The Magic of Verbalization
vol.1764
Frenemy
Are you familiar with this word?
...Actually, I only recently learned it myself, but it seems to be a word that is commonly used among young people, and it is a portmanteau combining friend and enemy.
In other words,
“someone who acts like a friend while secretly being jealous or undermining you”
is what it means.
...It sounds like a rather unpleasant person, but for young people, it seems that having this word can actually be a relief in some ways...🤔
The true nature of a frenemy
Once again, what exactly is a frenemy?
TBS NEWS DIG had an article titled “Friend or Enemy? Why the new word ‘frenemy’ is trending among Gen Z”, so I will explain based on that.
〈TBS NEWS DIG / July 15, 2026〉
▼20-year-old woman: “A frenemy is someone who acts like a friend but makes comments that put you down.”
▼20-year-old woman: “They ‘say things they don’t need to say.’ Like intentionally saying, ‘I heard you skipped your bath yesterday.’”
▼Vocational student: “When it was just the two of us, they told me, ‘Blue colored contacts would definitely look good on you,’ but when I wore them out with everyone, they said, ‘Why blue? They don’t match your personal color at all.’”
...I see, perhaps they are trying to be funny or there might be no malice involved sometimes, right?🤔
However, as a result, they end up saying things that put their friends down...
There are also patterns where it seems like a compliment but is actually an insult.
▼University student: “Like, ‘Your face in purikura (photo booth) looks really enhanced.’”
▼University student: “To a friend who has gained a little weight recently, saying, ‘Oh, you look so thin!’”
...The former feels like an insult at this point, but... the latter is tricky...
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”
It can be taken as a message, or as rivalry as
'Please stay just the way you are'
it might be that kind of feeling...
What can be said consistently is that you don't know if the other person has malicious intent or not, but for the person being told, it is hurtful language.
Words make human relationships smoother
This point of 'whether the other person has malicious intent or not' is the key.
To such subtle words if you reply
'That was not a nice thing to say.'
'That is rude.'
'It makes me sad when you say things like that.'
then, 'I didn't mean it that way!' and depending on the situation, the atmosphere might become awkward... (laughs)
At the very least, it will become awkward.
However, by replying brightly with 'You're such a frenemy!' it changes into
'We're friends, and I know you don't mean any harm, but it can be hurtful to some people.'
a lighthearted observation.
Young people also say that it's good because it can be said with a playful, joking tone 🙆
Frenemy is a word that originally spread overseas, but this year 'Frenemy relatable' videos on social media went viral.
It resonated with young people in Japan.
In this way, having new language often makes it easier to bring things up.
For example, “cost-performance” is one such case.
If you say, “I’m picky about money,” it tends to give people the impression that you are “stingy,” but if you say “cost-performance,” it changes the impression to “a smart choice.”
It might not have gained full mainstream acceptance yet, but “chill” is another example.
“I want to spend time relaxing” might make people think “you have nothing to do,” but if you say “chilling,” it somehow feels “stylish.”🤔
Cost-performance brought “intelligence,” and chill brought “the luxury of doing nothing,” which are values that were previously overlooked, and verbalized them to make them clear.
…However, if I were to say to someone
“I’m going to chill tomorrow,”
they would probably think, “What is he trying to act cool for…?”😅
That is also why this term 'chill' hasn't fully spread…
Verbalization also requires that the term be easy for everyone to use.
Words that create new value
When it comes to verbalizing value, occupations are the same.
For example, “essential worker.”
● Medical, nursing, and long-term care fields
● Childcare and education such as nursery teachers and schools
● Public services such as police, fire, and administration
● Lifeline-related services such as electricity, gas, and water
● Food production, logistics, and retail such as supermarkets
● Infrastructure services such as waste collection, cleaning, and transportation
When people in these professions wereCOVID-19during
“playing an essential role in our lives”
and the“essential”nature of theirvaluewasbrought to light, they wererespectedmore than ever before.
Also, some companies havechanged their job titlestocreate new value.
For example,the highway bus businessoperated by“WILLER EXPRESS”.
The company isin an industry with labor shortages, yet it has become a hot topic forbeing flooded with recruitment applications.
〈PRESIDENT Online / July 22, 2026〉
The reason why they areflooded with applicationsis, first of all, theirhigh salary.
First-year new graduatesare paid anannual salary of 6 million yen.
By the way,the industryaverageis4.53 million yen (for inexperienced university graduates).
However, that is not all.
The company's president,Koji Hirayama, refers tobus driversas
"Highway Pilot"
has been changed to this name.
It is not just about driving a car, but rather refined conduct, a high level of service, and advanced professional ethics that increase the value of the job.
In fact, Highway Pilots are semi-annually performance-reviewed on driving skills with equal weighting given to customer service skills and work attitude being evaluated.
Performance review results are linked to salary, so Highway Pilots are said to be diligently working on improving their customer service and work attitude every day.
In other words, to increase the value of the job of driver, they offer a salary commensurate with it. commensurate salary is offered.
Employees also strive to meet those expectations, creating a value-creation loop where they work hard.
In the future, the profession of highway pilot might one day rank in the 'most desired jobs' ranking.
I look forward to such a future~
~And so, through verbalization, values that were previously invisible can be brought to light or newly created.
And
Good words attract people.
Keeping that in mind, I would like to continue working on my job and note posts😊
Thank you very much for reading until the end today as well!