ドン引き (donbiki)
don-BEE-keenoun, verbInformal
A Japanese slang term. Browse all Japanese slang.
What it means
The moment a room goes cold because someone has said or done something off-putting. Both the reaction and the atmosphere it creates.
Examples with translations
その発言でみんなドン引きしてたよ。
That comment made everyone recoil.
元カノの話しだしてドン引きされた。
He started talking about his ex and completely killed the mood.
Where it comes from
From television production: ドン is an intensifying prefix and 引き is pulling the camera back for a wide shot. The image is of the scene suddenly viewed from a distance — which is exactly what the reaction feels like from inside it.
Other forms
- Romanised as:
- donbiki