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まったり mattari
Slow, soft, unhurried.
What does mattari mean?
Originally about rich, rounded flavour; now it is an afternoon with nothing scheduled. Tea, sofa, no plans, no guilt.
Example
日曜の午後は家でまったりしてた。
I spent Sunday afternoon just chilling at home.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Safe to use Fine in ordinary conversation.
The story behind mattari
It started at the table. まったり was a word from Kansai food talk for a flavour that is round and rich without being heavy, the mellowness of good dashi or a properly made egg dish, and it long stayed a specialist compliment.
The gourmet media boom of the 1980s carried it out of the kitchen, and the early internet finished the job. On message boards まったりしよう asked everyone to lower the temperature, and from there it became the standard word for a slow afternoon. The taste sense survives, which is why the mood version feels physical. It is not just an empty schedule. It is a texture.
Get mattari in your pocket
まったり 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.
