都市伝説(としでんせつ)

としでんせつ
noun
urban legend; modern myth
culture
1. urban legend; modern myth
A contemporary story of unverified origin that spreads as if it were true. Often spooky, surprising, or moralistic, and circulated by word of mouth or online.
それはただの都市伝説(としでんせつ)だよ。
That's just an urban legend.
学校(がっこう)にまつわる都市伝説(としでんせつ)を聞(き)いたことがある。
I've heard urban legends related to schools.
インターネットで広(ひろ)まった都市伝説(としでんせつ)を検証(けんしょう)する番組(ばんぐみ)が人気(にんき)だ。
Shows that fact-check urban legends spread on the internet are popular.

Compound of 都市(とし) (city) + 伝説(でんせつ) (legend). Borrowed from the English term "urban legend" but used broadly for any unverified modern rumor — not just city-specific ones.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 噂(うわさ): rumor — narrower, refers to specific gossip rather than a story with narrative structure
  • デマ: false rumor; disinformation — emphasizes that the claim is wrong, not its narrative form

Related Words

Compare: 噂(うわさ) (rumor)
Compare: デマ (false rumor)
Compare: 俗説(ぞくせつ) (popular belief)
general
Added 2026.6.5 11:07 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
28500/28748_toshidensetsu