バブル
ばぶる
noun
bubble; economic bubble
1.
bubble (physical)
A sphere of liquid enclosing air or gas.
バブルが弾けた。
The bubble burst.
子どもたちがシャボンのバブルで遊んでいる。
The children are playing with soap bubbles.
泡風呂のバブルに包まれてリラックスした。
I relaxed wrapped in the bubbles of a bubble bath.
2.
economic bubble, asset bubble
A period of rapid economic growth driven by inflated asset prices that eventually collapses. In Japan, often refers specifically to the late 1980s bubble economy.
バブルが弾けた。
The bubble burst.
バブル時代は地価が異常に高かった。
During the bubble era, land prices were abnormally high.
バブル崩壊で多くの企業が倒産した。
Many companies went bankrupt after the bubble burst.
不動産バブルがいつ弾けるか誰にもわからなかった。
Nobody knew when the real estate bubble would burst.
USAGE:
In Japanese, バブル most often refers to the economic bubble of the late 1980s (バブル景気, roughly 1986-1991). This era is associated with extravagant spending, skyrocketing real estate prices, and eventual economic collapse.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- バブルが弾ける (the bubble bursts)
- バブル崩壊 (bubble collapse)
- バブル時代 (bubble era)
- バブル景気 (bubble economy)
- バブル世代 (bubble generation — people who entered the workforce during the bubble)
ETYMOLOGY:
From English "bubble."