146 / 308
マジ maji
Wait — seriously?
What does maji mean?
Both a question and an amplifier. マジ？ is disbelief; マジで in front of anything promises there is no exaggeration here.
Example
え、マジでそれ言ったの？
Wait, you seriously said that?
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.
Culture note
It is a clip of 真面目 (serious), and records suggest performers were already using it backstage in the Edo period. Two centuries on, it is still the fastest route to no, really.
The story behind maji
Older than it sounds. マジ is a clipping of 真面目, serious, and records suggest stage performers were already using it backstage in the Edo period, long before anyone thought of it as youth slang. Two centuries later it is still the shortest route to are you actually telling me the truth.
Its modern life began in the 1980s, when it settled in as the standard youth intensifier, and it has been renewing itself ever since. The late 2010s produced マジ卍, a decorative flourish that burned bright and briefly. The plain form outlasts all of them, because every generation needs a way to stop a conversation and check.
Get maji in your pocket
マジ 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.
