ヤンキー

ヤ

ン

キ

ー

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

delinquent youth; yankii

colloquial

Colloquial term for a Japanese juvenile delinquent or young person associated with a rebellious subculture, often characterized by specific fashion, hairstyles, and behavior. Not to be confused with the American sense.

あのヤンキーたちは夜よるの公こう園

えん

に

たむろ

し

て

いる

。

Those yankii kids hang around the park at night.

彼かれは高こう校こう時じ代だい、ヤンキーだったらしい。

Apparently he was a delinquent in high school.

2

noun

Yankee; American

colloquial

Colloquial term for an American person, derived from 'Yankee'. Less common in modern Japanese than アメリカ人, and may carry a slightly old-fashioned or casual tone.

戦せん後ご、日本にほんには多おおくのヤンキーが駐ちゅう留りゅうしていた。
After the war, many Americans were stationed in Japan.
あのヤンキーは日本にほん語ごが上手じょうずだね。
That American speaks Japanese well, doesn't he?

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉がヤンキーになるfor someone to become a delinquent (adopt the ヤンキー style/lifestyle)
彼かれは中ちゅう学がく生せいの頃ころからヤンキーになった。
He became a delinquent back in junior high.
ヤンキーっぽい〈物もの〉something that has a stereotypical delinquent look or style
その車くるま、なんかヤンキーっぽいデザインだね。
That car has kind of a delinquent-style design.

Related words

不ふ良りょうN1sense 1
不良 is the general, more formal word for a delinquent or troublemaker, while ヤンキー refers specifically to the Japanese subculture with its own fashion, hairstyle, and speech style.
アメリカ人じん sense 2
アメリカ人 is the neutral, standard word for an American, while ヤンキー is a casual and somewhat dated slang term for the same thing.
突つっ張ぱり sense 1
ツッパリ is an older slang term for a rebellious youth that largely predates and overlaps with ヤンキー, which is the more current word for the same kind of delinquent style.
ＤＱＮ
ヤンキー names a specific juvenile-delinquent subculture with its own fashion style, while ＤＱＮ is a broader, more insulting internet term for anyone thuggish or clueless.
番ばん長ちょう
ヤンキー is a broader, more modern term for a rebellious delinquent-style youth, whereas 番長 specifically refers to the top boss of a gang.

Don't confuse with

ジャンキー sense 1
ヤンキー (a delinquent youth) and ジャンキー (a drug addict/junkie) sound very similar but refer to completely different kinds of people.

Counted with

人にん sense 1
ヤンキー is counted with 人 (or 名), the ordinary counter for people, just like any other person.

Word family

マイルドヤンキー
mild yankee; semi-delinquent suburbanite
ヤンキー座すわり
squatting with elbows on knees; yankii squat
イエローヤンキー
yellow Yankee

Etymology

Borrowed from English 'Yankee'. The 'delinquent' sense developed in Japanese youth culture, possibly influenced by the American 'Yankee' image of rebelliousness or by the fashion style associated with American youth.