Sections
Futsuu (普通): what it means in anime
普通
ふつう · futsuu · normal; ordinary; regular JLPT N4
Futsuu means "normal", "ordinary" or "usually". 普通の人 is "an ordinary person", 普通に is "normally", and 普通じゃない is "not normal".
Where you hear it 5 of 42 series
Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.
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Assassination Classroom · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
即席の殺し屋であるのを除けば 普通の生徒だLikewise, we're perfectly normal students outside of the whole killer thing,
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Jujutsu Kaisen · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
呪いってのは普通 見えねえんだよNormally a curse can't be seen.
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Chainsaw Man · 5 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
普通だったら逮捕されちゃうよNormally, you would be arrested.
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Reincarnated as a Slime · 5 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
普通 人間って 草 溶かせなくね?Humans can't usually dissolve plants, can they?
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Polar Bear Café · 4 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
ヒメコには普通だな。That's normal for Himeko.
Usage and nuance
In anime the word is loaded. Mob wants to be 普通; Tensura's hero was a 普通 office worker; Jujutsu Kaisen's Yuji is told he is not 普通. A character who insists they are 普通 is usually about to be proven wrong.
Teenagers use 普通に as an all-purpose adverb meaning "just" or "genuinely": 普通においしい is "it's honestly good". It drives Japanese teachers mad.
On a train, 普通 is the local train that stops at every station, as opposed to 急行 (express). Useful in Japan, confusing in anime about commuting.
Hear 普通 in Assassination Classroom7 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account