This happens in Japanese, too. Every year, Japanese publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha compiles its list of the top buzzwords and phrases in Japanese.

And fortunately for us, the past couple of years the venerable Gakuranman has given us a rundown of Jiyu Kikuminsha’s lists. On Monday, the Gakuranman posted this year’s list of the top 50 Japanese buzzwords.

I love these lists because they give you a snapshot of a year of Japanese culture. Let’s dive into the most important Japanese words of 2012 and what they mean:

Japanese Fads

A lot of these words are specific to fads and trends exclusive to Japan. You might not recognize them, but at some point in 2012, they were huge in Japan.

Japan has a ton of “one-joke wonder” comedians, and this year the comedian “Wild Sugi-chan” joined their ranks.

Wild Sugi-chan’s whole schtick is that he brags about “wild” he is (he’s so wild he threw away the cap to a 2-liter soda before he even drank it!) and mixes masculine and feminine language. It’s probably a lot funnier if you’re a native Japanese speaker.

Oh, and he rocks the double denim look with a vest and shorts. Just see for yourself:

His catch phrase, ワイルドだろぉ？ (“wild, right?”) has entered the Japanese lexicon and will probably be completely forgotten by this time next year.

No shame in joining the likes of Kojima Yoshio and Dandy Sakano, Wild Sugi-chan. Enjoy the fame while it lasts.

Other Buzzwords

• ワイルドだろぉ？ (wild, right?)
• キラキラネーム (Sparkling names)
• 奇跡の一本松 (miracle pine tree)

Worldwide Trends

Not every word is about something exclusively Japanese. A lot of buzzwords and phrases are about things that people around the world experience.

There were a few words on the list that were specific to athletes at the 2012 Summer Olypmics in London, and at least a couple that were about social media; but my personal favorite is この人を見よ, or “look at this guy.”

“This guy” is none other than Jesus Christ, who was depicted in the painting Ecce Homo (“Behold the Man”), which was earnestly but poorly restored by a well-meaning Spanish woman.

It was a huge meme here in the West and I guess it made it big enough in Japan to make the list of Japan’s top 50 buzzwords of 2012. So hats off to you, Cecilia Giménez, 80-year-old Spanish artist; you’ve made it big in Japan.

Other Buzzwords

• この人を見よ (look at this guy)
• いいね！ (Facebook “Like”)
• 金メダルに負けない人生 (a life worthy of an Olympic gold medal)

There are plenty of other weird, interesting, and cool buzzwords that made the top 50. For the whole list, check out the Gakuranman’s roundup!

This is an example of something really cool (i.e. not Japanese learning)

Of course, one of Tofugu’s goals is to make Japanese learning cool again. “Again?” you ask. “But I’m so cool.” Sorry friend, but the All-Mighty Google doesn’t lie. It looks like learning Japanese is trending down, despite the popularity of anime, manga, and the like (though, actually, if you look it up those keywords are also trending down as well… Cause/correlation? Hard to tell). So how dorky and niche has Japanese learning gotten?

Japanese Language Trends

Over at Google Trends, you can see what people are searching for. In this search, I looked at “Japanese Language” to see how that was doing. As you can see since the beginning of 2004, the search “Japanese Language” has really gone down. It looks like it hasn’t quite leveled out yet, so I imagine we’ll continue to see a bit of downward trends. I wonder how language learning companies have been doing. Perhaps they are in trouble right now?

The term “Learn Japanese” has also gone down – it’s not as sharp as “Japanese Language,” but it still reflects the downward trend. Uh oh, Japanese. So, how is Japanese doing against other Asian languages?

Over the last twelve months things have been fairly level. I was surprised to see that Chinese isn’t that far ahead of Japanese, especially considering the popularity of the Chinese language recently.

So what do you think (that’s why I wrote this post, because I’m curious of your opinion)? Has Japanese become less popular? Have you noticed this trend, or is Google crazy? I’d love to hear about your experience and what you’ve noticed in the Japanese learning space.

Colorful Denim

I know that the thought of buying hot pink jeans may be a little daunting at first, but trust me, colorful denim can work. The key is to make your jeans the focal point. This can be achieved by choosing a looser top (a tight top will make it look like you’re trying to hard) in a neutral hue (e.g. beige, white, black, or pastel). When shopping, keep in mind that you may have to try on jeans of many different colors/shades before you find the perfect pair.

Colored denim in a store near you: Wet Seal, Forever21 (1,2), and Levis

Vests

Let’s face it, vests aren’t really functional on their own; they’re more of an accessory than an actual piece of clothing. Still, I love vests because they really finish an outfit, adding a bit of interest to an otherwise basic tank-top-and-jean outfit or giving a chiffon dress (see next section) a more grounded, edgy feel. There really aren’t too many rules when looking for vests, other than to keep proportions (i.e. the relative lengths of everything you’re wearing) in mind.

Vests at a store near you: JCPenney, Forever21, Target

Chiffon

Girly and romantic, chiffon is all over Japanese fashion magazines right now. It’s no wonder, either, since the fabric is pretty light-weight and perfect for the warmer months. The trend of dark chiffon with small floral prints has carried over from winter, though colorful pieces are also very popular. Because chiffon shirts and dresses are generally quite voluminous, make sure to balance them out with something more form-fitting, such as a tighter t-shirt, skinny jeans, a vest, etc.

