| sci.lang.japan FAQ / 6. Word meanings |
|
|
An ikemen is a good-looking man. Ikemen is a new word which appeared around the year 2000. It comes from Japanese ikeru, iketeru, "cool", "good", "exciting" and either men (メン), from English "men" or "men's" (menzu), or men (面) "face". See 8.3. What are contracted words like rimokon? for more about Japanese contracted words.
Another version of the word, ikemen (逝け面), has gained popularity on the internet to mean exactly the opposite, a very ugly man. However, this is not used much in normal conversation.
In a fit of punning, a ramen restaurant called "ikemen", which uses a kanji pronounced men but meaning "noodles", 麺, has also sprung up.
See also 13.3. How can I say "I love you" in Japanese?
Copyright © 1994-2011 Ben Bullock
If you have questions, corrections, or comments, please contact Ben Bullock or use the discussion forum / Privacy
|
|
|
|
|
||
| Book reviews |
Convert Japanese numbers |
Handwritten kanji recognition |
Stroke order diagrams |
Convert Japanese units |
Popup dictionary |
Japanese to English dictionary |