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“wild / amazing / bad” · No. 16 of 16 textbook swaps
危ない→すごい→やばい

One word for “dangerous”, “amazing” and “oh no”. Tone tells you which. Comedians lean on it constantly.

Use it withFriends OKCoworkers carefulBoss / teacher avoid

Friends. Coworkers you joke with. Never in writing to a client.

681 lines with やばい from 156 comedians in the library · Counts updated 2026-10-08
Audience laughter in this scene0:14
Meirin · Studying for the Driving Test

Studying together for a test, one asks, rather late, whether the other has been practicing the true-or-false questions.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

Tomorrow's gonna be rough.

Textbook明日は危ないですよ。Slang "やばい" replaces "危ない" (in trouble, at risk); plain form plus "よ", with no "です".

Speed: normal
Watch the whole routine →
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Audience laughter in this scene0:11
Top Gun · Cotton Swabs

The two are debating a 'which one would you save?' question, and a cotton swab is one of the choices.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

You're seriously messed up.

Textbookあなたは本当にどうかしていますね。'やばい' (literally 'dangerous') here means 'crazy, not okay'; 'ほんとに' shortens 'ほんとうに', and final 'な' makes it a blunt exclamation.

Tone: Insult (between friends)Speed: normal
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:22
Daydream · Lunch Break in the Special Classroom

Two students at school are both feeling embarrassed about something.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

Uh-oh, class is about to start.

Textbook大変です。授業が始まってしまいます。"やばい" (close to "まずい/危ない") is blurted as "Uh-oh!" here: trouble, not "amazing". "始まっちゃう" is casual "始まってしまう".

Speed: slow
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:13
Lemon to Tansan · Personal Gym

At a personal gym, a new trainer introduces themselves to a client named Ryoko and explains why they became a trainer.

Culture note Tokyo's Saikyō Line is famous for groping on crowded morning trains.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

Because this guy became a trainer for a seriously sketchy reason!

Textbookこの人は危険な動機でトレーナーを始めていますから。「やばい」 here means 'sketchy, dangerous' (textbook 「危ない／危険な」). Rough 「こいつ」 = 'this guy'; 「始めてる」 drops the 「い」 of 「始めている」.

Tone: RudeSpeed: fast
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:16
Minagawa · Diet

A comedian explains BMI, the obesity index, and compares typical scores with their own.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

Yikes!

Textbookそれは危ないですね。'やばい' drops its final 'い' to become the exclamation 'ヤバ!', a quick casual reaction; here it means alarmingly bad (textbook '危ない').

Speed: slow
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:19
Buta Mammoth · First Date in Ages

A woman tells someone not to underestimate her, then explains who she works so hard for.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

I know it's a messed-up relationship.

Textbook問題のある関係だということは分かっています。「やばい」 is slang standing in for 「危ない」 or 「まずい」; here it means 'messed-up, unhealthy'. 「分かってる」 drops the い of 「分かっている」.

Speed: normal
All lines

More lines with やばい

From other routines in the library. Automatic transcripts, not yet checked line by line.

Quick answers

What does やばい mean?

やばい means “wild / amazing / bad”. One word for “dangerous”, “amazing” and “oh no”. Tone tells you which. Comedians lean on it constantly.

Is やばい rude? Who can you say it to?

With friends: OK. With coworkers: careful. With a boss or teacher: avoid. Friends. Coworkers you joke with. Never in writing to a client.

How common is やばい in real speech?

In 2,334 live comedy routines, やばい appears in 681 lines from 156 comedians.

Sixteen textbook swaps

いやなんで〜てんの？〜じゃない〜んだよ〜ちゃった〜てくんない？〜かよ！〜だろ！〜なきゃ〜みたいな〜でしたっけ？〜ばっかりマジで？〜ちゃダメ