マジで (maji de)

What it means

1. 1.

   Seriously; for real. As an intensifier before an adjective or verb: マジで美味しい, 'seriously good'.

2. 2.

   On its own, with rising intonation: 'Really?' — the standard response to surprising news.

Examples with translations

• マジで疲れた。

  I am seriously wiped out.

• —来週引っ越すんだ。—マジで？

  'I'm moving next week.' 'Seriously?'

Where it comes from

A clipping of 真面目 (majime), 'serious, earnest'. Documented in Edo-period performers' jargon and revived as general youth slang in the 1980s. The particle で is what turns it adverbial; マジ alone works as a bare adjective.

Other forms

Romanised as:

maji de

Spellings and variants:

マジ, まじで