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The story
A thread titled “Seriously, I’m an inkya (introverted/gloomy type) girl, any questions?” went up on 5ch’s Newsspeed VIP board, and the conversation grew as the poster answered questions from other users. She described her isolation back in middle school — no friends, barely speaking at school — but revealed that these days people often call her funny, chatty, and easygoing. That gap between her self-assessment and how others see her sparked pushback, with comments like “can you really call that inkya?” and “there are introverted youkya (extroverted/popular) types too,” and the thread’s real focus ended up being the definition of “inkya” itself.
What people said
Hmm, doesn't really look like anyone
Narrow-set eyes, upturned, slightly fan-shaped double eyelids, baby face
That's crazy cute, quit messing with me
Used to be cute, back in the day
Now her eyes are like Maki Horikita but the rest of her face looks stretched out
That's crazy cute, so what even is an "inkya" girl…?
Looks don't really have much to do with it
It's more about personality — gloomy, introverted
"Inkya" literally means "a person of the shadows," so someone with a striking face or vibe isn't really inkya
Isn't she more of a "mystery character" type?
Honestly this bugs me the most
People around me call me funny, chatty, and easygoing
People who call themselves inkya say I'm "youkya" (extroverted type), but when I'm actually around youkya people, I feel like I don't fit in
Where in the world is there a cute, chatty, funny, laid-back "inkya"?
Everything you just listed is a compliment, so why not just accept it?
If it's someone I like, and I'm not tired at the time
Part-timer
I work at a dental clinic and a pharmacy
Wait, do scrapyards even hire part-timers? (mishearing "haisha" — 歯医者 "dentist" sounds just like 廃車 "scrapped car")
Sure, if you bring another girl along too
There's a girl who might come along
Well, that works then
Nope? It actually energizes me
Congratulations!
You are not an inkya
I mean, just being extroverted doesn't disqualify you from being inkya
There are introverted youkya types too, you know
What's that supposed to mean
These days I honestly don't really know anymore
Liaaar
Liaaaaaaar
Yep, that's a lie, I call doubt
It exists
I know two people around me who've worked part-time at a dental clinic
Are pharmacy and dental clinic jobs like, specialized professions?
Did you go to a university for that?
Not sure if I'm popular, but I'm known as a "killer of virgin guys"
No friends, heavy bangs, gloomy, barely talked at school, total loner, and on my way to and from school I'd get trash-talked by a "friend" walking right in front of me
That's what you call a misunderstanding
Happens all the time in girl world
Let's talk again sometime
Really? But have I even met anyone from Kanto…?
Oh wait, never mind
I meant whether I've met anyone from Kansai
Like the type who scrubs the toilet with her boyfriend's toothbrush
I wouldn't do that lol
Even if he cheated on me, I don't think I would
Huh? I use other platforms too. I just get the urge to come here every so often
I'm on basically every social media, for what it's worth
Might be a different person, but maybe someone I met in Asakusa last year
Ah, I didn't meet anyone last year, so probably not
• I unconsciously smile when we make eye contact
• I'm proactive
• I talk to people a lot
Background and Points of Debate
“Inkya” and “youkya” are slang terms that have become fixtures online, but they have no firm definition — whether they describe personality or appearance and vibe is something people interpret differently. In this thread too, the original poster based her self-identification as inkya on middle-school experiences of having no friends and barely speaking at school, while noting that people around her now often describe her as funny, chatty, and easygoing. That gap between her self-image and how others see her became the central point of debate. Pushback followed, with comments like “someone with a striking face or presence can’t really be called inkya” and “there are introverted youkya types too,” and the thread moved on without ever settling on a shared definition of the term. Self-introduction threads like this crop up regularly on VIP, and part of their appeal is that anonymity makes it easier for candid, self-deprecating exchanges to keep going.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Newsspeed VIP) thread “Seriously, I’m an inkya girl, any questions?“
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