payoku
Derogatory Japanese net slang for online leftists
Meaning
Payoku labels people who post left-leaning views online. It carries contempt and mockery, mostly among right-leaning forum users. Mainstream outlets rarely use it as a neutral term.
Origin
The word alters sayoku, meaning left wing, by replacing sa with pa. It reportedly spread with the phrase payopayo chin on Japanese boards around 2014 to 2015. The exact first post is unknown and the origin remains disputed.
How it's used
People use it in political threads on X and 5chan to dismiss critics. It functions as a noun for a person and as a prefix in compounds like payoku media. The verb payoru means drifting into that style of thought.
Example
He was called payoku after defending that editorial in the replies.
Variants & related
The short form is payo. Common compounds include payoku media, payoku newspaper and han-nichi payoku. The counterpart term is netto uyoku, often shortened to netouyo.
Common misunderstandings
Outsiders mistake it for a neutral word for leftists, but it mocks. It is not identical to the standard term sayoku. Use in formal writing sounds insulting and out of place.