Japanese · Joy & Triumph
最高
saikō
sigh-KOH · /saikoː/
The best! / awesome / peak
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"the highest / maximum"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
"The highest" — this is the best, top-tier, doesn't get better. A day, a meal, a concert, a person. The exact positive mirror of saitei (the worst). Grandma-safe and beloved: "kyō wa saikо̄ datta" = today was the absolute best.
Heard in the wild
天気も最高、メンバーも最高。
Perfect weather, perfect crew — the best.
Where it lands
Nationwide
Quick answers
- What does "最高" mean?
- In Japanese, "最高" means "The best! / awesome / peak". Literally it's "the highest / maximum". "The highest" — this is the best, top-tier, doesn't get better. A day, a meal, a concert, a person. The exact positive mirror of saitei (the worst). Grandma-safe and beloved: "kyō wa saikо̄ datta" = today was the absolute best.
- Is "最高" 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 "最高"?
- Say it "sigh-KOH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: saikoː.
Related in Japanese
やばい yabai yah-BYE Insane / crazy / no way — good OR bad, from context やった yatta YAHT-tah Yes! / I did it! / We won! うまい umai / umee oo-MYE Delicious! / So good! / Nailed it! よっしゃ yossha YOSH-shah Alright! / Let's go! / Here we go! 気持ちいい kimochii kee-mo-CHEE Feels so good / that's the stuff すげえ sugee (sugoi) soo-GEH Awesome! / Whoa! / Incredible!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Hell yes".
- French Ça déchire ! That rocks! / That's awesome!
- German Geil! Awesome! / Sick! / Hell yes!
- Greek ώπα Oops! / Hey, watch it! / Let's go! — NOT mainly the plate-smashing tourist cheer.
- Italian Grande! Nice one! / You legend! / Way to go!
- Korean 아싸! Yes! / score! — the fist-pump syllables.
- Polish zajebisty Fucking awesome / badass — the great slang-POSITIVE of the jebać family.
- Portuguese Que massa! How cool! / Awesome!
- Russian Офигенно! Freaking awesome! / Amazing!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.