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.

Register

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

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.

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.