How to Use “Bimyou” (微妙) Without Being Bimyou : Do you wanna learn some slang? Well, buckle up. Because today we’re going to talk about some slang, bimyou, that’s actually pretty useful in everyday life.
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How to Use “Bimyou” (微妙) Without Being Bimyou
To be fair, the word “bimyou” (微妙) didn’t start off as slang, but it’s definitely used as slang pretty regularly. I’m serious, people use this word all the time.
| English | Romaji | Japanese |
| Not really… | Bimyou(びみょう) | 微妙 |
| a subtle difference | Bimyou(びみょう) na chigai | 微妙な違い |
| a sensitive issue | Bimyou(びみょう) na mondai | 微妙な問題 |
| it’s doubtful. | Bimyou(びみょう) da | 微妙だ |
| I’m not sure about tomorrow (but probably not). | Ashita wa Bimyou(びみょう) desu ne… | 明日は微妙ですね… |
| I’m not sure… | Chotto Bimyou(びみょう) desu ne | ちょっと微妙ですね |
Bimyou(びみょう) – The Dictionary Definition
Let’s start off by looking at how “bimyou” is used in a normal context. When you look it up, it has a lot of definitions that are similar, but not quite the same. The big three meanings I found were “subtle,” “sensitive,” and “doubtful.”
To use the examples the dictionary gave as explanations, a “bimyou na chigai” (微妙な違い) is a subtle difference, a “bimyou na mondai” (微妙な問題) is a sensitive issue, and “bimyou da” (微妙だ) can mean “it’s doubtful.”
These are all valid uses of “bimyou,” and you’d be fine using it in any of these ways. However, I think you’ll probably hear it used more as slang.
Slang Time!
So let’s look at how it’s used as slang. “Bimyou” in this case is used to express negative feelings towards something, but in a non committal sort of way.
A lot of times in Japanese, it can be rude to just say “no” or “I don’t like it.” One thing that took me a while to learn was if I didn’t like a food, I couldn’t just say “kirai.” I would have to use the phrase “Kirai jya nai desu kedo…” (嫌いじゃないですけど…), which literally means “It’s not that I don’t like it but…” This told people I didn’t like it, even though I was literally saying the opposite of that.
“Bimyou” isn’t saying the opposite like that phrase, but it is a softer way to say something was bad. If you went to a new restaurant, and your friend asks how it was, instead of just saying it was “mazui” (まずい), you can soften it by saying “bimyou.” It still means it wasn’t good, but it’s less direct than just stating that it was gross.
You can also use “bimyou” to turn things down in a less direct way. If your friend wants to hang out tomorrow, but you don’t think you can, you can say “Ashita wa bimyou desu ne…” (明日は微妙ですね…). This is a lot softer than just saying no. It would kind of translate to “I’m not sure about tomorrow (but probably not).” Another good word to add to this is “chotto” (ちょっと), which means “a little.” Saying “Chotto bimyou desu ne” (ちょっと微妙ですね) can soften the sentence even more.
I’ve heard people use “bimyou” to also mean something was so-so or mediocre. You can do this too, but just know that when it’s used as slang, it usually leans towards the negative side. If someone were to describe a book as “bimyou,” I would assume they didn’t like it very much.
Japanese Slang “Bimyou”
Bimyou(びみょう) means sketchy?
Sometimes I’ve heard people use “bimyou” the way an English speaker might use “sketchy,” as in the slang version of “sketchy.” It’s used to describe something that just seems a bit off, and not in a good way.
The cool thing about “bimyou” is that it can fit into normal conversations just as well as slang. This makes it a really useful word to know.
With the sentence before about telling your friend you can’t hang out tomorrow, you may have noticed that I ended it with “desu ne,” which is more polite. If you use polite language like this, you could say the same sentence in a more formal situation. For example, if your supervisor asked you to finish a report by tomorrow, but you aren’t sure if you can finish it, you can say the exact same sentence: “Ashita wa bimyou desu ne…”
In both the formal and informal situations, it kind of follows the dictionary definition of “doubtful,” and it keeps that negative connotation. “Bimyou” is a really versatile word because it can be used as slang or in more formal Japanese without changing its meaning very much.
Bimyou(びみょう) – You Should Use Words Like This
Japanese tends to be a lot less direct than English. Words like this are great ways to make your speaking less direct, while still conveying the meaning you want. It’s good to learn words like this to help your Japanese sound more natural and so the Japanese people you speak with don’t get uncomfortable.
Sometimes you’ll have to change your thinking to speak Japanese properly. You have to learn to not just say “kirai,” even though in English you could just say “I don’t like this.” Culture is a huge part of language learning, and being able to understand and express emotions in a more Japanese way will help you get even better with your speaking and listening.
It will help you feel more comfortable, and it will help the Japanese people you speak with be more comfortable as well. And plus, your Japanese won’t be bimyou.
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