ガチンコ
がちんこ
noun
for real; serious fight; no-holds-barred
1.
serious match; genuine contest; real fight
A match or contest fought with full effort and no pre-arrangement, originally from sumo wrestling.
あの試合はガチンコだった。
That match was for real.
ガチンコ勝負で決めよう。
Let's settle it with a serious contest.
八百長なしのガチンコの取組が見たい。
I want to see a genuine match with no fixing.
2.
for real; serious; genuine; all-out
Used more broadly to describe any situation or effort that is completely serious and genuine, without pretense.
今回はガチンコでやる。
This time I'm doing it for real.
ガチンコで練習してきた。
I've been practicing seriously.
彼とガチンコで議論したら、三時間もかかった。
When I had a serious debate with him, it took three hours.
Originates from sumo wrestling, where it describes a bout fought with genuine effort rather than being fixed (八百長). The name is said to come from the sound of wrestlers' heads clashing (ガチンと). In modern slang, it has expanded far beyond sumo to mean anything done seriously and for real. Often shortened to ガチ in casual speech.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ガチンコ勝負: serious match, real contest
- ガチンコで戦う: to fight for real
- ガチンコの対決: genuine showdown
RELATED:
- ガチ: abbreviation of ガチンコ — very common in casual speech and slang
- 八百長: match-fixing — the opposite concept
- 本気: serious, for real — the standard non-slang equivalent
- 真剣: earnest, serious — more formal