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A while ago, I heard the word ぶっちゃけ on a comedy show used to mean "frankly."

I'd like to know three things:

1) How polite/impolite is this word? Looking it up online, it seems to be
slang. I guess I shouldn't be using it at work...

2) If it is impolite/casual, what is a formal word with a similar meaning? I
saw 率直に suggested online as a more formal alternative. Are there other good
words to use?

3) Who uses this word/When was this word popular? Now that I think of it, I
haven't heard anyone in "real life" use this word. Is it only used by a
certain group (i.e., teenagers) or was only popular for a short time? Do most
people know what it means?
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2015-01-20T15:46:07.390
21384
2015-01-20T18:03:58.657
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question
words usage
Politeness and Usage of ぶっちゃけ
1) ぶっちゃけ is used among close friends or family in a very casual setting. I
would not use this in a typical setting and especially not in a business
situation.

ぶっちゃけ originally came from 打{ぶ}ち明{あ}ける→ぶっちゃける which means to expose or "kiss
and tell" a scandalous or juicy story.

Since then, it came to mean frankly, or bluntly, or 'to get to the point of
the matter', etc. but it's usage is still very slang.

率直{そっちょく} means straightforward or candid. For example, 率直{そっちょく}な意見{いけん}
means "honest and open opinion".

2) Another way to say 率直 is ストレート. Both work in any setting but 率直 sounds a
little more formal.

3) I find that young adults (maybe sometimes older adults?) and teens use this
primarily. I still hear it even nowadays. I'm sure everyone knows what it
means. It's still widely used on TV although not as much as early 2000s.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-20T18:03:58.657
21389
2015-01-20T18:03:58.657
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21384
answer