Slang dictionary · Moods and personality · Chinese internet slang
What does hajimi (哈基米) mean?
Also written: はちみー, hachimi, ha ji mi, 哈吉米
In short
哈基米 (hājīmǐ) is Chinese internet slang for a cat, and more loosely for any small, cute animal or thing. It comes from the Japanese はちみー (hachimī, a clipped form of hachimitsu, "honey"): in season 2, episode 12 of the anime Uma Musume Pretty Derby, the character Tokai Teio hums a little song about a honey drink that keeps repeating hachimī. A fan remix of that song became a popular soundtrack for cat videos on Douyin in 2023, and hajimi went from meaning honey to meaning cat.
From honey to cats
Honey in Japanese is はちみつ (hachimitsu). Tokai Teio, the lead of Uma Musume season 2, loves a honey drink, and in episode 12 she hums a made-up tune about it, dropping the last syllable to sing はちみー. Fans call it はちみーのうた, "the honey song", and Chinese listeners heard hachimī as 哈基米.
In November 2022 a Bilibili creator set the tune to Baka Futari (馬鹿ふたり), a track from the visual novel Clannad, as a fan music video. From 2023 the audio was reposted to Douyin without credit and used as background music for huge numbers of cat videos. Many viewers never saw the anime and simply linked the word with cats.
What it means now
- A cat (most common): 「我家哈基米又把杯子推下桌了。」 (My cat knocked the cup off the table again.)
- Any cute small animal: pandas or puppies are sometimes called hajimi too.
- Something small, cute and a bit clumsy.
- Honey, its original sense, still used among Uma Musume fans.
Some users later invented a backronym: 哈 for a cat's hiss, 基 for 应激 (stress reaction), 米 for 咪 ("kitty"). It is a joke, not the origin.
How to use it
- 「下班回家，哈基米在门口等我。」 (Got home and the cat was waiting at the door.)
- 「楼下来了只橘色哈基米，谁家的？」 (There's an orange kitty downstairs. Whose is it?)
- 「这只哈基米一听吹风机就哈气。」 (This cat hisses whenever it hears the hair dryer.)
Background and a caution
Once the cat meaning took over, Uma Musume fans tried to insist it "really means honey", but popular usage had settled. When the editors of Yaowen Jiaozi announced their 2023 buzzwords, they mentioned hajimi as a short-video hit whose reach did not spread further, so it was not selected.
FAQ
Is hajimi Japanese?
It is a Chinese rendering of the Japanese はちみー (hachimī), a clipped way of singing はちみつ (hachimitsu, "honey").
Why does hajimi mean cat?
A remix of the honey song was used as background music on countless cat videos on Douyin in 2023, and many people took the word as a name for cats.
Which anime is hajimi from?
Uma Musume Pretty Derby, season 2, episode 12, where Tokai Teio hums the honey song (はちみーのうた).