Japanese Colloquial abbreviations
May 1995 (Note : 'neutral' form means 'dictionary' form,
a.k.a. 'shûshikei'; 'stem' means '-masu' form, a.k.a.
'renyôkei'; corrections and additions most welcome.)
- ~no da > ~n da ex : zenzen shiranakatta n da (no da)
- ~nai > ~n ex : hito koto mo iwande, kaettetta (hito
koto mo iwanaide, kaette itta)
- ~shinai de = ~sen de ex : nan ka sen de mo...
- ~shika/hoka nai > ~kkya nai ex : yaru kkya nai (yaru
shika/hoka nai)
- nani ka > nanka ex : nanka ki ni natteru koto aru no ?
(nani ka ki ni natte iru koto aru no ?)
- doko ka/kara > dokka/dokkara ex : dokka ni shimattoku
tsumori datta kedo (doko ka ni shimatte oku tsumori datta
kedo)
- <stem of verb>oru = <final form> ex : Kare no
okage de, inochi-biroi de shi-otta (=shita)
- <verb final form> > <stem of verb>yagaru
(very colloquial) ex : nani shiyagaru? (nani o suru?) ex
: shiniyagare ! (shine !)
- ~te chôdai > ~te cho ex : kashite cho !
- ~te shikata (ga) nai >~te shâ nai
- ~te iru kara > ~te kkara ex : ima nihon-go naratte
kkara, shigoto sagasu nante tondemonai (nihon-go o
naratte iru kara, shigoto o sagasu nante tondemonai)
- ~ta darô > ~tarô ex : mô detarô (mô deta darô)
- ~te ageru > ~tageru ex : kimi n dachi, nattageru yo
(kimi no tomodachi ni natte ageru yo)
- ~te iru/oru > ~teru/~toru ex : ima konpyûta
tsukatteru (tsukatte iru) ex : chittomo wakattoran
(wakatte oranai)
- ~te iku > ~teku ex : kore kara dandan fueteku darô
(fuete iku darô)
- ~te iru no ja nai > ~te n ja nai (='~te wa
ikenai/naranai') ex : baka itte n ja nai (baka o itte iru
no de wa nai)
- ~te iru no nara > ~te n nara ex : Tôdai ni hairu
koto neratte n nara, tokoton benkyô shitara (dô)?
- ~te oku > ~toku ex : eiga no kippu kattoita (katte
oita) l ~te shimau > ~chimau > ~chau ex : marugoto
tabechatta (tabete shimatta)
- ~de shimau > ~jimau > ~jau ex : bîru zenbu
nonjatta (nonde shimatta)
- ~te wa > ~cha ex : o-yatsu tabecha ikenai yo (tabete
wa)
- ~de wa > ~ja ex : zenbu nonja abunai (zenbu nonde wa
abunai)
- ~te mo > ~ta tte ex : isoide katazuketa tte, shô ga
nai (isoide katazuketemo, shô ga nai)
- ~de wa nai > ~ja nai > ~jan ex : kore kattara î
jan (î de wa nai)
- ~no ja nai > ~n ja. ex : kanningu su n ja (kanningu
o suru no ja nai)
- [verb]e-ba > ~ya (For a phonetic reason, 'tsukau'
cannot be abbreviated.) ex : mirya wakaru darô (mireba)
ex : makasetokya î (makasete okeba î)
- [stem of -i adjective/of 'tai' form of verb]-kereba
> kuba ex : hontô ni hoshikuba sei-ippai hataraku
kkya nai (hoshikereba) ex : raishû, Tôkyô ni
ikitakuba, shukudai chanto shinasai (ikitakereba)
- ~re/ra-nai > ~nnai ex : chûgoku-go sappari wakannai
(wakaranai) ex : kirei ni taberannai yo (taberarenai yo)
- ~nakereba naranai >~nakucha naranai > ~nakya
nannai > ~nakya > ~nya ex : ima kara koso
ganbannakya (ganbaranakereba naranai)
- ~ni wa > ~nya ex : sore, mono ni suru nya, ganbaru
kkya nai (sore o mono ni suru ni wa, ganbaru shika/hoka
nai)
- ~ wake nai > ~ wakya nai ex : ore no horeru
Yamada-san (o) suppokasu wakya nai
- [-i adjective ending in -ai or -oi/verb in the negative
form]-ai/oi > ~ê (Originally Tôkyô-ben) ex :
attama, itê (atama [ga] itai) ex : sô ja nê yo (sô de
wa nai yo)
- ~ka mo shirenai > ~ka mo shinnê > ~ka mo ex :
doitsu-go, muzukashî kotoba ka mo nê
- ~de wa nai ka to... > ~de wa to... ex : todokete
agetara î no de wa to omotta (de wa nai ka to omotta)
- ~ba/tara dô/î ka to... > ~ba/tara to... ex :
ashita hayame ni okitara to omotta (okitara dô/î ka to
omotta)
- ~nai to ikenai/naranai/komaru > ~nai to ex : sugu
kaesanai to (kaesanai to ikenai)
- ~ no tokoro > ~ n toko ex : boku n toko, kite
kurenai? (boku no tokoro)
- ~ no uchi > n chi ex : ore n chi, nasakenai (ore no
uchi)
- iya ni natte shimau > ya n nacchau (female word)
- atatamaru na yo > attaman na yo ('chill out !') ex :
rusê, konyarô ! attaman na yo ! (urusui, kono yarô !
atatamaru na yo !)
