What Does Maji Mean In Japanese? - Suki Desu

Have you ever asked about the meaning of the expression Maji? Or perhaps its variations like Maji Yabai, Maji De, Maji Ureshii? In this article, we will delve into the meaning of Maji and its root word Majime.

The word “maji” is used not only by young people but also by many adults in Japan. The slang expresses something serious and unexpected. Like: “Are you kidding? Seriously? I can’t believe it? It can’t be?”.

Table of Contents

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• Majime – The Origin of Maji
• What is the real meaning of Maji?
  • Variations and expressions with Maji:
• What does Maji Yabai mean?
• Majiyabakune [まじやばくね]
• What do Majide and Majika mean?
• What does Maji Manji mean?
• Sentences using Maji
• Gachi and Synonyms of Maji
  • Gachi x Maji
  • List of Synonyms of Maji
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Majime – The Origin of Maji

The expressive slang “Maji” became popular among young people in the 1980s, but in fact, this expression has existed since the Edo Period and was used normally.

Also read: From the Edo Period to the End of the Shogunate – History of Japan

The word originated from the adjective [真面目] which means serious and honest. This word began to be used as a language among the artists behind the scenes in Theater and Industry.

The word “Majide” which expresses seriousness and sincerity eventually became the adverb we know as “Maji”, but both words are frequently used in the Japanese language.

The first times the expression was mentioned in songs in the 80s, the word had the meaning of seriously. Like in the expression:

• Maji ni omae wo daita;
• マジにお前をだいた
• I hugged you seriously;

With the popularization of Japanese delinquents Yankii, the expression “Maji Daze” ended up being spread, mainly in the anime and manga of the time.

We recommend reading: Bosozoku, Yankii and Sukeban – Japanese Gangs

In 1986, a manga titled in Japanese [本気] was normally read as “Honki”, but in this case, it was titled “Maji!”. Both words are synonyms with the same meaning.

Both “Maji” and “Honki” convey the idea of seriousness, truth, and sanctity, which ended up being a perfect combination that further spread the meaning of the word, thus creating the famous slang.

The manga in question shows young Japanese delinquents and the Japanese Mafia Yakuza. It might be of interest to take a look at this manga that popularized the expression “maji”.

What is the real meaning of Maji?

Now that you know the origin and meaning of “Maji”, let’s understand more deeply the meaning of this expression. Notice that its meaning has some nuances to highlight:

The expression「マジ」can be used to describe a person’s behavior when they are upset about something, or when they are doing work seriously.

The expression also states that you are speaking honestly and seriously. You can also use the expression to emphasize your assessment when you doubt something or when something seems greater than expected.

Maji is also often used as a prefix to combine with other words like the famous expressions majiyabai or majiureshii, this combination presents something serious or extreme.

Maji can be written in both Hiragana [まじ] and Katakana [マジ]. As a spoken slang in isolation, this expression conveys ideas such as:

• Seriously
• Really
• Truly
• It’s not a joke
• Really
• Genuinely

Used with other particles and expressions, “Maji” further emphasizes the doubt and seriousness of the subject, the surprise and the extremity of the context, it is so easy to pronounce that it is often used as a habit without any significant meaning.

Variations and expressions with Maji:

• ええ まじで;
• まじ? 嬉しい;
• マジで
• マジか;
• マジ卍
• まじやばい
• まじやばくね
• マジパない

What does Maji Yabai mean?

We previously wrote an article discussing the complex meaning of Yabai. And when we hear the expression “maji yabai”, what does it mean?

Originally, this expression conveys the idea of being very worried, as if someone were seriously in danger. Of course, the situation and context can change this degree of danger.

This expression, being slang, can end up being used in a non-serious situation, or perhaps as a joke or with common sense, perhaps showing a possible bad situation from a certain point of view that is about to happen.

Some translators end up translating this expression depending on the context as:

• Seriously? Wow!
• That’s so sick!
• Seriously! Isn’t that dangerous?
• Seriously! That’s dangerous!

Its current nuance is quite different from the Showa Era [1926-1989] where the expression was more positive than negative. Even today, such expression can refer to something positive, but that is not always the case.

I think one of the reasons why young people conveniently use maji yabai is that it is easy to pronounce. It has a very broad meaning of words and spreads widely among people.

Also read: Do you know what Yabai means?

Majiyabakune [まじやばくね]

Another variant expression of “Maji Yabai” is “Maji Yabakune” which transforms Yabai into Yabakune. The character Kanna Kamui from Maid Dragon often uses this expression very frequently.

It is very difficult to explain the meaning of “maji yabakune”, since yabai is a word that can be both negative and positive, even if it is in the negative form [やばくない] or in an ascending intonation, it is unclear whether the person is denying, doubting, or confirming without understanding the context.

In the anime, Kanna Kamui, after seeing the frequent use of these words among young people, concludes that this word can be the answer to any situation, which is somewhat true.

The most suitable translation for the expression majiyabakune [マジやばくね] could be something like:

Example: Don’t you think that’s amazing?

これはすごいと思いませんか Kore wa sugoi to omoimasen ka

The English translation of this expression was something like “You’re wicked” which can mean something both good and bad.

What do Majide and Majika mean?

The expression Majide [マジで] is the combination of [マジ] with the particle “DE” [で]. It is usually translated as:

• Is that true?
• You must be kidding!