Chiffon at a store near you: Forever21, Macy’s, Charlotte Russe

Black & Navy Blazers

Although the weather may not call for gloves and wool coats, some summer days can be unexpectedly cool, which is why everyone should have at least one great-fitting blazer waiting in their closet this season. They’re super versatile and look great with everything. When shopping, look for blazers with elbow-length sleeves and hems that hit at the hip or slightly above (go shorter if you’re petite, longer if you’re tall), to avoid looking too business-like.

Blazers at a store near you: Topshop, Target, Old Navy

Neon Windbreakers

Speaking of outerwear, another good transitional piece for the coming months is a brightly colored light jacket. Wear them with shorts or skirts, for a not-so-conventional sporty look. If you’re not up for wearing electric yellow or lime green, try a jewel tone (e.g. ruby or sapphire), instead.

Neon windbreakers in a store near you: American Apparel, Forever21, Macy’s (1,2)

Fringe Boots

I’ll be honest with you–I don’t understand this trend at all. I guess I just can’t wrap my head around the “Prairie Chic” look. These boots are very popular with Japanese girls, though, as well as with a few Hollywood starlets. Even my roommate, Etsuko, has a pair. Anyway, I’ve mostly seen these boots worn with dresses and skirts, with tights/long socks or without. Try them if you dare.

Fringe boots at a store near you: Delias, Urban Outfitters, Zappos

That’s all for now, folks. I hope this article gave you some good ideas!

Picture Sources: Jille, Non-no, Spring, Soup, Ar, PS, Zipper, Mina

This Post Brought to you By…

I want to thank all of you for your help. By filling out my questionnaire I (might) be able to finish my thesis on time! I will be getting to all of your thank you cards eventually, though I wouldn’t expect them right away. I still have to finish my thesis first, and then I’ll get cracking on them, I promise. I’ve read through all of them and I’m incredibly impressed. They were full of things I never expected. For example, who knew that almost everybody hates pair work? I certainly didn’t. Also, did you know that people who are self taught have the tendency to be more comfortable with speaking, whereas those who are taught in a formal setting (like school) tend to be more comfortable with reading and writing?

Anyways, the best part about the survey was when famous bloggers who blog on Japan helped me out. I have to say I was startled when I got submissions from some of the big names. Although they are really just normal people like you and I, I thought you might want to see what they had to say, since they are “professionals” on the subject, and all.

Ken Y-N from WhatJapanThinks:
Q: What is your methodology to learning Japanese?
A: The best strategy I’ve found for myself usually involves me putting all the kanji I’d like to learn into an Excel spreadsheet. From there I poll myself to figure out what kanji is most likely to cause me future problems. After exporting it onto a grassy-colored graph, I know exactly what I need to work on. I really wish I could get a bigger poll base than myself, due to scientific reliability and such, but so far I’ve memorized the kanjis 世 and 論 down pretty good.

Claytonian from “The Hopeless Romantic”
Q: What textbooks do you use?
A: I use “How to Score in Japanese.” You see, I always seem to be having these girl problems, and I never know why, so I feel like this book is probably very effective.
Q: If you don’t use a textbook, then what do you use?
A: My kitten. Whenever some nasty Japanese grammar gets me down, I just pick my kitten up and show it to everybody. When cats aren’t working I try making love to a pillow, which is just a fall back…really, I swear.

Chris from GaijinTonic: “drinking adventures in Japan”
Q: How do you best learn Japanese?
A: Definitely sitting in a bar.
Q: Do you find pair work to be effective?
A: Yes, bars are very social places.
Q: Why?
A: Because I’m sooooo drunk right now. In Japanese, that’s “yotteiru.”

Nick from LongCountdown
Q: How do you best learn Japanese?
A: I like to put all my grammar points up on JapanSoc and ask people to vote them up. Once a grammar point gets three votes, it appears on the front page. From there, I can see all of the most popular Japanese grammar points in one, convenient place!

MagiBon from Youtube
Q: What textbook do you use to learn Japanese?
A: *smile*
Q: How do you best learn Japanese?
A: *Strange turtle smile*
Q: Do you find pair work to be effective?
A: *Waves hysterically, instantly becomes famous*

So there you have it. The best of the best coming to help out little old me. I’ll be publishing more information on all the data you’ve given to me in the next couple of weeks…possibly in the form of an e-book. I’m thinking of writing two versions of my thesis:

1) Boring, not entertaining, and given to my professor.

2) Exciting, full of pictures, very sarcastic, and given to you for your enjoyment.

I’ll probably be asking more questions / putting up voting polls for a few things I am still wondering about, but that will come later tonight or earlier tomorrow. They won’t be nearly as complicated as the last one, so I hope you can help me out a little bit more when they come out. I’m learning all sorts of really interesting things, and I’m excited to be able to compile everything and eventually regurgitate them at you, like a mother bird and her children (yuck!).

Finally, I promise normal content will resume shortly! It’s been a while since I’ve really been able to sit down and write for Tofugu on a very consistent basis.

Also, if you’re interested in seeing the statistics I’ve gathered up so far, you can click here.