- ~to iu > ~tte iu > ~tte ex : Masako tte yatsu, ki
ni itta (Masako to iu yatsu)
- ~nan to iu > nan tte ex : nan tte charinko ! (nan to
iu charinko !)
- ~dakara to itte > ~dakara tte ex : dakara tte, sonna
hidoi koto shiccha ikenai yo
- naze ka to iu to > naze ka tte > naze tte ex :
naze tte, sappari wakannai n da yo (naze ka to iu to,
sappari wakaranai no da yo)
- ~sore de > ~soide ex : soide, aoku natte nigechatta
- ~to iu > ~chyû/ ~tê ex : na wa nan tê n da? (na
wa nan to iu no da?) ex : chyû koto de, ... (to iu koto
de, ...)
- ~tai > ~tare ex : oishî supagetî, tabetare !
- ~aseru > ~asu (Only for ‘/strong' verbs not
ending with -su; only used with ‘'; mostly used with
the 'causative-passive' form to avoid a mouthfull; being
a colloquialism, usually not used in formal language, ie.
avoid saying 'ikasaremashita').) ex : yoru osoku
ikasareta (ikaserareta)
- ~rarenai > ~renai (Only for the potential form of
‘/weak' verbs, NOT the passive.) ex : sonna mazui
yatsu, boku nya nanni mo taberenai (boku ni wa nani mo
taberarenai)
- ~desu > ~su ex : sô su ka?
- ~suru ka > ~sukka ex : nani sukka? (nani o suru ka
?)
- ~suru na > ~su na ex : nani mo su na yo (nani mo
suru na yo)
- ~nasai > ~na ex : chanto kikina (kikinasai)
- yaru ka ? > yakka ? ex : ippai, yakka ?
- itte kimasu ! > icchi kimasu !
- bakari > bakkari > bakkashi > bakka
(Don’t confuse it with adjective 'baka-na') ex :
katappashi kara bini-bon bakka yonde ru
- yahari > yappari > yappashi > yappa ex :
yappa, dame ni nacchatta yo
- amari > ammari > ammashi ex : ammashi ki ni
iranai
- pitari > pittari > pittashi ex : sono hyôgen ni
pittashi ataru nihon-go wa shiranai
- kore/sore/are > korya/sorya/arya ex : sorya,
hinekuneta mondai jan
- kochira/sochira/achira > kocchi/socchi/acchi ex :
kocchi kun na yo (kochira kuru na yo)
- saki > sakki ex : sakki kara kocchi jirojiro mite ru
- mama > mamma ex : kono mamma ja, ato ga kowai
- atarimae > attarimê > ataboyo
- shijû > shocchû ex : aitsu ga sôiu no o, ore wa
shocchû kîta yo
- dekita > deketa ex : yatto deketa !
- baka yarô > bakkyarô
- kono yarô > konyarô
- kissaten > saten ex : saten ni issho ni ikô ?
- urusai > rusai ex : rusê ! damare !
- omoshiroi > omoroi ex : Nihon-go, omoroi kotoba ?
(Nihon-go wa omoshiroi kotoba ?)
- omoshiroku nai > omoronai
- sugoku > sugoi (Recent and quite colloquial
adverbial form used by younger Japanese) ex : ano eiga
sugoi omoroi ne ? (sugoku omoshiroi ne ?)
- mechakucha > mechankko (='sugoku') ex : nihon-go,
mechankko sugê kotoba jan ! (mechakucha sugoi kotoba de
wa nai !)
- mechakucha > mecha ('out of control') ex : sorya,
mecha da ne ! (sore wa, mechakucha da ne !)
- dekai oppai > dekapai ex : Îjima Naoko tte, dekapai
(Îjima Naoko to iu hito, dekai oppai)
- mattaku > ttaku > taku ex : taku, aitsu, mô
takusan !
- mochiron > mochi
- o-matase shimashita > o-mata ex : o-mata, gomen ne
- gozaimasu > zamasu
- go-kurô sama > go-kurô san > gossan
- hajimemashite > majimemashite (Play on words with)
- ohayô gozaimasu > ohayô > osu
- konnichiwa > chiwa/konncha/ncha
- sayônara > sainara
- <negative final form of verb> > <stem of
verb> wa/ya shinai ex : zenzen wakarya shinai
(wakaranai)
- anata > anta > an (Don’t over-use this word;
for more info, read observation somewhere in my post on
wa/ga) ex : anta, o-nimotsu
- yakamashî > jakamashî
- o-kage sama de > tokage sama de (A play on words
with 'tokage', lizard)
- shou > seou
- dei > desu
- sonna kottarou > sonna koto darou
- mitsukarikkonai > mitsukaru hazu ga nai
- Note : 'neutral' form means 'dictionary' form, a.k.a.
'shûshikei'; 'stem' means '-masu' form, a.k.a.
'renyôkei'; corrections and additions most welcome :
Frédéric Faure, 100124.2277@compuserve.com ©
Frédéric Faure, France For a phonetic reason, 'tsukau'
cannot be abbreviated. Originally Tôkyô-ben Only for
‘/strong' verbs not ending with -su; only used with
‘'; mostly used with the 'causative-passive' form to
avoid a mouthfull; being a colloquialism, usually not
used in formal language, ie. avoid saying
'ikasaremashita'). Only for the potential form of
‘/weak' verbs, NOT the passive. Don’t confuse
it with adjective 'baka-na' Recent and quite colloquial
adverbial form used by younger Japanese Play on words
with Don’t over-use this word; for more info, read
observation somewhere in my post on wa/ga A play on words
with 'tokage', lizard LIST OF JAPANESE COLLOQUIAL
ABBREVIATIONS