It starts with the claim that “boin” (slang for big breasts) was popularized by Kyosen Ohashi and “Tabasco” by Antonio Inoki, while “dasai” (uncool/lame) is famously said to have been coined by Tamori when he mocked Saitama — though some pointed out the word existed even earlier. “Ecchi” (naughty/lewd) is said to have originated in the 1950s as schoolgirl slang, spreading into common use after appearing in Seiichi Funahashi’s newspaper serial novel. In the 5ch thread “Who made this word popular,” users nominated “originators” for various buzzwords — dasai, chuunibyou (delusions of grandeur typical of middle schoolers), oshi (one’s favorite idol/character), hinnyuu (small breasts), and more — sparking an ongoing debate over where folklore ends and historical fact begins.
1AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:21
Boin (slang for big breasts) — Kyosen Ohashi
Tabasco — Antonio Inoki
Oolong tea — Pink Lady
3AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:22
Isn't Kyosen Ohashi more famous for his catchphrase "Nanchuka Honchuka" (his trademark nonsense line)?
5AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:28
And people seem to have completely forgotten that "boin" was originally about actress Yukiji Asaoka.
6AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:30
Who actually started saying "dasai"? Whoever it was deserves some real credit.
8AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:34
The "chuunibyou" term Ijiin coined is huge — it's so internationally known that even foreign anime otaku get it.
85AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:49
Re: #8
Doesn't the "chuunibyou" Hikaru Ijiin used on the radio some 30 years ago have a different nuance from the "chuunibyou" that's everywhere now?
10AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:36
"Dasai" is Tamori — it started when he coined "Dasaitama" for Saitama.
27AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:27
Re: #10
You think the etymology of "dasai" is "Dasaitama"? That word's been around since before that.
13AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:41
There are tons of words that were only used in Kansai comedy circles that Matsumoto popularized nationwide, but something he actually originated himself from scratch would have to be like "sakagire" (flying into a counter-rage when called out).
14AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:43
Young Tamori used to just talk trash about everyone.
15AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:47
Tamori didn't debut until he was past 30, so during his actual "young" years he was still a nobody.
16AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:56
Saw the thread title, went to post "boin," and someone already beat me to it.
18AnonymousOct 7, 2026 10:58
The usage "ecchi suru" (to have sex) is said to date from the 1980s onward, and on variety shows it's believed Sanma Akashiya or Shinsuke Shimada said it first.
19AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:03
[Deep-rooted grudge] Why my 88-year-old grandfather still hasn't forgiven Tamori → because about 35 years ago he dissed Saitama as "Da-Saitama" (Lame-tama)
https://rocketnews24.com/2017/06/15/914005/
23AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:14
"Kannin-bukuro no o ga kireru" (one's patience-bag string snapping) is an old set phrase — "kireru" isn't new.
28AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:33
"Nice desu ne~" — that guy's an alum of my old school.
29AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:34
Re: #25
"Ecchi da naa" (how naughty) — I wonder if young people even say that anymore.
30AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:36
Doesn't the comedy duo Unchan Nanchan have something they coined too?
32AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:37
I'm 48 years old and this is the first time I've ever heard the name Seiichi Funahashi — is he actually famous?
33AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:37
"Dasai" existed before, but Tamori is the one who got it to spread through society at large.
35AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:39
"Oshi" (one's favorite idol) is an AKB thing, right?
38AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:42
Re: #35
Hello! Project fans didn't use that term back then.
77AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:39
Re: #35
Gen Z: "Is it true the word 'oshi' didn't exist back in the day? What did people call it instead?"
Showa-era guy: "(…what DID we call it again?)"
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1702067320/
36AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:39
I heard "dasai" has been around since the Edo period — but who's this "Maehara" guy?
37AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:42
Around 1952, taking the "H" from "hentai" (meaning perverted), it came into use among Japanese schoolgirls as slang to (disparagingly) refer to someone lewd or indecent.
It's said to have caught on with the general public after appearing in Seiichi Funahashi's newspaper serial novel "Shiroi Magyo" (The White Demon Fish), published in the Asahi Shimbun from 1955 to 1956.
40AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:47
Jun Miura is the one who started calling virgins "DT" (an abbreviation of doutei, meaning virgin).
41AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:48
I wonder who gets credit for popularizing "Acchi Muite Hoi" (a rock-paper-scissors-plus-point-and-dodge game).
43AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:50
Apparently it originally came from Sanshi and got big in Kansai before spreading from there.
44AnonymousOct 7, 2026 11:51
The word "hin-nyuu" (small breasts) was first used in reference to actress Rio Hazuki.
48AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:10
Hold on a second — "Dasaitama" presupposes the word "dasai" already existing, right? So it can't actually have originated with Tamori.
58AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:25
Re: #48
"Dasai" itself is tied to Saitama — it's short for "datte Saitama" (well, you're from Saitama).
59AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:26
Re: #48
Sure, that's true, but since the etymology of "dasai" isn't clear-cut, that's probably why some people just assume that's it.
49AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:11
"Suberu" (bombing a joke), "itai" (cringe), "kuuki yome" (read the room) — I'd guess those are Downtown's doing.
50AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:11
"Tataite Kabutte Janken Pon" (the kids' hit-it-or-cover-it game) is Sanshi's.
51AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:14
"Itai" (cringe) has been around since way before that — guys like Tamio Kageyama were already using it.
63AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:28
Re: #58
That theory is about as credible as the "inakai" (country-bumpkin) theory.
67AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:30
Re: #63
When the Saikyo Line opened, Ikebukuro got flooded with people from Saitama, so it started as "you're from Saitama too" aimed at folks pretending to be real Tokyoites.
76AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:39
Re: #67
That's a just-so explanation tacked on after the fact. Besides, that's not even an adjective form.
80AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:42
Re: #67
That word existed before the Saikyo Line even opened, though.
73AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:36
I wonder who started saying "byou de" (in a split second) — everyone uses it now, kids and adults alike, so it'll probably end up in the dictionary eventually.
75AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:38
Re: #73
I've never once used that one.
Background and Key Points of This Debate
Hunting down “who made this word popular” is a classic 5ch pastime, but it’s also a topic where folk theories spread easily since the actual first usage is rarely confirmed with any certainty. In this thread, theories about the origin of “dasai” ran side by side — the theory that Tamori coined it while mocking Saitama, the theory that it’s short for “datte Saitama,” and even the theory that the word predates both — and no consensus was ever reached. The same goes for “ecchi”: the thread recounts how it originated in the 1950s as schoolgirl slang before spreading into common use via Seiichi Funahashi’s newspaper serial novel, but this is a textbook case of conflating one person’s individual contribution with a word’s natural spread due to the era’s circumstances. What readers should watch out for is that most of these “who said it first” claims aren’t verified historical fact — they’re folk etymologies repeated online again and again. Posters in the thread kept offering conflicting theories, and no one ever settled which one was actually correct.
※This article is an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Who Made It Popular: “Gu” (rock) first by Ken Shimura, “batsuichi” (divorced once) by Sanma Akashiya, “chomechome” (censored risqué talk) by Shingo Yamashiro, “ecchi suru” by Seiichi Funahashi, “kireru” (snapping/losing it) by Hitoshi Matsumoto“.
