Japanese · Exclamations
ビビる
bibiru
bee-BEE-roo · /bibiɾɯ/
Freaked out / spooked / rattled
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"to flinch / be spooked"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Casual verb for getting startled or scared — a jump-scare, a sudden loud noise, a scary boss. "Bibitta!" = "that freaked me out!" Also thrown as a taunt: "bibitten no?" = "you scaredy-cat?" Fully colloquial, never formal.
Heard in the wild
急に後ろから来てビビった。
You came up behind me — freaked me out.
Where it lands
Nationwide
Quick answers
- What does "ビビる" mean?
- In Japanese, "ビビる" means "Freaked out / spooked / rattled". Literally it's "to flinch / be spooked". Casual verb for getting startled or scared — a jump-scare, a sudden loud noise, a scary boss. "Bibitta!" = "that freaked me out!" Also thrown as a taunt: "bibitten no?" = "you scaredy-cat?" Fully colloquial, never formal.
- Is "ビビる" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "ビビる"?
- Say it "bee-BEE-roo" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: bibiɾɯ.
Related in Japanese
マジ maji MAH-jee Seriously / for real / no joke いてえ itee (itai) ee-TEH Ow! / Ouch! / That hurts! マジか maji ka MAH-jee kah For real?! / Are you kidding me?! うそ uso OO-so No way! / You're kidding! / That can't be true! げっ ge' GEH Ugh / yuck / oh no たっけえ takkee (takai) tahk-KEH Damn, that's expensive! / highway robbery
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