デート
Meaning in Englishdate (in the sense of 'social engagement' only)
Word context
What it means
デート means a date, the planned social outing between two people who may be romantically involved. In Japanese usage it refers to going out with a romantic interest or partner for leisure activities, and it can function as a noun or with suru to form a verb phrase meaning to date someone.
Main meanings
- Romantic outing between two people, typically with romantic interest
- Usage as a verb via デートする to go on a date or to date someone
- Common in media and everyday speech to refer to dating or date-night concepts
How to use it
Used predominantly in casual speech by young adults and in lifestyle media; in formal writing, speakers may opt for more neutral terms, but デートする and デートに行く are common in everyday conversations and social planning.
Variants and close terms
- お付き合い (otsukiai) — romantic relationship
- 付き合う (tsukiau) — to date/see someone
- デートコース (deeto koosu) — date course
Etymology
loanword from English date adapted to Japanese pronunciation as dēto, with the long vowel marker ー reflecting the English vowel length.
Origin
Introduced to Japanese through Western dating culture and media in the postwar era; the term gained popularity among youth from the 1960s onward and is now the standard word for romantic outings in contemporary Japanese.
Word class
Noun (名詞); also used as a suru-verb: デートする