The best way to find out how to get words in the Oxford dictionary (in my opinion) is by looking at words that have successfully graduated to the Oxford dictionary, or maybe even words that have become well known.
The reason this brief stuck out to me is because when I use social media such as Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter ect, there are certain ‘sub-genres’ that most people using these sites either base their blog around, or fit into whether it is intentional or not. These sub-categories are very prominent on social media, though when I mention any of them to people who don’t use these social medias (such as my parents or other people my age) they have never even heard the word before.
I have decided that the words I would like to get into the Oxford English Dictionary are ‘trends’ from countries such as South Korea, America and Japan as they are becoming exceedingly popular on the web, yet many people are unsure of their meaning. Many of these styles/makeup technique/fashions (or just words to explain something in general) sometimes originate from real words in English, Japanese or Korean, though sometimes they are entirely made up. I shall list some examples below and their meanings:
Ulzzang (얼짱-Korean for ‘Best Face’)-
Being ‘Ulzzang’ means you have to be pretty(or handsome), cute and overuse Aegyo. These boys and girls use circle lenses more often than not to achieve big, cute yet natural eyes. They use makeup in a specific way to create this look, some key features are the non-contoured pale skin, droopy eye eyeliner, gradient lip and enhanced ‘under eye bags’ (Aegyo-sal in Korean, referring to the cute under-eye fatty deposits that make you look more youthful).
Selca (셀카 – ‘Self Cam’, Basically means selfie in Korean)-
Selca is the korean version of a selfie. Yep, you got it, it’s just a cute selfie.
Kawaii (かわいい-Japanese for ‘Cute’)-
This style isn’t anything too crazy or stylised, it’s simply girls (or mainly girls) who dress quite sweet and have big eyes. The people who participate in this style tend to like pastel colours, wear circle lenses and use lolita-inspired fashion. When referring to things outside fashion that are Kawaii – they are generally sweet, cute, fluffy, pastel, pale, anime related, pink, rainbows and cute animals… you get the idea.
Gyaru (ギャル-Translates to ‘Gal’)-
Gyaru has quite a range of styles, from pink to floral, neon colours, black, animal prints and much more. The key features of this look is large eyes, flamboyant eyelashes, tanned skin, heavily contoured nose and big hair.
Aegyo (애교-Translates to ‘Winsome’ Basically entails charm via childlike innocence)-
Aegyo is a way of behaving that is popular in South Korea. It is mainly used between couples, when the girl wants something or has the face on, she will sometimes use Aegyo in conjunction with ‘Oppaaaaaaa’ to get her way. It is basically the same as when a child wants something, then they give their parents the puppy eyes and use the cutie voice.
Kowai (怖い-Translates to ‘scary’ or ‘I’m scared’)-
Kowai is the opposite of Kawaii, it is creepy, scary and gothic.
Fairykei (Lolita, Decora & The 80’s) –
Fairykei is a very flamboyant Japanese subculture that has caught the eye of quite a few online personalities. It is quite similar to Kawaii but with a more out-there, flamboyant twist. There are no other colours but pastels and bright pinks/purples/blues. Dark colours must be avoided at all costs.
Pastelgoth (A combination of Kawaii and Gothic styles)-
Pastelgoths are the perfect combination of Kowai and Kawaii – creepy and cute. It is simply a fashion in which grungy and gothic styles are mixed with pastel colours and sweet expressions to make a delicate form of scary/creepy fashion.
Scene (Usually black & neon colours combined for an edgy look)-
The term ‘Scene’ has been around for a while now, it can be used as slang or an insult to some people, though on the web it has taken the form of a niche trend/fashion style/way of life. ‘Scene kids’ usually dress in dark clothes, lots of eyeliner and unique hairstyles, often they sport piercings and wear clothes that support music they like, mostly rock, metal, punk ect.
Shironuri (白塗り-Translates to ‘Painted in White’)-
Shironuri is a street culture in Japan, it is a very unique and personalised style unique to the wearer where they choose the prettiest clothes they can imaging wearing (so this varies from person to person) then they combine this with white painted skin, pale & puffy wigs, costume contact lenses and heavy makeup.
Oppa (오빠-A charming way of addressing an older male if your female)-
Oppa is very popularly used in Korea, it is referring to an older male friend, boyfriend or colleague – it is affectionate and is similar to Senpai in Japanese.
Senpai (先輩-A way of addressing someone you look up to who is older than you)-
Senpai is an honorific in Japan used for an older colleague/school friend of either male or female gender, though it is most commonly used for males by younger girls. It is for when you look up to somebody and respect them that Senpai should be used.
Kōhai (後輩-A way of addressing someone younger than you eg a colleague or school friend)-
This is another Japanese honorific that is used to address younger colleagues/classmates.
Otaku (お宅-Translates t ‘Your House’ though is used to refer to anime geeks)-
This is an american term supposedly, though in Japanese ‘Otaku’ translates to ‘your house’ roughly and this is supposedly where all nerds dwell 90% of the time watching anime or cartoons or other things.
Stealth Nerd (A nerd under cover)-
A stealth nerd is me. Literally lol! It’s where someone is a nerd in their own spare time, though around other people they seem completely normal and non-nerdy. It’s like being an under cover cop… but in nerd version.
Weeaboo (An american internet slang term for Japan-Geek)-
Someone who knows more about Japan and Japanese culture than even native Japanese people do. You could also call them Japan stalkers or Japanophiles.
Koreeaboo (An american internet slang term for Korea-Geek)-
A Koreaboo is a person who knows more about Korea than native Korean people. A Koredaphile or someone who is obsessed with Korea and it’s culture. There is the less intense version of a K
All of these words are rather prominent on social media such as YouTube, Instagram and Tumblr, some are not as well known as others. They all have different meanings as I have explained, though none of them are well known to a wide range of people, mainly the only people.
gemoomay 