ハイカラ

Japanese

Etymology

Shortened from ハイカラー (haikarā), from English high collar,^[1]^[2] referring to the high collars of Japanese men imitating the Western fashion of the late 19th century.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ハイカラ [hàíkárá] (Heiban – [0])^[2]^[3]
IPA^(key): [ha̠ika̠ɾa̠]

Adjective

ハイカラ • (haikara) -na (adnominal ハイカラな (haikara na), adverbial ハイカラに (haikara ni))

(dated) trendy and Western
(dated) fashionable, stylish
(dated) modern, new
(dated) Westernized
of a style characteristic of the Western influence in the Meiji and Taishō periods

Usage notes

Originally coined as a derisive term for Japanese people who imitated Western trends and fashions, the word then gained positive connotations of stylishness and modernity by those who saw Westernization as the way forward for Japanese society. In modern Japanese the term is somewhat dated and evokes an earlier time when everything Western was still exotic and progressive.

Inflection

Inflection of ハイカラ

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	ハイカラだろ	haikara daro
Continuative (連用形)	ハイカラで	haikara de
Terminal (終止形)	ハイカラだ	haikara da
Attributive (連体形)	ハイカラな	haikara na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	ハイカラなら	haikara nara
Imperative (命令形)	ハイカラであれ	haikara de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	ハイカラではないハイカラじゃない	haikara de wa nai haikara ja nai
Informal past	ハイカラだった	haikara datta
Informal negative past	ハイカラではなかったハイカラじゃなかった	haikara de wa nakatta haikara ja nakatta
Formal	ハイカラです	haikara desu
Formal negative	ハイカラではありませんハイカラじゃありません	haikara de wa arimasen haikara ja arimasen
Formal past	ハイカラでした	haikara deshita
Formal negative past	ハイカラではありませんでしたハイカラじゃありませんでした	haikara de wa arimasen deshita haikara ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	ハイカラで	haikara de
Conditional	ハイカラなら（ば）	haikara nara (ba)
Provisional	ハイカラだったら	haikara dattara
Volitional	ハイカラだろう	haikara darō
Adverbial	ハイカラに	haikara ni
Degree	ハイカラさ	haikarasa

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-3] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

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