Short answer
“cool” in Japanese is かっこいい
How to say cool in Japanese?
How to say cool in Japanese: use かっこいい (kakkoii). Use it for people, outfits, cars, movies, or anything that looks stylish, impressive, or attractive. If you mean 'awesome' or 'amazing,' すごい (sugoi) is more natural, and イケてる (iketeru) is a slangy way to say something is trendy. In polite speech, stick with かっこいい; with friends, すごい and イケてる add a casual, excited tone.
Common pairings
かっこいい人 (kakkoii hito) — a cool, attractive personかっこいい車 (kakkoii kuruma) — a cool carかっこいいと思う (kakkoii to omou) — I think it's coolすごい歌 (sugoi uta) — an amazing songイケてる服 (iketeru fuku) — trendy clothes
How to use it
- かっこいい is the standard way to call a person, style, or thing cool. Use it for looks and impressions, and add です in polite speech: かっこいいです.
- すごい means 'awesome' or 'amazing' and fits experiences, abilities, and feelings. Before a noun, use すごい + noun (すごい歌); before an adjective, use the adverb form すごく (すごくきれい).
- イケてる is casual slang for 'trendy' or 'cool.' Use it among friends; in formal situations, choose かっこいい.
Examples
彼はかっこいいですね。
He's cool, isn't he?
Reading: かれは かっこいい です ね (kare wa kakkoii desu ne). かっこいい is an i-adjective; ですね softens the statement and invites agreement.
この曲、すごい！
This song is awesome!
Reading: この きょく、すごい (kono kyoku, sugoi). In casual speech, すごい alone means 'awesome' and is often used without です.
その服、イケてるね。
Those clothes are cool.
Reading: その ふく、イケてる ね (sono fuku, iketeru ne). イケてる is slang for 'trendy and cool'; ね invites agreement.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| この車はかっこ |
この車はかっこよくない。 | The negative of かっこいい is かっこよくない, following the same pattern as いい → よくない. かっこいくない is a common conjugation error. |
| すご |
すごくきれい。 | When すごい modifies an adjective or verb, change it to the adverb form すごく. すごいきれい is a common learner mistake. |
| Unnatural | Natural | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 彼は |
彼はいい人です。 | English 'cool guy' can mean a nice person, but かっこいい only means stylish or impressive. For a kind, good-natured person, use いい人. |
FAQ
- How to say cool in Japanese?The standard word is かっこいい (kakkoii). Use it for people, clothes, cars, and anything that looks stylish or impressive. For 'awesome' use すごい (sugoi), and for trendy slang use イケてる (iketeru).
- Is かっこいい an i-adjective or a na-adjective?It's an i-adjective, so it conjugates like おおきい: かっこよくない (not cool), かっこよかった (was cool). Before a noun, say かっこいい人, not かっこいいな人.
- Can I use かっこいい for ideas or situations?Yes, in casual speech you can say そのアイデアかっこいい (that idea is cool) when it impresses you. For everyday reactions like 'that's great,' すごい is more natural.
- Is イケてる polite?No, イケてる is slang, so use it only with friends or in casual situations. In polite speech, stick with かっこいい (or かっこいいです).