#Japan #Tokyo #LINE Research #High School Girls #Japanese Trends

High School Girls' 2025 Trend Forecast: Top Buzzwords Revealed

As we approach the end of 2024, LINE Yahoo Corporation has conducted a fascinating survey via its LINE Research platform, which boasts an extensive active participant panel of over 7 million users. This research aimed to explore the current trends among high school girls, particularly focusing on the words they believe will become popular in 2025.

The Leading Buzzwords

During the survey conducted in April 2025, the word that topped the chart for what these young women believe will be trending is 'Ehho Ehho,' which captured over 10% of the votes. This unique term emerged from a viral photo of a baby owl captured by a Dutch photographer, showcasing the little creature joyfully running while making an amusing sound. This image then sparked plenty of social media buzz and was amplified by various influencers, leading to its current popularity.

The second and third spots were closely contested by '〇〇界隈' (which translates roughly to '〇〇 circles') and 'Biju Iijan' respectively. The term '〇〇界隈' has steadily ingrained itself in youth culture as it denotes groups of people sharing similar interests or hobbies, often in connection to otaku culture and fandom activities.

'Biju Iijan' (which includes phrases like 'today's beauty is great') originated from lyrics of a song titled 'Iijan' by the boy band M!LK. This term is frequently used on social media to compliment posts, showcasing how music and digital platforms intertwine with language.

Another term emerging from this survey is 'メロい' (me roi), which initially referred to being infatuated with idols or characters. Now, it is widely used on social media to express affection for all things cute and heartwarming.

Interestingly, a retrospective look at last year's predictions reveals significant shifts in language trends. Words like 'それガーチャー！ほんまゴメンやで' (Sore Gachaa! Honma Gomen Ya De), 'それな' (Sore Na), and '猫ミーム' (Cat Memes) have fallen off the radar, illustrating the fast-paced evolution of high school slang.

Words Likely to Fade Away

In addition to identifying trending words, the survey also delved into which terms girls believe will be on the way out in 2025. The number one spot for phrases expected to disappear was claimed by 'おったまgetdown' (Ottama Get Down), a term that became popular after an influencer used it to mean 'I was shocked.'

Following behind were 'しかのこのこのここしたんたん' from an anime of the same name, and 'ふてほど' (Fute Hodo), an abbreviation from a television drama titled 'Inappropriately Overdone!'.

Further ranks displayed an interesting trend where words like '無課金おじさん' (Free-to-play Uncle), 'それガーチャー！ほんまゴメンやで', and 'まじまじまじんがー' (Majimanjo) also made the list, hinting at their looming obsolescence.

Notably, 'それガーチャー！ほんまゴメンやで' which topped last year’s hit list, has now switched roles to appear among those to likely be unheard of in the near future, with a significant 60% of respondents indicating it would not likely be in use this year.

These trends reflect not just changing language but also the fluid dynamics of youth culture, showing how quickly phrases can rise to fame and fall from grace. The data collected, focused on Japanese high school students from grades 10 to 12 and conducted between April 10 and April 14, 2025, is a prime showcase of how language evolves alongside social interactions and digital influence.

Conclusion

The LINE Research platform not only offers rich insights into emerging trends but also highlights the ways in which social media accelerates word adoption among the youth. Keep an eye out for these buzzwords in conversations and posts - they give a glimpse into the exciting language landscape of Japan's future generations!

To explore more about trends, check out the official LINE Research website and peruse other fascinating survey results.