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▼ Japanese Buzzwords of The Year Nominees Reflect Myriad Influences and Issues
- Category:Event
Thirty candidates for buzzword of the year, announced Wednesday, highlight the numerous scandals that rocked Japan’s amateur sports, the brutal summer of natural disasters as well as the country’s response to the worldwide #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.
The words nominated for the 2018 U-Can Shingo Ryukogo Taisho (2018 U-Can New Words and Buzzword Awards) are terms that provide a unique insight into the nation’s social trends, as well as the political, business and sports news of the year.
Included on the list was “akushitsu takkuru,” meaning illegal tackle, which refers to a May incident in which a Nihon University American football club defender made an illegal late hit on the Kwansei Gakuin University quarterback at the order of then-head coach Masato Uchida. The scandal rocked the nation’s college football world.
“Until now, buzzwords related to amateur sports portrayed the sportsmen in a positive light but this year, since around May, we’ve witnessed various harassment scandals in amateur sports, which is a new thing,” the organizer’s spokesman commented by phone.
“Nara hantei” (Nara judgment) was also listed, representing the scandal involving the Japan Amateur Boxing Federation chief allegedly pressuring referees to give favorable treatment to fighters from his native Nara Prefecture.
“Normally, more sports-related buzzwords emerge when the Olympics and the soccer World Cup are held the same year, but negative phenomena in the sports world eclipsed this year’s sporting events,” the spokesman said.
He said, however, that some buzzwords reflected the successes of Japanese athletes on the global stage.
“Naomi-bushi” (Naomi-esque) was coined amid the growing popularity of tennis star Naomi Osaka, the first Japanese player to win the Grand Slam, to refer to her soft and polite way of speaking, which contrasts the ferocity she displays on court.
“Osako hanpa nai-tte!” (“Osako’s unbelievable!”) was used to praise Samurai Blue striker Yuya Osako, who had a strong performance in the 2018 World Cup.
“Sodanē,” essentially a shortened form of sō da ne — meaning “that’s right!” — was popularized by Japan’s female curling team during the Pyeongchang Olympics, which gained them fans on their way to a bronze-medal finish.
The organizer said that both “hanpa nai-tte” and “sodanē” had the most staying power among the 30 candidates — buzzwords are normally forgotten after three or four months.
Among the nominees were also words referring to this year’s disastrous events that hit the nation in the summer, including “burakkuauto” (blackout), which occurred in Hokkaido following a major earthquake, and “saigaikyu no atsusa,” meaning disastrous heat waves.
Also among the nominees was “#MeToo,” a U.S.-born movement against sexual abuse that Japan has been criticized for being slow to embrace. Female journalist Shiori Ito, who went public with allegations of having been raped by a high profile journalist linked to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was the first to use the #MeToo hashtag in Japan.
The top 10 words and the overall winner will be announced on Dec. 3, following a screening by a seven-member selection committee including academic Kang Sang-jung, Japanese linguist Hideho Kindaichi and poet Machi Tawara.
The buzzwords were selected by Jiyukokuminsha, the publisher of the annually printed encyclopedia “Gendai Yogo no Kiso Chishiki” (“The Basic Knowledge of Current News Terms”), and the secretariat of the award-giving event.
The annual year-end contest has been held since 1984.
The words nominated for the 2018 U-Can Shingo Ryukogo Taisho (2018 U-Can New Words and Buzzword Awards) are terms that provide a unique insight into the nation’s social trends, as well as the political, business and sports news of the year.
Included on the list was “akushitsu takkuru,” meaning illegal tackle, which refers to a May incident in which a Nihon University American football club defender made an illegal late hit on the Kwansei Gakuin University quarterback at the order of then-head coach Masato Uchida. The scandal rocked the nation’s college football world.
“Until now, buzzwords related to amateur sports portrayed the sportsmen in a positive light but this year, since around May, we’ve witnessed various harassment scandals in amateur sports, which is a new thing,” the organizer’s spokesman commented by phone.
“Nara hantei” (Nara judgment) was also listed, representing the scandal involving the Japan Amateur Boxing Federation chief allegedly pressuring referees to give favorable treatment to fighters from his native Nara Prefecture.
“Normally, more sports-related buzzwords emerge when the Olympics and the soccer World Cup are held the same year, but negative phenomena in the sports world eclipsed this year’s sporting events,” the spokesman said.
He said, however, that some buzzwords reflected the successes of Japanese athletes on the global stage.
“Naomi-bushi” (Naomi-esque) was coined amid the growing popularity of tennis star Naomi Osaka, the first Japanese player to win the Grand Slam, to refer to her soft and polite way of speaking, which contrasts the ferocity she displays on court.
“Osako hanpa nai-tte!” (“Osako’s unbelievable!”) was used to praise Samurai Blue striker Yuya Osako, who had a strong performance in the 2018 World Cup.
“Sodanē,” essentially a shortened form of sō da ne — meaning “that’s right!” — was popularized by Japan’s female curling team during the Pyeongchang Olympics, which gained them fans on their way to a bronze-medal finish.
The organizer said that both “hanpa nai-tte” and “sodanē” had the most staying power among the 30 candidates — buzzwords are normally forgotten after three or four months.
Among the nominees were also words referring to this year’s disastrous events that hit the nation in the summer, including “burakkuauto” (blackout), which occurred in Hokkaido following a major earthquake, and “saigaikyu no atsusa,” meaning disastrous heat waves.
Also among the nominees was “#MeToo,” a U.S.-born movement against sexual abuse that Japan has been criticized for being slow to embrace. Female journalist Shiori Ito, who went public with allegations of having been raped by a high profile journalist linked to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was the first to use the #MeToo hashtag in Japan.
The top 10 words and the overall winner will be announced on Dec. 3, following a screening by a seven-member selection committee including academic Kang Sang-jung, Japanese linguist Hideho Kindaichi and poet Machi Tawara.
The buzzwords were selected by Jiyukokuminsha, the publisher of the annually printed encyclopedia “Gendai Yogo no Kiso Chishiki” (“The Basic Knowledge of Current News Terms”), and the secretariat of the award-giving event.
The annual year-end contest has been held since 1984.
- November 8, 2018
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