ヤバい
yabai
In Japanese, 'lit' is translated as ヤバい (yabai).
In modern slang, ヤバい is used to express that something is 'lit', 'amazing' or 'crazy' in a positive sense. However, the original and literal meaning of the word is actually 'dangerous' or 'bad'.
Meaning: Lighted (adj)
Which one should you use?
While the slang usage refers to something being amazing or 'lit', the original meaning of ヤバい refers to something being 'bad', 'dangerous' or 'terrible'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ヤバい is highly informal and should be avoided in professional or formal settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can intensify the meaning to 'insanely lit' or 'too crazy' by adding the suffix すぎる to the word, creating the form ヤバすぎる.
How do you pronounce it?
yabai
Did you know?
- During the Edo period, ヤバい functioned as a secret code used by thieves and criminals to warn their accomplices that the police were approaching.
- Because ヤバい can mean both 'terrible' and 'amazing' depending solely on tone and context, a single word can describe both a car accident and a great party.
- Adding the suffix っす to create ヤバいっす allows a speaker to sound slightly more polite while still using highly informal slang.
Examples in context
- このパーティー、マジでヤバい！Kono pātī, maji de yabai!This party is lit!
- この曲、めっちゃヤバいよ。Kono kyoku, meccha yabai yo.This song is totally lit.
Example conversation
Two friends are listening to a new song on a smartphone.
- 蓮 Renこの曲、ヤバくない？Kono kyoku, yabakunai?Isn't this song lit?
- 結衣 Yui本当にヤバいね！Hontō ni yabai ne!It's really lit!
- 蓮 Ren結衣、これ好きでしょ？Yui, kore suki desho?Yui, you love this, right?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、最高だよ。Un, saikō da yo.Yeah, it's the best.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ヤバい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
