Blog Thread
- Japanese Online Newsletter Vol. 196 やばい
そうしたことから、
Yabai
Recently in Japan, we use the word, "yabai" to describe something great, something big, and something very good. However, the original use of the word, yabai, was to describe dangerous places, people, and things. Today, I’d like to talk about one of the theories on the origin of this word "yabai".
During the Edo period (1603-1868), there was a place called "yaba" in Japan where people played a game of shooting bows and arrows around town to hit a target. At these yaba, women, called yaba onna (yaba women), served alcohol to the customers and provided entertainment like singing and dancing. Gradually, the yaba became a place where men played this game with women (yaba women) and provided entertainment services.
As a result, the reputation of yaba being a dangerous place spread, and people started using the word, "yaba" to mean the same as dangerous. This is said to be one of the origins of the word, "yaba. However, this danger has now become a positive thing and is used synonymously with the word "awesome.
In English, the word, bad, is sometimes used to mean awesome in the same way you can translate the word, "yabai", into “bad”, in English to make the meaning easier to understand.
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