コギャル

Japanese
コギャル: a kogyaru in the so-called "American casual" style.

Etymology

First appeared in the 1990s. Varied theories regarding the term's derivation.[1]

Two possible derivations are attributed to bouncers at night clubs, as slang abbreviations to indicate a young woman who was underage and should therefore be denied entry.

  • From 高校生 (kōkōsei, “high-school student”) + ギャル (gyaru, “gal, young woman”, originally referring to someone not a minor).
  • From 格好 (kakkō, “appearance, seeming”) + ギャル (gyaru).

Another possible derivation is attributed to the mass media.

  • From 子 (ko, “child; young; small”) + ギャル (gyaru).

The gyaru portion in all of these is a borrowing from English gal.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [ko̞ɡʲa̠ɾɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

コギャル (rōmaji kogyaru)

  1. a teenage girl participating in a particular subculture in Japan, with a tendency towards being obsessively trend-conscious, kogal (kogyaru)

References
  1. p. 18, "GIRL'S CULTURE-ギャルが日本を救う!?-" ("Girl's Culture - Gals Rescue Japan!?-", in Japanese), Zenta Nishida, editor; BRUTUS, 1 May 2009; Magazine House, Ltd.
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