Japanese Slang : Dekikon

One of the many ways to become more fluent in a foreign language is to study its slangs. Not only will you speak more fluently but you will sound more like a native speaker. 

Let’s see today, how you would say “shotgun wedding” in Japanese. Well, with the expression: “dekikon” 「できこん」「でき婚」!

This expression describes a wedding that is or was arranged to avoid embarrassment due to an unplanned pregnancy rather than out of the desire of the participants! 

You can literally translate as “we already made (a baby) marriage”. Have you heard it before?

Now, let’s take a look at the interesting construction of this Japanese slang word. The first part, “deki” comes from the sentence 「(子どもが)できてしまった」 which means “got pregnant” or “gave birth”.

As the sentence carries a very negative nuance, it is closer in meaning to the expression ” to get knocked up”. 

The second part, “kon” originates from the word “kekkon” 「けっこん」「結婚」 which means marriage. Finally, the both parts “dekikon” were combined as an abbreviation for the following sentence:

  • 「(子どもが)できちゃった(から)結婚(する・した)」
    [(kodomo) ga dekichatta (kara) kekkon (suru・shita)]

The literal translation is “to get / got married because of having conceived a child“. But we all now the underlying meaning: because you conceived a child before getting married, you have to get / had to get a quick wedding to save face”.

The Japanese slang “dekikon” appeared during the 90’s as for some various reasons, wedding triggered by pregnancy increased.

By 2000’s, marriages due to unplanned parenthood became popular among young Japanese of 19/20 years old, as several celebrities such as idols made it a trend in Japan. This way of getting married is also called 「ダブルハッピー」 “double happy” or 「マタニティウェディング」 “maternity wedding”.

If those words have a pretty obvious meaning, there is a third and quite euphemistic way to speak about shotgun wedding: 「おめでた婚」 “omedeta kon”: a “blessed” marriage.

Let’s see the word dekikon used in a conversation between two friends:

(男性の友達同士の会話)
A:実は、再来月に結婚することになったんだ。
B:え?それはおめでとう。ずいぶん急だな。もしかして、でき婚
A:うん、そう…。

(Dansei no tomodachi dōshi no kaiwa)
A: Jitsuwa, saraigetsu ni kekkon suru koto ni natta nda.
B: E? Soreha omedetō. Zuibun kyūda na. Moshikashite, dekikon?
A: Un,-sō…

English Translation
(two male friends are discussing together)
A:To tell the truth, in two months, I am getting married.
B:Wow, that is a great news! Congratulations! That was pretty quick. Wait. Don’t tell me it’s a shotgun wedding?
A:Actually… Yeah.

(女性の友達同士の会話)
A: 聞いた?Cさんは来月結婚するそうです。
B: ええ。でき婚らしいですね。
A: えー、知らなかったです。

(Jyosei no tomodachi dōshi no kaiwa)
A: Kiita? C san ha raigetsu kekkon suru sou desu.
B: Ee. Dekikon rashidesune.
A: E-, shiranakattan desu.

English translation
(Two female friends are discussing together)
A: Have you heard? C san is apparently getting married next month.
B: Yeah. Seems to be a shotgun wedding.
A: Eh? I didn’t know.

Of course, as it is used casually with friends, family, or those close to you, you should avoid using it in more formal conversation.

Click this link to read about how to use the Japanese word: chotto!

Credit CC BY 2.0: amira_a
Title: Let love rule
source: Flickr

Coto Japanese Academy is a unique Japanese Language School in Iidabashi Tokyo, we offer relaxed and fun conversational lessons for all levels of Japanese learner. Coto Japanese Academy prides itself on its community atmosphere and fun lessons that focus on creation of opportunities to speak and learn Japanese. If you are interested in studying Japanese in Tokyo – please visit our contact page here.


Test your Japanese level!


Do a self-test to see which course fits you.

Check your level