はまる/はまってる・hamaru/hamatteru = hooked/crazy about/
You can use this to say:
- I'm hooked on this game.
- He is crazy about Ramen.
- I'm obsessed with Korean drama.
"Hamaru" used in this way is a slang. It is widely accepted and used throughout the society, but still, it might be a fad. Using it in a casual conversation is fine, but it's safe not to use it in an official setting.
Most often, you use this to say you are hooked on something, "xxxx ni hamatteru/hamattemasu."
EXAMPLES
Hooked on
(Ima, kono gēmu ni hamatte masu.
(sōnano? sonnani omosiroi no?)
Crazy about
(Watasi no otōto wa, owarai ni hamatte irundesu.)
(Uti no onīchan mo desu!)
"My" is usually translated to "Watasi no", but often, people use "Utino" when it belongs to their family or household, for example, "uti no reizōko (refrigerator)" instead of "watasino reizōko"
"Onīchan" is a casual way to call "big brother". In formal conversation, you use "Ani".
A tip
Before "Hamaru" got its popularity, words such as:
- "muchū" - crazy about, hooked
- "yamerarenai" - cannot stop
- "yamituki" - hooked, addicted (not drug)
were used to express similar conditions (they are still widely used.)
Let's learn Japanese!