Tokyo word
ウケる (ukeru)
That is funny, hilarious, or amusing.
Uses your device’s built-in voice. Pronunciation is approximate because available voices and tokyo pronunciation vary.
Meaning
In casual Japanese, ウケる can react to something as funny or amusing. It comes from a broader verb meaning to receive or be well received, but conversational use often functions like that is hilarious.
Pronunciation and grammar
Pronunciation: /ɯ.ke.ɾɯ/
Part of speech: verb and interjection
How it is used
Speakers use it after a joke, surprising story, awkward moment, or amusing observation.
Register: Very informal contemporary Japanese.
Examples in context
- その写真、ウケる。That photo is hilarious.
- 彼の言い方がウケた。The way he said it made people laugh.
Important context
Laughing at a person or serious situation can sound insensitive, so context and relationship matter.
Source
Origin and background
The casual Japanese expression ウケる comes from a verb meaning to receive, but in informal speech it commonly reacts to something as funny, ridiculous, or unexpectedly entertaining.
Cultural context
It may be spoken as an immediate reaction or written in messages. Depending on tone, it can show genuine laughter, amused disbelief, or mild mockery.
When to use it
Use it casually among peers when reacting to something humorous or absurd.
When not to use it
Avoid it when someone is describing pain, embarrassment, or a serious problem that should not be treated as entertainment.
Example conversation
A: He joined the video call with the cat filter on.
B: Ukeru! Did he notice?
Read the exchange as a complete interaction. Relationship, intonation, timing, and the reply often communicate more than a literal dictionary substitution.
Common misunderstanding
It does not always translate naturally as the English verb “receive.” The conversational slang sense is closer to “that’s funny.”
Regional and speaker variation
Ukeru is not used with identical frequency or meaning by every speaker in Tokyo and Japanese conversation. Age, neighbourhood, community, profession, formality, and personal style affect whether it sounds ordinary, marked, playful, dated, or unfamiliar.
Recognition is therefore different from permission to perform a local identity. Visitors and learners usually sound more natural when they understand the term first and use neutral language until the relationship and setting support it.
How to interpret real examples
Compare several complete examples rather than copying one sentence. Check who is speaking, what happened immediately before it, how the listener responds, and whether the expression softens, intensifies, jokes, agrees, or criticises.
Spelling is also an imperfect guide to sound. Use the pronunciation support as orientation, then listen for rhythm, stress, reductions, and speaker variation in full phrases.
Similar words and related language
- omoshiroi
- warau
- kusa
Compare this entry with the Tokyo and Japanese conversation guide for this usage type and the complete LocalMean guide directory.