Japanese Buzzwords of 2007

Pink Tentacle brings us 自由国民車 [Jiyu Kokuminsha]'s list of the 60 top Japanese buzzwords in 2007, giving us some neat insight into what was at the top of Japanese people's minds.

My favourite is:

KY [abbreviation of kuki ga yomenai - 空気が読めない]: This is (not a reference to the lubricant, but) an abbreviation of the Japanese expression kuki ga yomenai (”can’t read between the lines” or “can’t sense the atmosphere”), which is used to describe indelicate or unperceptive people. Example: That guy is so KY.

It couldn’t be helped [shouganai - しょうがない]: In a June speech, former defense minister Fumio Kyuma said: “I understand the bombing (in Nagasaki) brought the war to its end. I think it was something that couldn’t be helped.” His controversial remarks were widely interpreted as a justification for the US atomic bombings. He resigned three days later under a firestorm of criticism.

Now to assimilate the list into my vocabulary for reference...