Japanese · Joy & Triumph
すげえ
sugee (sugoi)
soo-GEH · /sɯɡeː/
Awesome! / Whoa! / Incredible!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"amazing / terrible (intensity word)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The rough, excited form of sugoi — "sick!" / "whoa!" The polite sugoi is unisex and everywhere; the clipped "sugee" and "sugee-na" are male-leaning hype. Works as a standalone gasp or an intensifier: "sugee umai" = crazy delicious. One of the most-used positive exclamations in the language.
Heard in the wild
この花火すげえ!
These fireworks are incredible!
Where it lands
Nationwide
Quick answers
- What does "すげえ" mean?
- In Japanese, "すげえ" means "Awesome! / Whoa! / Incredible!". Literally it's "amazing / terrible (intensity word)". The rough, excited form of sugoi — "sick!" / "whoa!" The polite sugoi is unisex and everywhere; the clipped "sugee" and "sugee-na" are male-leaning hype. Works as a standalone gasp or an intensifier: "sugee umai" = crazy delicious. One of the most-used positive exclamations in the language.
- Is "すげえ" 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 "すげえ"?
- Say it "soo-GEH" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: sɯɡeː.
Related in Japanese
やばい yabai yah-BYE Insane / crazy / no way — good OR bad, from context うまい umai / umee oo-MYE Delicious! / So good! / Nailed it! やった yatta YAHT-tah Yes! / I did it! / We won! 最高 saikō sigh-KOH The best! / awesome / peak 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
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "That's awesome".
- French Ça déchire ! That rocks! / That's awesome!
- German Geil! Awesome! / Sick! / Hell yes!
- Greek ρε μαλάκα Hey man / dude / bro — the affectionate-insult greeting between friends.
- Italian Figo! Cool! / Awesome! / Sick!
- Korean 존나 Fucking / hella — the vulgar intensifier that goes in front of everything.
- Polish zajebisty Fucking awesome / badass — the great slang-POSITIVE of the jebać family.
- Portuguese Do caralho Fucking awesome — OR, with 'casa do', the middle of nowhere
- Russian Класс! Awesome! / Great! / Cool!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.