Dads, rejoice. Your jokes are cool now — for Japan’s Gen Z, that is.
According to Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, a think tank established by advertising company Hakuhodo, oyaji gyagu (old man jokes) and dajare (puns) are becoming increasingly popular among people in their teens to late 20s. This new wave of puns has been dubbed “neo-dajare,” or “neo-puns.”
The organization coined the term after Hakuhodo Institute researcher Momoko Uemura noticed a wave of pun-based expressions circulating online. Instead of responding to a message with “Ryōkai” (“Understood”), she realized young people were saying, “Ryōkai dōchū hizakurige,” a playful twist on “Tokaidochu Hizakurige,” a travelogue from the Edo Period (1603-1867).
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