Dasai is the Japanese word for ‘lame’, ‘tacky’, or ‘uncool’

What does “dasai” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “dasai” to mean ‘lame’, ‘tacky’, or just ‘uncool’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “dasai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “dasai”
  • Example #1: how to say “lame” in Japanese
• Dasakunai: the nai form of “dasai”
  • Example #2: how to say “not lame” in Japanese
• Dasakatta: the ta form of “dasai”
  • Example #3: how to say “was lame” in Japanese
• Dasakute: the te form of “dasai”
  • Example #4: how to say “lame and” in Japanese
• Dasakereba: the ba form of “dasai”
  • Example #5: how to say “if lame” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “dasai”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “dasai”.

• dasai – ダサい (ださい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘lame’, ‘tacky’, or ‘uncool’ in Japanese.

Japanese native speakers use this i-adjective to describe someone or something not fashionable.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “lame” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “dasai”. In this example, it works as the complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. It’s worth knowing.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “dasai” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “dasakunai”.

Dasakunai: the nai form of “dasai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “dasakunai”.

• dasakunai – ダサくない (ださくない) : the nai form of “dasai”, which means ‘not lame’, ‘not tacky’, or ‘not uncool’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “dasakunai” consists of the following two parts:

• dasaku – ダサく (ださく) : one conjugation of “dasai”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “dasakunai” is literally the nai form of “dasai” and means ‘not lame’, ‘not tacky’, or ‘not uncool’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not lame” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
• kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “dasakunai”. When we want to mean ‘not lame’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Dasakatta: the ta form of “dasai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “dasakatta”.

• dasakatta – ダサかった (ださかった) : the ta form of “dasai”, which means ‘was lame’, ‘was tacky’, ‘was uncool’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “dasakatta” consists of the following two parts:

• dasakat – ダサかっ (ださかっ) : one conjugation of “dasai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “dasakatta” is literally the ta form of “dasai” and means ‘was lame’, ‘was tacky’, ‘was uncool’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was lame” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “dasakatta” to emphasize its meaning.

This is a typical usage of “dasakatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “dasai”, this ta form is the best option.

Dasakute: the te form of “dasai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “dasakute”.

• dasakute – ダサくて (ださくて) : the te form of “dasai”, which means ‘lame’, ‘tacky’, or ‘uncool’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “dasakute” consists of the following two parts:

• dasaku – ダサく (ださく) : one conjugation of “dasai”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “dasakute” is literally the te form of “dasai”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “dasakute” is very useful when we want to use “dasai” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “lame and” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• hazukashii – 恥ずかしい (はずかしい) : an i-adjective meaning ’embarrassing’ or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “dasakute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “hazukashii”. When we want to use “dasai” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Dasakereba: the ba form of “dasai”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “dasakereba”.

• dasakereba – ダサければ (ださければ) : the ba form of “dasai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lame’, ‘tacky’, or ‘uncool’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “dasakereba” consists of the following two parts:

• dasakere – ダサけれ (ださけれ) : one conjugation of “dasai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “dasakereba” is literally the ba form of “dasai”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “dasakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lame’, ‘tacky’, or ‘uncool’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if lame” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• oshie – 教え (おしえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “oshieru“, which means ‘to teach’, ‘to tell’, or ‘to let someone know’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “dasakute”. In the example, this is used after “oshie” to make its te form, “oshie te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “oshie te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “dasakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “boku ga dasakereba”, which means ‘if I’m lame’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lame’, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “dasai” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• dasai – ダサい (ださい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘lame’, ‘tacky’, or ‘uncool’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• dasakunai – ダサくない (ださくない) : the nai form of “dasai”, which means ‘not lame’, ‘not tacky’, or ‘not uncool’ in Japanese.
• dasakatta – ダサかった (ださかった) : the ta form of “dasai”, which means ‘was lame’, ‘was tacky’, ‘was uncool’, or such in Japanese.
• dasakute – ダサくて (ださくて) : the te form of “dasai”, which means ‘lame’, ‘tacky’, or ‘uncool’ in Japanese. When we want to use “dasai” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• dasakereba – ダサければ (ださければ) : the ba form of “dasai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lame’, ‘tacky’, or ‘uncool’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.