やばい

Japanese

Alternative forms

(informal) やべえ (yabē)
(slang) ヤヴァい (yavai)

Etymology

Alternative spellings
ヤバいヤバイ

Originally a slang term used in the criminal underworld,[1][2][3] used to indicate that the police were getting close.[1] First cited to a text from 1892.[1]

Derived as a shift to an -i adjective of older -na adjective やば (yaba, “illegal, dangerous, uneasy, not going well”), itself a slang term of uncertain derivation that appears in sources from the late 1700s.[1][2][3]

Possibly related to the ayabu- stem in 危ぶむ (ayabumu, “to fear something, to view something as dangerous”), and the ayau- stem in 危うい (ayaui, “dangerous”, ancient reading ayapui).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) やばい [yàbáꜜì] (Nakadaka – [2])[2][4]
IPA^(key): [ja̠ba̠i]

Adjective

やばい • (yabai) -i (adverbial やばく (yabaku))

(colloquial) dangerous, risky
(colloquial) risque, off-color, vulgar
(colloquial) highly concerning (in a negative way)
ちゃんとしなきゃやべぇことになるぞ
chanto shinakya yabē koto ni naru zo
if you don't do it like you should, shit's gonna be bad, man
(literally, “if you don't do it properly, it will become bad things”)

あいつやばいなぁ。
Aitsu yabai nā.
What's up with them? Yikes.
(slang) very good, awesome, crazy, sick, wild
あの子(こ)の制(せい)服(ふく)姿(すがた)がヤバすぎる
ano ko no seifuku-sugata ga yabasugiru
that girl looks way too amazing in sailor uniforms
(literally, “the sailor uniform appearance of that girl is too awesome”)

Inflection

Inflection of やばい

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	やばかろ	yabakaro
Continuative (連用形)	やばく	yabaku
Terminal (終止形)	やばい	yabai
Attributive (連体形)	やばい	yabai
Hypothetical (仮定形)	やばけれ	yabakere
Imperative (命令形)	やばかれ	yabakare
Key constructions
Informal negative	やばくない	yabaku nai
Informal past	やばかった	yabakatta
Informal negative past	やばくなかった	yabaku nakatta
Formal	やばいです	yabai desu
Formal negative	やばくないです	yabaku nai desu
Formal past	やばかったです	yabakatta desu
Formal negative past	やばくなかったです	yabaku nakatta desu
Conjunctive	やばくて	yabakute
Conditional	やばければ	yabakereba
Provisional	やばかったら	yabakattara
Volitional	やばかろう	yabakarō
Adverbial	やばく	yabaku
Degree	やばさ	yabasa

Interjection

やばい • (yabai)

oh no, crap

Descendants

Chinese:
→ Mandarin: 牙白 (yábái)

References

Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

やばい