If there is one word every traveler learns within their first hour in Tokyo, it is sugoi. It is the go-to expression for everything from a giant bowl of ramen to a sleek Shinkansen train. However, when you step into a boardroom in Marunouchi, the word takes on a different weight. In the context of business, using it indiscriminately is a rookie mistake that can make you sound like an enthusiastic tourist rather than a seasoned professional.
During my first year working in a Japanese trading firm, I made the mistake of telling my manager that his presentation slides were ‘sugoi.’ He looked at me with a polite but confused tilt of his head. I realized later that by saying it was merely ‘amazing,’ I had completely ignored the shimekiri (deadline) and the painstaking effort he put into the data analysis. I was judging the surface, not the substance.
Me: “This project plan is really sugoi!”
Manager: “I see. What specifically about the risk mitigation strategy do you find effective?”
As that interaction taught me, Japanese business culture values nakami (content) over adjectives. If you must use sugoi, pair it with a specific reason. Don’t just say ‘It’s amazing.’ Say, ‘The efficiency of this workflow is truly amazing.’ It shifts the focus from your vague emotion to the objective value of the work.
- Avoid sugoi when addressing superiors unless it is in a casual, post-work setting.
- Use more formal alternatives like subarashii or kandou shimashita (I was moved/impressed) to maintain professional distance.
- If you hear a client say ‘sugoi,’ pay attention to their tone. If it sounds flat, they might be using it as a social filler—a linguistic polite nod to end a conversation.
Finally, be wary of slang variations. Younger generations or those in creative industries might use sugee or sugo-i with elongated vowels to express intense surprise. Using these in a formal meeting is the equivalent of wearing a Hawaiian shirt to a black-tie event. It signals a lack of situational awareness. Keep it standard, keep it grounded, and focus on the details that truly matter to your partners.
