KonMari
/ˌkɒnməˈriː/
CommonMarie Kondo's decluttering method, or the act of sorting possessions by whether they 'spark joy'. Used both formally and casually to mean a ruthless tidying session.
In casual usage, 'KonMari-ing' your closet or room just means decluttering aggressively, even if the person has never read Kondo's book or followed the actual method.
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | KonMari-ed my entire apartment last weekend. Donated six boxes of stuff. | The speaker completed a thorough declutter session and removed a large amount of their belongings. | instagram, 2022 |
| 02 | Time to KonMari this closet. If it doesn't spark joy it goes. | The speaker is about to go through their clothes using the joy criterion. | tiktok, 2023 |
| 03 | I don't do the whole ritual but KonMari basically changed how I think about owning things. | The speaker uses the philosophy loosely without following the formal method. | reddit, 2021 |
| 04 | Does this broken office chair spark joy? No. Thanked it. Gone. | Applying the KonMari question ironically to an obviously broken item. | x, 2022 |
Use it when
- Referring to Marie Kondo's specific tidying philosophy or method.
- Someone is going through their possessions and getting rid of things that don't feel good to own.
- Using it casually to mean an aggressive declutter of any space.
Do not use it when
- You mean a general clean or tidy without any removal of items.
Variations and related forms
KonMari vs declutter
KonMari
KonMari involves a specific philosophy: keeping things that bring positive feeling, not just removing what seems useless.
declutter
Declutter is neutral and refers to removing excess without a specific decision framework.
Origin and context
Portmanteau of Marie Kondo's Japanese name. Her book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' published in 2014 in English brought the term to global audiences. A Netflix series in 2019 brought it to mainstream internet culture.
- First seen
- 2014
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/konmari