3 min readNew DelhiFeb 7, 2026 06:00 PM IST
First published on: Feb 7, 2026 at 06:00 PM IST
Before the release of Mardaani 3, Rani Mukerji interacted with students at her former college. During the conversation, she decoded Gen Z slang, and honestly, she nailed it. When asked what main character energy means, she answered with lead, spill the tea as sharing gossip, and doomscrolling, she said what “scrolling on the phone for no rhyme or reason”, and girl math, she answered with “things only girls know”.
Moving on to some Bengali words during the interaction with India Today, she answered “heavy lagche” as “looking really, really good, “dhur baba” as “hatt,” and “scene achhe” as “it looks like it’s going to be interesting.”
Must know Gen Z lingo
People born between 1997 and 2012 are part of ‘generation Z’ or Gen Z. They come just after millennials, born between 1981 and 1996. Here’s a list of the top six words from the Gen Z lingo you absolutely need to know right now.
Delulu: Short for delusional, often used playfully when someone has unrealistic expectations or fantasies. “Thinking he’ll text first? Delulu.”
Iykyk: Short for “If you know, you know.” Used for inside jokes or niche references. “Best spot for fries, iykyk.”
Situationship: A relationship that’s more than friendship but not officially defined, the modern in between. “It’s complicated… we’re in a situationship.”
Rizz: Meaning charm or charisma, especially when impressing or flirting with someone. “He’s got serious rizz.”
Gen Z are born between 1997 and 2012. (Source: Freepik)
Slay: Used when someone excels, looks amazing, or does something flawlessly. “That outfit? Slay.”
Many other colloquial terms or slang have also been incorporated into the Urban Dictionary. Here are some of them:
-Chef’s kiss: Originating from a traditional Italian gesture which indicates a kiss with a sense of excellence, formally defined as “A movement in which you put your fingers and thumb together, kiss them, then pull your hand away from your lips as a way of showing that you think that something or someone is perfect or excellent”.
-Face journey: Defined as “A series of expressions that appear on someone’s face showing different emotions that they are experiencing as a reaction to something”.
-IYKYK: An abbreviation for “if you know you know”.
-This baby: Defined as “Something such as a device, vehicle, or product, especially one that you approve of or find impressive in some way”.
Even terms popularised by gaming and science fiction have made their way into the dictionary. These are:
-Speedrun: Defined as “completing a game or level quickly”.
-Side quest: Defined as “an ancillary activity within a game”.
-Go over to the dark side: A reference to the fictional supervillains in the “Star Wars” franchise, it is defined as “To start to behave in a way that is evil or harmful”.
Rani Mukerji tries gen z lingo. (Source: Instagram/@ranimukherji_) 
Gen Z are born between 1997 and 2012. (Source: Freepik)
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