The focus of this lesson is teaching you some very common Japanese expressions you might not learn from a Japanese teacher.
すごい

• (Sugoi) – An adjective meaning “wow,” “amazing,” or “great.” This word is commonly heard and is often used when one hears or sees something interesting or unusual.

バカ

• (Baka) –  A noun meaning “idiot” or “fool.” When used as baka na (バカな), it becomes an adjective meaning “stupid.” This word can either be insulting or playful depending on how it is used.

• When used in a serious manner, it can come across as a strong insult, so it’s better to exercise caution with this word.

うそ！

•  (Uso!) – literally means “lie,” but when used as an exclamation, it corresponds to “No way!” or “Really!?” in English.

Words used by young people:

•  超(Chō) – a slangy adverb that usually comes before adjectives to emphasize them, making this word the equivalent of “very,” “so,” or “really.”

• や ばい(Yabai) – a very slangy word that has a few different meanings. When used as an exclamation (yabai!), it usually indicates that something is wrong and roughly means “oh no!” or “shoot!”

•  When used to describe something, it can have both a good meaning and a bad meaning depending on the context.

• マ ジ(Maji) – similar to chō in that it often comes before adjectives to emphasize them. When used as “maji de?!”(マジで?!), it becomes an exclamation meaning “Really?!” or “Are you serious?!”

•  す げー(Sugē) – a colloquial version of the above-mentioned sugoi. In young people’s speech (and particularly in young male speech), the “-oi” and “-ai” word endings turn into an “eh” sound.

• あいづち (Aizuchi) – frequent interjections listeners make during a Japanese conversation that show the listener is paying attention to and understanding the speaker. They can include things such as:

•  そうそう／だよね～(Sō sō／Da yo ne~) “Yeah” or “I know~” (expressing agreement)

•  うんうん (un un) “Okay” or “Yeah”. Sometimes used just to show that you are listening.

• へぇー(Hē) “Whoa!” or “Oh!”. This is often used to show that you are impressed or that you didn’t know something.