The expression Majika [マジか] is the combination of [マジ] with the particle “KA” [か]. In this situation, the [か] does not always express a question, but rather an exclamation.

The slang Majika can end up being translated as:

• No way!
• No kidding?
• Seriously?
• Seriously?
• Come on!
• Wow.
• My God.

What does Maji Manji mean?

Maji Manji [マジ卍] is a common expression found in some mangas that uses the famous and controversial swastika. It is usually found in isolated speech bubbles or at the end of sentences.

Also read: Differences between the Buddhist Swastika and the Nazi Swastika

Majimanji is a word that expresses that you feel very excited in some way, whether good or bad. Generally, this expression is used to emphasize your excitement about something.

It is usually used to show excitement, energy, and strength; its nuance of strength is often seen in motorcycle gangs. This expression can also be seen as a compliment. Remember that the swastika in Japan differs from the Nazi swastika with another meaning related to Buddhism.

Often, the repetition of [卍] tends to mean Yabai [やばい], so it ends up being synonymous with Maji Yabai. Perhaps the pronunciation sounds better because the only change in the phrase is the letter N [ん].

Sentences using Maji

Below are some sentences that use the expression “maji”. Notice how the expression combines with other similar slang that express things like “very, really, and surprising”.

This person is really a coward あいつマジで へタレ。 Aitsu maji de hetare. Seriously? You are amazing マジで　おまえすげーよ！ Majide?? Omae Sugeyo! You are very annoying お前、マジムカつく。 Omae, maji mukatsuku. Hey, that was really surprising おいおい、マジビビったよー。 Oi oi, maji bibitta yo-. That car is so cool あの車、まじでかっこいいね！ Ano kuruma majide kakkoiine! Please, seriously, please お願い、マジでお願い。 Onegai, maji de onegai. This is amazing マジパない。 Maji panai. I am so bored まじで暇だわ Majide hima dawa。

Gachi and Synonyms of Maji

Being slang, such expression has fallen into common usage, many tend to use these expressions so much that it becomes something annoying and irritating for some.

If you don’t have control over the use of “maji”, you can learn synonyms to use in different situations. Below are some words with meanings similar to “maji”.

• Honki [本気] – gravity; seriousness; truth;
• Daiji [大事] – Adjective meaning something important or serious;
• Shiriasu [シリアス] – From English “serious”;
• Taihen [大変] – Means something terrible; immense and serious;
• Gachi [ガチ] – Serious; honest; real; legitimate;

Gachi x Maji

This is another slang widely used that also conveys a nuance of seriousness. “Gachi” is an abbreviation of the sumo term “gachinko” [ガチンコ] which means “serious fight”.

The difference between “Maji” and “Gachi” is that “maji” is generally used in situations that you or someone close has caused, while “gachi” is used in unexpected and unpredictable situations.

While maji conveys the idea of seriousness, gachi conveys more the idea of tension and agility involved.

List of Synonyms of Maji

Below are some more words that can express the meaning of Maji or vice versa. The translation is quite basic, we recommend delving deeper using a dictionary like Jisho.

We also recommend reading: How to translate and learn Japanese using Jisho?

Japanese	Romaji	Portuguese
本気	honki	seriously
本音	hon’ne	real intention
大真面目	dai majime	serious
マジ	maji	really
真面目	majime	serious
本心	honshin	real intention
本の心	hon no kokoro	heart of the book
生真面目	kimajime	serious
糞真面目	kuso majime	seriously crap
真面目腐る	majimekusaru	seriously rotten
常軌	jōki	normal
正気	shōki	sanity
普通の感覚	futsū no kankaku	normal feeling
冗談抜き	jōdan nuki	seriously
心意気	kokoroiki	spirit
本腰を入れて	hongoshi o irete	put your heart into it
容赦しない	yōsha shinai	relentless
見据える	misueru	look at
気を張る	kiwoharu	be careful
入れこみ方が違う	irekomi hō ga chigau	the way to insert is different
目付きが変わる	metsuki ga kawaru	the look changes
切り結ぶ	kirimusubu	cut and tie
やる気	yaruki	motivation
心から	kokorokara	from the bottom of my heart
真剣	shinken	seriously
常識	jōshiki	common sense
オーソドックス	ōsodokkusu	orthodox
気は確か	ki wa tashika	I’m sure
手加減しない	tekagen shinai	no adjustment
気を入れる	ki o ireru	to concentrate
身を入れる	miwoireru	put yourself in
ガチンコで	gachinko de	with gachinko
手抜きなし	tenuki nashi	no omissions
いろめきたつ	iromeki tatsu	irome kitatsu
乗り気気張る	noriki kibaru	be enthusiastic
気合いが入る	kiai ga hairu	I’m excited
意気	iki	go
腰が入る	koshi ga hairu	I get a waist
本格的に	honkaku-teki ni	authentic
真面目本当	majime hontō	seriously true
本腰	hongoshi	serious
真剣味	shinken aji	serious taste
真剣み	shinken mi	serious
誠実	seijitsu	sincerity
ガチ	gachi	gachi
真摯	shinshi	sincere
気構え	kigamae	attitude
姿勢	shisei	posture
腰を入れる	koshiwoireru	put your hips in
本腰でかかる	hongoshi de kakaru	take it seriously
心構え	kokorogamae	attitude
心組み	kokorogumi	mind
心掛ける	kokorogakeru	goal to do
本腰を据える	hon koshiwosueru	talk seriously

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