Dictionary

kogal en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkoʊɡæl/ (US)

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese コギャル (kogyaru, “younger gyaru”) (see there for more), ultimately from English gal.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) A subculture of conspicuous consumption among young women in urban Japan, typified by dyed hair, artificial suntan, platform boots, miniskirts, and expensive accessories.
   • Kogal tackiness was egalitarian, and contrasted with the cute and conservative styles […] 2004, Gordon Mathews, Bruce White, Japan's Changing Generations:
   • If not exactly respectable, kogal culture is not condemned anything like as harshly as manifestations of pedophilia would be elsewhere […] 2003, Philip Jenkins, Beyond Tolerance: Child Pornography on the Internet:
2. (countable) A member of this subculture.
   • Because of the links drawn between kogals and enjo kosai ("compensated dating"), in which women and girls are paid for dates and sometimes sex […] 2006, David Richard Leheny, Think Global, Fear Local:
   • Runa is a gyaru (gal), particularly a kogal and one of the popular girls in school. 2023 March 16, Brandon Lyttle, “Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and The Inexperienced Me premieres this year”, in Niche Gamer, archived from the original on 24 Mar 2023:

Forms

Synonyms

kogyaru