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めんどい mendoi
Such a hassle.
What does mendoi mean?
Lazy shorthand for mendoukusai, because saying the whole word is itself a bit of a hassle.
Example
返信するのめんどい。
Replying is such a hassle.
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 mendoi
The full expression means bothersome, and it is four syllables too long for the feeling it describes. So it was shortened, and shortened again, and mendoi is where the process rested: a word whose own form demonstrates its meaning.
This is one of the most quietly revealing words in casual Japanese, because it does an enormous amount of social work. It excuses a delayed reply, a skipped errand, an unanswered group invitation, all without claiming to be busy and without pretending to be sorry. It is honest in a way that busyness never is, which may be why nobody minds hearing it. Everyone recognises the condition immediately.
Get mendoi in your pocket
めんどい 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.
