Shōgakukan’s Top New Words of the Year for 2017

インスタ映え —

Insuta-bae [Winner]. Photos and videos that look great posted on Instagram can be described as insuta-bae. The word may also be applied to anything from landscapes to lunch with “Instagrammable” potential.

Example:
インスタ映えのするスイーツ
Insuta-bae no suru suītsu.
Instagrammable sweets.

文春砲

— Bunshun-hō. Weekly magazine Shūkan Bunshun is known for its uncovering of celebrity scandals. In 2017, it turned its “Bunshun cannons” on actor Watanabe Ken—exposing his extramarital affair with a former hostess—and the talent agency that allegedly keeps model and TV star Rola in a slave-like contract.

都民ファーストの会

— Tomin fāsuto no kai. Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko’s newly established “Tokyoites First” party made great political gains in the capital’s metropolitan assembly election.

横入り

— Yokohairi. A newly prominent word for “jumping line.”

シンデレラフィット

— Shinderera fitto. When clothes or shoes are the perfect size, they are a “Cinderella fit,” as with the fairy-tale slipper. The phrase can also be used when storing items in containers.

希望の党

— Kibō no tō. The “Party of Hope” was founded by Tokyo Governor Koike to take part in politics on the national stage, but she resigned her position as leader after it fared badly in October’s House of Representatives election.

ガチ勢

— Gachizei. Originally used in the world of gaming for “diehards” or extreme devotees, the word can now be used for anyone who takes a job or hobby very seriously.

パラダイス文書

— Paradaisu bunsho. The leaked documents relating to offshore investments known as the “Paradise Papers” included data connected with over 1,000 Japanese individuals and companies.