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あざす azasu
Thanks, but make it one breath.
What does azasu mean?
ありがとうございます compressed until only the edges survive. Matey and warm among friends, far too breezy for your boss.
Example
差し入れあざす！
Thanks for the snacks!
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Friends only Casual. Natural with friends, out of place at work or with strangers.
The story behind azasu
あざす is ありがとうございます with everything soft removed. The eight syllables get squeezed until only the corners are left, and the result is closer to a nod than a sentence. Longer variants like あざーす survive alongside it, usually shouted rather than spoken.
The register comes from places where greetings are a reflex rather than a message. Japanese sports clubs drill them constantly, and part-time crews pass them across a counter mid-rush, so speed beats grammar. Between friends it lands as warm and unfussy. Aimed upward at a manager or a client it lands as careless, and the full form is not actually that long.
Get azasu in your pocket
あざす is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
