The Japanese words “Sugoi Dekai” have become such famous among anime lovers around the world that I have decided to write this detailed blog post about what they mean. Especially when you have watched the anime “Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out” you have probably seen and read the two words “Sugoi Dekai” countless times since they are printed on her shirt. So for every one of you who is curious here is the meaning of “Sugoi Dekai” and how to translate it to English.
“Sugoi Dekai” is a Japanese phrase that can be translated as “So huge!”, “Very big!”, or “Extremely big!”. The Japanese word “sugoi” has a few translations but here it means “very”, “extremely”, or “awfully”. Dekai, on the other hand, means “huge” or “big”, but can also be translated as “gigantic”.
In case you want to learn more about the meaning and English translations of “sugoi” and “dekai“, you can find more details about the two Japanese words down below. I’m also covering where the popular meme “sugoi dekai” is from and tell you a bit about the anime “Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out” (宇崎ちゃんは遊びたい, Uzaki-chan wa asobitai) and Uzaki Hana’s shirt.
What Does “Sugoi Dekai” Mean in English?
The catchphrase “Sugoi Dekai” consists of two Japanese words, sugoi (すごい, 凄い) and dekai (でかい, デカい). In English there are a bunch of correct translations such as “so big“, “so huge“, “really big“, “very big“, “gigantic“, or “extremely big“.
Sugoi dekai
すごいでかい
凄いでかい
So big!
So huge!
Gigantic!
Very big!
Really big!
Extremely big!
Sugoi is an expression that can be used on its own or as an adjective in a sentence whenever you see something great or amazing. In English, it translates as “(That is) awesome!“, “(That is) amazing!“, “(That is) great!“, “(That is) wonderful!“, or “(That is) terrific!“.
Waa sugoi!
わあーすごい
Oh my god! That is amazing!Sugoi na!
すごいな！
Awesome!Kare wa sugoi!
彼はすごい！
He is great!Kimi wa sugoi!
君はすごいな！
You are amazing!
You can also use sugoi (すごい, 凄い) and add it right in front of a noun to say “awesome (thing/person)” or “amazing (thing/person)“. “Sugoi eiga” (すごい映画), for example, translates as “awesome movie” while “sugoi kaze” (すごい風) translates as “extreme wind“.
Sugoi eiga
すごい映画
Awesome movieSugoi bijin
すごい美人
She’s a real beautySugoi hanabi
すごい花火
Amazing fireworks
However, in front of an adjective or verb, you have to use its adverbial form which is sugoku (すごく、凄く) and translates as “very“, “extremely“, “really“, “awfully” or “so…“. So “sugoku kirei” (すごく綺麗) means “extremely beautiful” or “very beautiful” and “sugoku atsui” (すごく暑い) means “very hot” or “extremely hot“. (source)
Sugoi eiga
すごい映画
Awesome movieSugoi bijin
すごい美人
She’s a real beautySugoku kawaii
すごく可愛い
So cute!Sugoku tanoshii
すごく楽しい
So much fun!Sugoku kirei datta
すごく綺麗だった
It was extremely beautiful
While sugoi can be written in kanji as 凄い, nowadays it is most commonly written in kana only as すごい. There are a few other variations as well such as sugee (すげー) or sungoi (すんごい). You can find more about them in my other article “The meaning of Sugoi (すごい) and How to Use it in Japanese“.
Dekai (でかい) is usually translated as “huge” or “big“, but sometimes you will also find it translated as “gigantic” or “enormous“. It is similar to the more commonly known Japanese word ookii (大きい) which translates as “big“. However, if you compare both words, dekai is kinda the next level. Just like with the two words “big” and “huge” in English.
Dekai hako
でかい箱
A huge boxAshi ga dekai
足がでかい
My feet are big/huge
In spoken Japanese, it is also often pronounced as “dekee” (でけぇ) which is similar to how “sugoi” becomes “sugee” in casual conversations. Especially among man you can often hear these two variations.
When you look at the phrase “Sugoi Dekai“, the grammatically correct version is actually “Sugoku Dekai“. However, nowadays you can often see that sugoi is more commonly used than sugoku. You will often hear Japanese say “sugoi kirei” or “sugoi kawaii” instead of “sugoku kirei” and “sugoku kawaii”.
Sugoi dekai
すごいでかい
So huge!
Very big!
Extremely big!
(nowadays commonly used)Sugoku dekai
すごくでかい
So huge!
Very big!
Extremely big!
(grammatically correct)
Where is Sugoi Dekai From?
The catchphrase and meme “Sugoi Dekai” comes from the Japanese anime “Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang out” aka “Uzaki-chan wa asobitai” (宇崎ちゃんは遊びたい). The two words are printed on the t-shirt of the main character Uzaki Hana. Due to its popularity, the phrase became a synonym for pleasantly shaped women.
In case you have never heard about the anime “Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out” let me give you a brief overview of the story. The anime or manga is about a cheerful and outgoing girl named Hana Uzaki who attends the same college as her senpai (means “senior” or “upperclassman”) Shinichi Sakurai.
When she notices that her beloved senpai turned into an introvert, who has hardly any friends, she commits to the plan to hang out with him as much as possible to get him out of his lonely and apparently boring lifestyle. After spending more and more time with him she starts to develop romantic feelings for Shinichi.
On September 25, 2020, the official announcement was made that there will be a second season of “Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out”. An official release date has not been revealed yet, but according to the official homepage, fans can expect season 2 by fall 2021 or winter 2022.
The Meaning of Uzaki-Chan’s Shirt is “So Huge” or “So Big”
The meaning of the phrase “Sugoi Dekai” written on Uzaki-chan’s shirt is “So huge” or “So big“. However, there are a lot of other translations in English that are also correct such as “Really big“, “Very big“, or “Extremely big“. It is a reference to her very womanly figure and her pleasing curves.
While “Sugoi dekai” can actually be used to describe or talk about anything huge, Uzaki Hana’s t-shirt and her prominent figure led to the fact that anime fans around the world primarily use the catchphrase to describe other pleasantly-shaped female anime characters.
