The study of Japanese slang is challenging and never stops. Luckily, it’s also a lot of fun.

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

The study of Japanese slang is challenging and never stops. Luckily, it’s also a lot of fun.

'Kumi-ame' is a kind of hard candy that is made in long cylinders before being cut into smaller pieces. When it features the face of folklore hero Kintaro, however, it is called 'Kintarō-ame.' | GETTY IMAGES

By Jennifer O'Donnell
Contributing writer

Sep 9, 2022

Osaka – Imagine yourself in a Japanese conversation online when someone whips out a term you’ve never heard: “おれ社不だねwwww” (Ore shafu da ne wwww).

The four w’s you might be able to recognize as the Japanese equivalent to “LOL.” おれ (Ore) means “I,” だね (da ne) is looking for agreement ... but what’s 社不 (shafu)?

Well, if you follow Wes Robertson’s slang-focused “” blog, you’ll know that 社不 is a relatively recent term — more comically self-depreciating than insulting — that refers to someone who is 不適合 (蹿耻迟别办颈驳ō, incompatible) with 社会 (shakai, society).