ヤバい
yabai
ヤバい is the Japanese phrase for "yabai".
ヤバい is a versatile slang word used to describe something that is either extremely good or extremely bad, depending on the context.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
This is highly colloquial and should be avoided in formal settings or when speaking to superiors.
How do you pronounce it?
yabai
Did you know?
- While ヤバい now describes anything intense, it originally referred to the 'dangerous' kind of place where criminals and prostitutes gathered in the Edo period.
- Depending on the inflection of the voice, ヤバい can signal a warning to a friend that a teacher or boss is approaching, without using any other words.
- Because of its extreme versatility, young people often use ヤバい as a complete sentence or even as a standalone exclamation. It can act as an adjective, an adverb, or even a filler word in casual conversation.
Examples in context
- このラーメン、マジでヤバい！Kono raamen, maji de yabai!This ramen is seriously amazing!
- 時間がなくて、本当にヤバい。Jikan ga nakute, hontou ni yabai.I'm really in trouble because I'm out of time.
- あ、ヤバい！忘れてた！A, yabai! Wasureteta!Oh, crap! I forgot!
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a very expensive menu at a restaurant.
- 大翔 Hirotoこの料理、値段がヤバいな。Kono ryōri, nedan ga yabai na.The price of this dish is insane.
- 結衣 Yui本当だね。高すぎるよ。Hontō da ne. Takasugiru yo.You're right. It's too expensive.
- 大翔 Hirotoでも、見た目はヤバそう。Demo, mitame wa yabai sō.But it looks amazing, though.
- 結衣 Yuiそうだね。一つだけ頼もうか。Sō da ne. Hitotsu dake tanomō ka.True. Shall we just order one?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ヤバい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
