Words You Should Shout at Races

Below are the commonly used words in Japan’s racecourses. If you spend a whole day among excited fans, you’ll catch those words and learn when to shout them best. If so, you should put them into practice! Then you’ll definitely considered well-versed in Japanese expressions for gambling, which triggers socialization with local fans.

(1) Atatta!, Hazureta!

These are the most basic words to tell someone about your betting results. When you are asked if you won the race or not, you will answer with either of them. Which one do you want to know fans use when they are happy with the race results? They are destined to use the second one more than ten times as often as the first one :-).

An example
A : Ima no race dou datta? (Did you win the last race?)
B : Atatta yo. Hazusu hou ga muzukashii yo. (Yes, of course. Who could lose at such an easy race?)

(2) Totta!

The moment you won the race, you should shout with this word. Although it has the same meaning as atatta above, regular fans prefer to use totta to atatta. So, shouting it in busy stands will convince fans around you that you are familiar with Japan’s gambling.

An example
A : Yoshi, totta! (Yeah, I got the race!)
B : Mata? Biiru de iiyo. (You won again? You should buy me a beer.)

(3) Plus, Minus

These are the simple words to tell someone whether you’re successful in making a profit or not for a particular race or the whole day. Note that plus or minus has nothing to do with how many times you get payback for the day. The number of races you get payout at isn’t always proportional to the amount of payout you get.

An example
A : Kyou no shuushi ha dou datta? (How was your day in total?)
B : Plus datta. Sukoshi dake. (A bit profittable.)

(4) Sonomama!

This word is used for horse racing most often. As the horses approach the finish line in the straight stretch and their order is right on your bets, you desperately wish they will keep their order to cross the goal line. That is very finely timed for shouting sonomama.

An example
Sonomama! Sonomama! Sonomama!
It’s important to shout it repeatedly without hesitation. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed or awkward, even in the crowds.

(5) Kiwadoi!

This word is usually used for horse racing and bicycle racing. When several horses or racers reach the goal by a narrow margin, and no one can be convinced of their order, the situation is described as kiwadoi. All they can do is wait for a favorable result to be announced.

The results of races are determined based on slit photography in most countries. Its process is called “Syashin-Hantei”(Syashin=photography, Hantei=judgement).

An example
A : Ima no race, 1-2-3 datta? (Do you think the result of the race will be 1-2-3?)
B: So mieta keredo, kiwadoi ne. (It seems to me. So close.)

Technologies on JRA’s slit photography
(6) Oshii!

You should comfort and cheer up your friends when they missed their win by a slim margin. You never say oshii when the race results are far from their bet.

An example
A : Aa, hana-sa de ni chaku datta. (Ah, my horse finished second by a nose.)
B : Oshii! (Keep going! You’ll win at the next race.)

(7) Atsui!

This word describes the state or conditions, especially when you keep losing while getting closer to wins. Repeated narrow losses have just amplified your thirst for payback. Yes, you’re on tilt now.

An example
A : Ima no race, atsukatta yo! (I’ve got closer to a win for that race, but I lost.)
B : Tsuite naine. Kyou wa kaettara. (Out of luck. You should leave for today.)