ノリ groove

Oct 20, 2024

こんにちは! Do you know the meaning of ‘nori’ in Japanese? When people say nori, it can refer to seaweed (海苔, nori) or be used to describe the energy or vibe of people and situations in a casual way (ノリ, nori). This time, we’re going to introduce how to use ノリ in conversations! 🕺

ノリ(nori)

vibe, groove, mood

The word "ノリ" is used to describe the mood or atmosphere as well as rhythm in music. The origin of ノリ comes from Noh dance (能), where it was used to describe the rhythm or flow of a performance.

Example Sentence

A: この曲(きょく)最近(さいきん)ハマってるんだよね〜
I'm really into this song lately~
B: わかる！ノリが良(よ)くてテンション上(あ)がるよね
I know, right? The vibe is awesome and it really pumps me up!

Advanced sentence

ノリノリ(nori-nori)

ノリノリis expressed like someone is in high spirits, a great mood, or excited state in English.

A: ♪~♪♪♪~[鼻歌(はなうた)] ♪~♪♪♪~[humming]
B: ノリノリだね！何(なに)かいいことあったの？
You look so excited! Did something good happen?

About 鼻歌(はなうた), 鼻(hana) means ‘nose’ and 歌(uta) means ‘song’.

The term likely originated from the sound that seems to come more from the nose than the mouth.

ノリが良い(nori ga ii)/ ノリが悪い(nori ga warui)

ノリが良い (nori ga ii) describes someone who is enthusiastic and quick to join in the fun, bringing a positive and lively energy to social situations

Example Sentence

A: ねえ、この後(あと)カラオケ行(い)こうよ！ Hey, let’s go to karaoke after this!
B: 最高(さいこう)！行(い)こう行(い)こう Awesome! Let’s go, let’s go! A: さすが！ノリいいね〜 As expected! You’ve got such a good vibe!

ノリが悪い (nori ga warui) refers to someone who is unenthusiastic or reluctant to match the group’s vibe, often seen as less willing to engage in the fun atmosphere.

Example Sentence

A: ねえ、この後(あと)カラオケ行(い)こうよ！ Hey, let’s go to karaoke after this!
B: いやー今回(こんかい)はやめとくわ Nah, I’ll skip this time. A: えー、ノリ悪(わる)いわ〜 Aw, come on, you’re no fun!