やばい

Japanese

Alternative forms

• やべえ (yabē)
• ヤベー (yabē)

Etymology

Originally a slang term used in the criminal underworld, used to indicate that the police were getting close.

Derived as a shift to an -i adjective of older -na adjective やば (yaba, “illegal, dangerous, uneasy, not going well”), itself a slang term of uncertain derivation that appears in sources from the early 1800s.

Possibly related to the ayabu- stem in 危ぶむ (ayabumu, “to fear something, to view something as dangerous”), and the ayau- stem in 危うい (ayaui, “dangerous”, ancient reading ayapui).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) やばい [yàbáꜜì] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [ja̠ba̠i]

Adjective

やばい or ヤバい • (yabai) -i (adverbial やばく (yabaku))

1. (colloquial) dangerous, risky, bad

   ちゃんとしなきゃやべぇことになるぞ

   chanto shinakya yabē koto ni naru zo

   if you don't do it like you should, shit's gonna be bad, man

   (literally, “if you don't do it properly, it will become bad things”)

2. (colloquial) risque, off-color, vulgar
3. (slang) very good, awesome, crazy, sick, wild

   あの子(こ)の制服(せいふく)姿(すがた)がヤバすぎる

   ano ko no seifuku-sugata ga yabasugiru

   she looks damn amazing in sailor uniforms

   (literally, “the sailor uniform appearance of that girl is too sick”)

Interjection

やばい

1. oh no, crap

Inflection

Inflection of やばい

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	やばかろ	yabakaro
Continuative (連用形)	やばく	yabaku
Terminal (終止形)	やばい	yabai
Attributive (連体形)	やばい	yabai
Hypothetical (仮定形)	やばけれ	yabakere
Imperative (命令形)	やばかれ	yabakare
Key constructions
Informal negative	やばくない	yabaku nai
Informal past	やばかった	yabakatta
Informal negative past	やばくなかった	yabaku nakatta
Formal	やばいです	yabai desu
Formal negative	やばくないです	yabaku nai desu
Formal past	やばかったです	yabakatta desu
Formal negative past	やばくなかったです	yabaku nakatta desu
Conjunctive	やばくて	yabakute
Conditional	やばければ	yabakereba
Provisional	やばかったら	yabakattara
Volitional	やばかろう	yabakarō
Adverbial	やばく	yabaku
Degree	やばさ	yabasa

See also

• すごい (sugoi)
• まじ卍(まんじ) (majimanji)

Further reading

• Etymology at Gogen-Allguide (in Japanese)