つーか

つーか is a very casual contraction of というか, used to correct, rephrase, or redirect what was just said.

Etymology

というか → ていうか → つーか. Each step shortens the previous one; つーか compresses ていう into a single long vowel.

Formality scale

• というか - neutral, acceptable in most spoken situations
• ていうか - casual
• つーか - very casual; friends, peers, online

Usage

• Sentence-initially, to change the subject or challenge the premise: つーか、なんで来(き)たの？ ("More to the point, why did you even come?")
• Between two descriptions, to upgrade the first to a blunter second: 難(むずか)しい、つーか無理(むり) ("hard - no, impossible")
• To register mild disagreement without stating it outright

Sentence-initial つーか can sound abrupt or dismissive, since it implies the previous topic was beside the point.

Register

Very casual and colloquial, and essentially spoken (or typed in chat). Avoid it with superiors, in formal situations, and in writing. Also written つうか and とゆーか.