ナウ

ナ

ウ

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

Only with reading ナウ

Describes something fashionable or current. Often used in a slightly retro or playful way, reminiscent of 1980s–90s slang.

from English

その服ふく、ちょっとナウいね。
That outfit is a bit trendy, isn't it.
ナウな情じょう報ほうをチェックしよう。
Let's check out the latest info.

suffix

currently at ...; now doing ...; in the middle of ...

internet slang

Internet slang suffix attached to a place or activity to indicate one's current status, especially in social media updates. Usually written in hiragana.

カフェなう。
At a café right now.
勉べん強きょうなう。
Studying now.

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉なうposting that one is currently at a place
渋しぶ谷やなう。
In Shibuya right now.
ナウな〈物もの〉describing something as trendy or 'in'
これはナウなファッションだ。
This is trendy fashion.
〈事こと〉なうposting that one is currently doing something
作さ業ぎょうなう。
Working right now.

Related words

トレンディー sense 1
トレンディー is a more neutral loanword for 'trendy', while ナウ carries a nostalgic, retro-slang flavor from the 1980s–90s.
今いまN5sense 2
いま is the plain, standard word for 'now', while ナウ as a suffix is casual net-slang used to announce one's current location or activity in social posts.

Opposites

古ふるいN5sense 1
古い means old-fashioned or outdated, the opposite of ナウ's sense of being current and trendy.

Don't confuse with

ナウキャスト
ナウキャスト is a specialized meteorological term for short-term weather forecasting, not related to ナウ's meaning of 'trendy' or 'currently doing'.

Word family

ナウキャスト
nowcast; very short-term forecast

Written forms

ナウUsage100%
Standard katakana spelling for the trendy/now sense; also used in the internet slang suffix.
なう
Hiragana spelling common in social media status updates for the suffix sense.

Etymology

From English 'now'. The trendy sense emerged in Japanese slang around the 1980s; the internet slang suffix developed later from the same English word.