You’re watching your favorite anime series and you hear it, “Sugoi!”. You’re scrolling through Instagram and see that your friends won their soccer match and read one of the comments, “Sugoi!”.
The Japanese foreign exchange student uses it constantly with her girlfriends. You notice it in the caption of a tweet someone posts about a beautiful dinner they had.
This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
Sugoi is a Japanese word used most often as an exclamation for anything you find impressive, beautiful, terrible, or awful.
It is most similar to the English words of “wow”, “terrific”, “congratulations”, “gorgeous”, “whoa”, “dreadful”, or “crazy”. It can also communicate an agreement to something.
Sugoi can be used to describe how you feel when you are struck by awe or so overwhelmed with excitement in a positive or negative way. It can also be used in a sarcastic tone, particularly in reference to how something or someone smells.
The context in which it is used will clearly indicate a positive or negative meaning. More information can be found in the video (here).
Example Usage
“I got us front row tickets to Bruno Mars!” “Sugoi sugoi!!!”
“You beat that game in a week?! Sugoi!”
You hear the most beautiful song in your life and whisper: “Sugoi”
“Sugoi. That guy won’t leave me alone and is giving me the creeps.”
“Did you smell that girl’s perfume?.. sugoi sugoi”
Origin of Sugoi
Sugoi is a Japanese word meaning splendid or fantastic when used positively and can also mean terrible or ghastly when used negatively.
It is a commonly used word in Japanese literature and spoken language that is used to describe or condone a myriad of things: how something tastes, to indicate that something is nice, to say a person is good looking, to express excitement, or to give congratulations to someone.
Sugoi is used frequently in Japanese speech but does not have the same freedom and flexibility as English words like ‘cool’ or ‘awesome’. It should only be used as a superlative, in place of extreme descriptions, or to convey astonishment.
Phrases Similar to Sugoi
- Gem: A term meaning that something is incredible or extremely beautiful
- “She’s such a gem, I’ve never met anyone like her”
- GOAT: An acronym meaning “Greatest of All Time”
- “Giannis Antetokounmo is only 27 years old and has the most points in franchise history #goat”
- Hai: A Japanese term meaning yes in an enthusiastic way
- “Let’s go out with Liam tonight!” “Hai hai!”
Phrases Opposite to Sugoi
- Mid: Mediocre or mid-tier, not the worst but nothing to get excited about
- “Their face is a 10 but their body is mid.”
- Solid: A term used to describe that something is okay or stable
- “That coffeeshop has some pretty solid options.”
- Yeah no: A contradictory and sarcastic phrase to answer ‘no’ in response to a question
- “Yeah no, I’m fine, it’s fine, everything’s fine.”
What is the Correct Saying?
- Sugoi: Most often used in English positively, as a way to say something is fantastic or terrific or as a replacement for the word ‘wow’.
Ways People May Incorrectly Say Sugoi
People may use sugoi in a context where it is not entirely interchangeable with a word like ‘wow’, ‘terrific’, ‘awful, or ‘disgusting’. Some ways that OFN is used incorrectly are:
- Your brown pants are pretty Sugoi, you know that?
- Eating a whole cheeseburger is pretty
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Sugoi
- That roller coaster looks pretty Sugoi, let’s go stand in line, I want to try it out!
- Did you see Charlee’s new car, it is so Sugoi and super trendy at the moment.
- Marvel has been releasing some pretty Sugoi movies in their Universe series lately.
- I really love how much you care for me, your attention to detail is just Sugoi in its excellence.
- That Sauvage cologne collab with Johhny Depp is pretty Sugoi.