Pien: Its Life As Emoji, Vocabulary, and Fashion
Learn how “pien” became the in-fashion word of 2020 — and how its use spread through popular media and Kabukicho street culture.
By Jay Allen
It’s not as trendy as it used to be. But the Japanese word “pien” — represented visually as the “pleading face emoji” — has secured its place in Japanese slang. But where did it come from? We take a look at its history, its usage, and its influence on manga, anime, and Kabukicho street culture.
The origins of “pien”
As far as anyone can tell, “pien” as a word came into fashion among the JC (女子中学生; joshichuugakusei, middle schoolers) and JK (女子高校生; joshikoukousei, high schoolers) set around 2018. It took off in popularity around that time. According to Google Trends, it hit its peak Internet usage around 2020 and has since faded.
Pien enjoyed a few years in the sun starting in 2019, when it made multiple lists of trending slang words in Japan. Marketing company AMF, which specializes in marketing to teens in Japan, put “pien” at number 1 in its list of…
