黒歴史(くろれきし)

くろれきし
noun
embarrassing past; something one would rather forget
informalcolloquialinternetabstractemotion
1. embarrassing past; a past one would rather forget
Slang for an episode or period in one's past that one now finds embarrassing and would like to erase, such as cringe-worthy teenage poems, old photos, or a failed project. Also used of a franchise's or company's own past failures. Usually humorous.
それは僕(ぼく)の黒歴史(くろれきし)だ。
That's a part of my past I'd rather forget.
中学生(ちゅうがくせい)の頃(ころ)の日記(にっき)は黒歴史(くろれきし)だ。
The diary I kept in junior high is an embarrassment I'd rather forget.
昔(むかし)SNSに書(か)いた恥(は)ずかしい投稿(とうこう)が、今(いま)では完全(かんぜん)に黒歴史(くろれきし)になっている。
The embarrassing posts I wrote on social media long ago have become a past I'd rather erase completely.

黒(くろ) (black) + 歴史(れきし) (history). Popularized by the anime "Turn A Gundam" (1999), where it named a suppressed record of past wars, then spread as internet slang. Informal; avoid in formal writing.

Common collocations

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 中二病(ちゅうにびょう) (adolescent delusions of grandeur)
general
Added 2026.10.19 9:20 · Revised 2026.10.19 9:24
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