This Year in Japanese

Express Yourself: “Gengoka” Picked as One of Japan’s Words of 2024

Language Culture

Gengoka, meaning to express vague thoughts and feelings precisely in words, was selected by dictionary publisher Sanseidō as its word of the year for 2024.

Yearning for Eloquence

Dictionary publisher Sanseidō chose gengoka as its word of the year for 2024. This makes the noun gengo (“language”) into a verb, meaning to take vague thoughts and feelings and express them precisely in words.

As the word gengo is common in Japanese, and so is the suffix –ka for transforming nouns into verbs, gengoka may not initially appear particularly fresh, but it is a dictionary newcomer. At first, it was used in academic contexts to describe, for example, verbalizing nebulous concepts or psychological factors, and was rarely encountered in newspapers or daily conversation.

However, from around the 2010s it gradually started to be used to mean, effectively, expressing hazy feelings that seemed difficult to put into words. In the 2020s, there was a rapid uptick in this kind of usage.

A popular 2024 book by author Miyake Kaho is titled Suki o gengoka suru gijutsu: Oshi no subarashisa o kataritai no ni yabai shika dete konai. The title roughly translates as “How to Express Your Love in Words: When You Want to Talk About How Great Your Idol Is, But All that Comes Out is ‘Amazing.’” The words suki (expressing fondness or love) and yabai (a famously multipurpose slang word, here translated as “amazing”) are easy to say, but they might leave the speaker longing for greater eloquence. This desire is a factor breathing new life into gengoka, and the word seems to have struck a chord with dictionary editors.

Shōgakukan, another Japanese publisher, selected howaito anken, or “white jobs,” a phrase used to advertise work online to people wary of becoming embroiled in criminal “black jobs,” as its word of the year. Its frequent deceptive use for work that is actually illegal has given the phrase a new, unsavory meaning.

Sanseidō’s Top 10 New Words of the Year for 2024

  1. 言語化Gengoka [Winner]. The winning phrase means to put vague opinions or hard-to-express desires and feelings into as precise words as possible. For example, moriagatta kimochi o gengoka suru (to express one’s excited feelings in words).
  2. 横転Ōten. The basic meaning here is to topple over to one side. By extension, it is used for receiving such a shock that one falls down, such as in tensū ga hikusugite ōten (to be staggered by receiving such a low grade).
  3. インプレInpure. An abbreviated form of inpuresshon (impression), as used for the number of times content is seen on social media or elsewhere online. Impressions are the basis for the payment of advertising fees, but have no relation to quality or authenticity. Inpure zonbi (impression zombie) is an insulting term for accounts that post a huge quantity of nuisance content to increase their impressions and earn advertising revenue.
  4. しごできShigodeki. A short form for shigoto ga dekiru, describing people good at their jobs. There is also the variation shigohaya, meaning to be fast (hayai) at one’s job.
  5. スキマバイトSukima baito. Combining sukima (spare moment) and baito (short for arubaito, casual or part-time work), this refers to short-term employment, as can be found via dedicated matching apps. On the bright side, such services make it easy to find work, but workers may tend to be seen as disposable, and there is the possibility of being drawn into crime.
  6. メロいMeroi. This describes people so cute that others become crazy about them. It is based on the existing meromero (to dote on), so, for example, an idol’s meroi dancing leads fans to become meromero.
  7. 公益通報Kōeki tsūhō. The Japanese for “whistleblowing,” based on the name of the 2006 law covering this area, came to prominence in 2024 in connection with the apparent suicide of a whistleblower who reported abuse of power by Hyōgo Governor Saitō Motohiko. Saitō resigned, but then stood for and won reelection.
  8. PFAS. The general term for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, long-lasting synthetic chemicals with a wide range of industrial applications that have come under the spotlight for their polluting properties, became well-known in Japan in 2024, as elsewhere around the world.
  9. インティマシーコーディネーターIntimashī kōdinētā. The Japanese for “intimacy coordinator,” a person who provides emotional support and ensures safety and consent during sexual scenes in films or television dramas, entered common use in 2024.
  10. 顔ないKao nai. This phrase may be used by a person who “has no face” to handle a situation with aplomb. It expresses a range of negative emotions like feeling shocked, awkward, or embarrassed, for instance, shitsumon ni kotaerarenakute kao nai (I feel awkward because I couldn’t answer the question).

Shōgakukan’s Top New Words of the Year for 2024

ホワイト案件Howaito anken [Winner]. Self-proclaimed “white jobs” advertised online should set alarm bells going, as they are often decidedly shady.

フキハラFukihara [Runner-up]. One of several forms of hara (harassment) to enter the Japanese language in recent years, this is an abbreviation of fukigen harasumento, used to describe when people make a show of their fukigen or bad mood to others, such as through conspicuous sighs.

静かな退職Shizuka na taishoku [Runner-up]. The Japanese for “quiet quitting,” or doing the minimum amount of work while maintaining a job.

(Originally published in Japanese on December 4, 2024. Banner photo: Representatives from the dictionary publisher Sanseidō announce its words of the year on December 3, 2024. © Sanseidō.)

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