What does “torima” mean? What do you say in English? とりま
Torima, mashi kutte kuru.
とりま、飯食ってくる。
Torima, otsukare.
とりま、おつかれ。
Torima yokatta.
とりま、よかった。
What is “torima”?
This is not a trimmer that takes care of your pet.
If Japanese middle-aged men were asked what that meant, some of them might answer, “Is that a kind of yakitori (skewed grilled chicken and Japanese leek) like “negima?” .”
This sounds like some local dialect, and some people actually feel that way. However, this is an abbreviation that works in close relationships, such as friends and family.
Some say that this word is not used much in 2018, but it seems that some young people still use it in social media conversations.
Let’s look at “torima”.
What is “torima”?
“Torima” is short for “toriaezu, maa（とりあえず、まあ）”.
“Toriaezu” has the meaning of “first of all” “first and foremost,” and “for the moment,” “for now,” “anyway” and so on.
“Maa” would be equivalent to the word “well,” in English.
However, the meaning of this whole phrase is only “toriaezu”, and moreover, there is not much difference between using and not using this phrase.
Basically, this is often used to switch the topic you’re talking about or as a trigger for doing something, but it doesn’t have much meaning.
It can be placed before an adjective as an adverb, or as an adjective before a noun. Anyway, this is a slang term and can be used freely.
Origin of “torima”
Abbreviations, not just ”torima”, tend to be common in youth language. One of the examples is to shorten “Ryoukai（了解、OK）” to “Ryo（りょ）” or “Ri（り）”.
In English, “OK” is sometimes described as “K”, or “By the way” as “BTW”, right?
“Torima” was spread to Japan by junior high school girls and high school girls called “young gals”.
It is said that they abbreviated the introductory word “toriaezu, maa —（とりあえず、まぁ）” in their conversations and used “torima” when switching topics or expanding topics.
In the latter half of the 2000s, when the use of the Internet was expanding, “torima” became a popular word among young people, especially on Internet bulletin boards, word-of-mouth sites, and SNS sites such as Mixi. At that time, abbreviating words was a boom among young people.
In conversations between young people, mobile phones, which were increasingly used, and e-mails, which were often used at the time, were the main channels for expanding the word.
Although “torima” showed its spread momentarily, it was not spread by TV celebrities in TV programs like many other slangs.
How “torima” is used
It is a slang and should not be used in business or formal settings (in the first place, many adults will not know the meaning of the word).
Used as a preamble to a sentence
Torima, kyuukei shiyou yo-.
とりま、休憩しようよー。
Let’s take a break.
Torima, biiru de iikana?
とりまビールでいいかな？
Can I order beer for you, guys?
Torima minna onaji mono wo tanondoku?
とりまみんな同じものを頼んどく？
Shall we all order the same thing?
Torima ayamatte morattemo ii?
とりま謝ってもらってもいい？
Will you apologize to me?
Torima, arigatou.
とりまありがとう。
Thank you anyway.
To end the conversation
This also does not mean “first of all” or “anyway” as described above.
Ashita uchi ni rukutte koto de. Torima kuji made ni kite kureru?
明日うちにくるってことで。とりま9時までに来てくれる？
You guys are coming to my house tomorrow, by 9:00?
Torima chizu wo meeru de okutte oku yo.
とりま地図をメールで送っておくよ。
I’ll send you the map by e-mail.
Torima ichikita shite kare gakkou ikuwa.
とりまいちきたしてから学校行くわ。
I go home once and go to school.
Torima nemui kara oyasumi.
とりま眠いからおやすみ。
Good night. I’m sleepy.
Torima meshi kutte kuru.
とりま飯食ってくる。
I will go to eat.
Torima otsukare.
とりまおつかれ。
Thanks for your work.
Torima, mata jikan aitara renraku suruwa.
とりま、また時間空いたら連絡するわ。
I will talk to when I have time.
Torima, genki de ganbatte.
とりま、元気でがんばって。
Take care.
As an exclamation
This also does not mean “first of all” or “anyway” above. Even without “torima”, the following examples have no problem.
Atarashii baito saki ni ikemen senpai ga irundakedo….. Torima fan ni natta.
新しいバイト先にイケメン先輩がいるんだけど～。とりまファンになった。
There is a handsome senior at my new parttime workplace. I became a fan.
Torima ashita no tesuto yabaindakedo.
とりま明日のテストヤバイんだけど～。
Tomorrow’s test will be hard.
Torima shindoi…..
とりましんどい・・・。
I’m feeling tired….
Torima yokatta—-.
とりまよかった～。
That is relieaved—.
Tesuto arukedo, torima geemu suru koto ni suru.
テストあるけど、とりまゲームすることにする。
I have an exam tomorrow, but I will play the gate anyway.
Nannan aitsu? Torima uzai.
なんなんあいつ？とりまウザい。
What is that guy? He is so annoying.
Aa tanoshii ryokou datta—. Torima kandou shitawa—。
あぁ楽しい旅行だったー。とりま感動したわー。
Oh, it was a fun trip. It was impressive.
