gyaru

English

Etymology

From Japanese ギャル (gyaru), from English gal, from Jamaican Creole gyal (“girl”), from English girl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡjɑːɹuː/, /ˈɡjæɹuː/

Noun

gyaru (countable and uncountable, plural gyaru or gyarus)

1. (uncountable) A Japanese subculture and fashion style popular in the 1990s, typically involving ostentatious clothing, tanning, and heavy makeup.
2. (countable) A girl or woman of this subculture.
   • 2011 January, Todd Joseph Miles Holden, “Embarkations”, in Peripatetic Postcards: The Journey of Life, Through 25 of the World’s Cities, Pasadena, Calif., Sendai, Miyagi: The Self-Made Press, →ISBN, page 104:

     Nowadays, many say that Japan is all about public show and the power inherent in planned and controlled display. If so, then perhaps the young gyarus are enjoying the power of the tease; […]

   • 2012, Taras Grescoe, “City of Trains: Tokyo, Japan”, in Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile, New York, N.Y.: Times Books, →ISBN, pages 195–196:

     Among the young, there are signs that cars are becoming deeply uncool. The celebrity entrepreneur Shiho Fujita, an idol of the gyarus—Japan’s high-consuming post-adolescent “gals,” fond of fake tans and blond hair extensions—recently proclaimed: “If I was with my friends and my boyfriend pulled up in a car to pick me up, I’d feel kind of embarrassed.”

   • 2014 November, Dennis A. Smith, quoting Rise, “Gyaru Fashion!”, in J!-ENT, page 54, column 1:

     The concept of Galeo was created because we would hear from those overseas that a lot of Gyaru-kei clothes do not fit. So, we are making variety of sizes for women and the theme of the brand is “Get wild and be sexy” for independent women. This is not only for Japanese gyarus but also for foreign gyarus.

   • 2017 January, Booth Moore, “[Tokyo] Shibuya 109”, in Where Stylists Shop: The Fashion Insider’s Ultimate Guide: The Secret Source List of Designers, Stylists, Editors, Bloggers, Models, Costume Designers, Street-Style Stars, and Tastemakers, New York, N.Y.: Regan Arts, →ISBN, page 332, column 1:

     In the ’90s, the Shibuya gyarus (gals) brought 109 into popular culture with their dyed blond hair, fake tans, miniskirts, and makeup.

Related terms

• gyaru-moji
• kogyaru

 

Further reading

• gyaru on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Japanese

Romanization

gyaru

1. Rōmaji transcription of ギャル