At the end of the year, the publishing company Jiyukokuminsha organizes their annual Japan New Words and Buzzwords Awards of the most culturally impactful and popular words for that year. 2020's winner was "Sanmitsu" (3密), or the 3 C's, representing the three situations that the Japanese government recommended for people to avoid- confined spaces, crowds, and close-contact settings. The wide usage of the campaign even was used as the premise of a popular video game where one's character enforces these recommendations (as seen in the video above).
This year's nominees were recently announced, many inspired by the Tokyo Olympics. Slang terms coined by sports commentators (Gonzeme, (ゴン攻め)- cool skate boarding trick) or athletes' social media pages (Frog love (カエル愛) - influenced by featherweight boxing gold medalist Sena Irie's affection for frogs and frequent posts on them) have made the list. Squid Game, the Netflix show that gained global viewership and fans, was also included. Click here for the full list. If it were up to you, what buzzword would you pick as the winner for 2021?