Declaring yourself a genius, permanently, in a language you don't speak.

What a Japanese person actually thinks
Funny, and the joke is at your expense. In Japan, self-describing as 天才 is either a punchline or a character trait of an insufferable anime protagonist. It is never neutral.

Meaning

Literally: heaven + talent
Actually: Genius, prodigy.

Scores

Naturalness●●●●●

Perfectly normal word.

Coolness●●●●●

Clean characters. The self-assessment is the problem.

Watch out

mediumAlso a near-homophone of 天災 (natural disaster). Same reading, different first character — a very common pun.

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努力 doryoku
effort; sustained hard work

The virtue Japanese culture actually respects. Claiming effort lands well; claiming genius does not.

On skin

天才

Orientation: vertical

N/A.