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二次会 nijikai
The after-party. Where it really starts.
What does nijikai mean?
Round two. The dinner ends, everyone stands up, and half the group migrates to a bar or karaoke to keep going. The real conversation usually happens here.
Example
二次会はカラオケでいい？
Is karaoke okay for the after-party?
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Safe to use Fine in ordinary conversation.
The story behind nijikai
A Japanese night out is built in numbered floors. The ichijikai is the seated dinner with speeches and a set course; the nijikai is where ties loosen, the karaoke machine appears, and people finally say what they think. There is a sanjikai for the committed, and a last bowl of ramen for the truly lost.
Weddings run the same architecture: the formal reception for family and bosses, then a separate paid after-party where friends take over. Bowing out after round one is perfectly acceptable and still, every single time, requires a small excuse.
Get nijikai in your pocket
二次会 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.
