダサいと思う。
    Shoujiki, kanari dasai to omou.
    Honestly, I think it's pretty lame.
  3. 美咲 Misaki

    えー！私は可愛いと思うのに。
    Ee! Watashi wa kawaii to omou noni.
    What! I think it's cute.
  4. 陽太 Yota

    美咲は変わってるなあ。
    Misaki wa kawatteru naa.
    Misaki, you have strange taste.

Sources

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Madeline Jean
Madeline JeanHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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