Do you know what Yabai means?

A very popular slang we hear in Japan is yabai [やばい]. This word can mean something good or bad depending on usage and context, which causes great confusion and curiosity among Japanese students. In this article, we will understand a little of the meaning of this word and see some example sentences.

first the word yabai [やばい] means something dangerous, inconvenient, risky and terrible, that is, an adjective that shows that something bad happens. The problem is that this same word is slang used to indicate something great, surprising and cool. But how can a word also mean the opposite of it?

Is Yabai a good thing or a bad thing?

It's hard to understand how the word yabai [やばい] ended up taking on this opposite meaning. Throughout the history of different languages, young people end up inventing slang that gain meanings, or are used in moments that have nothing to do with them.

In Portuguese, for example, we have the slang words "massa" or "que loco", if we stop to think about it, there is no point in using these words to refer to something interesting, since their original meanings are very different.

In the same way yabai [やばい] is used in a way that cannot express a logical meaning, and can be used on different occasions to show that you are impressed or surprised.

The word yabai can be understood by context, just like most Japanese words that if heard alone can cause confusion. It makes as much sense as cursing the friends we love idiot and dumb and call strangers Bro and chapa.

What does yabai mean? Is it good or bad?

The Yabai slang used by young people

Before we understand more about the meaning of this word, we must understand where it fits. Yabai is a slang term known as wakamonokotoba [若者言葉] which literally means words of youth.

Are slang used mainly by teenagers around 20 years old, rarely used in other generations or that have a totally different meaning. Yabai has been used by young people with different senses since the 2000s.

Its original meaning is something dangerous and unexpected, but over time people started to use it to make positive evaluations. In short, yabai means it's not good, but with time it started to mean "I was unexpectedly surprised and shocked".

What does yabai mean? Is it good or bad?

History and origin of the Word Yabai

It is not known for sure how this word came to be used, but its origin probably comes from the Edo period, where the jargon yaba it was used by thieves to refer to guards. So whenever seeing a guard (a dangerous situation) this word was used.

Others also say that Yaba no Kanto dialect refers to the shooting range used by Matoya during the Edo period. The word also referred to a place of prostitution, becoming a secret word for a dangerous place and a dangerous situation.

Others claim that the slang is derived from the word "ayabui", which means "dangerous". Others say that its origin comes from the expression “ya abunai” which also means dangerous. Even with its uncertain origin, its initial meaning has always been something bad.

Already in the 80's young people used this word constantly to say that something was not cool, but only in the 90's young people started to invert its meaning to something good, cute, delicious, cool and amazing.

It has nothing to do with it, but yabai [野梅] can also refer to a wild Japanese plum or apricot.

What does yabai mean? Is it good or bad?
Yabai was used by criminals in the Edo Period

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Different ways to use Yabai

You have just eaten something delicious and can say: "Kore Yabai!", so you're saying that this tastes good. Beware of tone of voice, manner and occasion when saying kore yabai, because it can also mean "this is terrible".

You can use the expression "Kare, Majide Yabai!” to say that a man is handsome. The word majide means serious which can give the sense of really and so. I mean, he's so handsome. Remembering that both men and women can use this expression, but beware that it may sound a little rude.

Others, when they are late for somewhere, usually say to themselves the expression yabai yabai… Worried about the rush to get to the agreed place soon. It was as if he was saying to himself "I need to hurry".

What does yabai mean? Is it good or bad?
The word also expresses fear!

Yabee, Yabei, Yabasu and Majiyabasu

It is worth remembering that the word has different variations such as:

  • Yabee [やべー]
  • Yabee [やばっ]
  • Yabee [ヤベえ]
  • Yabei [やべい]
  • Yabasu [やばす]
  • Majiyabasu [まじやばす]

The use of these slang varies by region, phrase, and occasion.

Examples of use of Yabai

Some young people use this word as “very” so it can indicate that something is very good or bad. See the example below:

一個千円のクッキーなんてやばい高いよね?
Ikko sen'en no kukkī nante yabai takai yo ne?
A 1000 yen cookie is pretty expensive, don't you think?

Below are some more sentences:

明日のテストやばそうだ.
Ashita no tesuto yaba-sōda.
It is likely that tomorrow I will fail the test.

やばい!課題を提出し忘れた!
Yabai! Kadai o teishutsu shi wasureta!
Crap! I forgot to do my homework.

警察はやばい仕事です。
Keisatsu wa yabai shigotodesu.
Being a police officer is dangerous.

やばい! 雨降ってきた!
Yabai! Love futtekita!
Shit! Started to rain!"

Yabai Desu Ne Meme

Pecorine or Eustiana von Astraea is a character from the Anime and Princess Connect Re:Dive Game. She is the master of the 'Gourmet Building' guild. This character became a meme because of her endings in sentences saying yabai desu ne.

This is something similar to datebayo what Naruto says. In the official English subtitles they translated to “How Crazy is that?" something like "How crazy is that?“. Of course, this translation in my opinion doesn't make much sense, she just wants to emphasize her sentences.

Footage

Our friend Sarah made a video explaining this subject. If you have anything to add on this subject, please leave your comments below.

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