Which one should you use?
While sugoi is a general term, there are several alternatives depending on the tone you wish to set. For a formal way to say something is amazing or wonderful, use Subarashii (素晴らしい). To express extreme astonishment in an informal way, you might use Yabai (やばい). In very casual or masculine speech, the final 'i' sound is often lengthened and changed to 'e', resulting in すげー.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
すごい is considered an informal adjective. To use it in a polite manner, you should add desu to the end to form すごいです. In casual settings, you may encounter the slang variation すげえ.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In western Japan, specifically within the Kansai dialect, the expression Meccha (めっちゃ) is used similarly to how sugoi is used. In the Tokyo region, the slang expression Sugee (すげえ) is primarily used to convey the same meaning.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that something was amazing or terrible in the past, use the past tense form すごかった. You can also add the suffix -sugiru to the stem sugo- to create すごすぎる, which means 'too amazing' or 'excessively great'.
How do you pronounce it?
sugoi
Did you know?
- The word sugoi originally described something so overwhelming or intense that it felt frightening or even supernatural. This explains why it can describe both a wonderful achievement and a terrible, overwhelming disaster.
- In casual speech, sugoi is frequently used as an adverb to mean 'very' or 'really' before another adjective, even though it is technically an adjective itself.
- The word sugoi is a staple of 'anime speech', where characters often stretch the vowel sounds to show extreme emotion. This stylized delivery is much more common in animation and manga than in everyday professional Japanese conversation.
Examples in context
- この景色、すごいですね。Kono keshiki, sugoi desu ne.This view is amazing, isn't it?
- 彼はすごい人です。Kare wa sugoi hito desu.He is an amazing person.
- すごい！上手ですね！Sugoi! Jouzu desu ne!Wow! You are very good!
Example conversation
Ren shows Himari a beautiful painting he made.
- 陽葵 Himariわあ、すごい！Waa, sugoi!Wow, amazing!
- 蓮 Renありがとう、陽葵。Arigatō, Himari.Thank you, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himari本当にすごいね。Hontō ni sugoi ne.It's really incredible.
- 蓮 Ren嬉しいよ、蓮。Ureshii yo, Ren.I'm happy to hear that, Ren.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry すごい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
