Mini Dictionary

Last updated: October 7, 2001

Okay, here are the most common words compiled here in a mini dictionary... If a word/phrase has only come up once and isn't important, then you'll find the explanation in the episode itself. Same with English terms with Japanese pronunciations (with the exceptions of very common ones).
On the Romanization of Japanese words... There are many ways of Romanization. For example, ''Tokyo'' is written as such but in reality, ''Toukyou'' is probably more accurate. Most people take the easy way out (including me), though occasionaly, strange versions may appear. Occasionaly, I haven't been consistent too... (T_T). Just find the word that's most similar if you encounter this problem...

Phrases are in "quotes"
In addressing someone in general, suffixes -chan/-kun are the most casual/friendly. Increasingly formal titles end in -san, -sama
Having an "o" in front of a word makes the speaker sound more formal. -eg- oniisan as opposed to niisan.

A
aho
stupid

aitsu
he/she, him/her

anesan
title of the woman who's the kumicho's wife, the boss's wife; kumiins call her by her title

aniki
another word for older brother, or male superior in "male" language

anohito
"that person", i.e. him/her

arigato
thank you

B
baka
stupid; can also mean abnormal or super as in baka strength

bakemono
monster

bakayaro
literally "dumb guy/ass", retard

Banzai
hurray!

bocchan
male version of ojyouchan, boy/young man esp. from a well to do family

boke
dummy

boya
boy/kid

bozu
boy/kid

busaiku
(of an object/craft/person) to be physically built/made poorly; in other words, "ugly" or "deformed"

C
-chan
usually attached on the end of a girl's first/last name, or any name actually, making it sound cuter/softer

Chi!
sound that gives the impression of saying damn, darn, shit

chichi
breasts

chikan
molester, pervert etc

chiwagenka
a lover's quarrel

Chotto!
hey!; hey (wait a minute)!

D
daikokuhaku
big confession

daikon
large white radish

daijyobu(yo)
(I'm/she's/he's) all right; OK

danna
master (of a house), leader

daruma
ball

dekopin
act of flicking someone on the forehead with your finger

dengekibans
land mine shaped devices that deliver electric shocks instead [I don't think these things really exist...]

dengon
message

E
E
eh, used in exclamation of surprise etc; there can be a number of "E"s

ecchi
"H", pervert etc

enka
traditional style of Japanese singing, vaguely resembles opera

F
fu fu fu OR u fu fu
typically, a woman's sexy way of laughing

fukujyoushi
to die while having sex

fun
humph, hm

furigana
the hiragana or katakana written beside a kanji to show how it's pronounced

G
gaichu
harmful/noxoius insect; vermin; pest

gaijin
foreigner

gaki
kid/brat especially a troublesome/annoying one

gambare or gambatte
go!, try your best, Fight!, Good luck!

Ge
an exclamation of disgust

geta
ummm... Japanese platform sandals? can be worn by either sex

gokudo
wicked, scoundrel, gangsters wicked person, a criminal etc; can be used as an adjective/noun

"gokurosama"
thanks for your time/hard work

gya
sound effect of a scream, can have a number of "a"s

H
Ha!
yes/affirmative but kinda sounds more like "Yes sir/madam!"

hai
yes/affirmative

haiku
Japanese poem with 3 lines, with 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively; theme is usually of the seasons

hakama and haori
the male equivalent of a kimono; the most formal wear for men in Japan; hakama is the bottom half; haori is the top half

hanafuda
another type of card deck

hanamichi
runway; i.e. a protected path for someone important to travel down from say a car to a building entrance etc.

harisen
fan that's folded accordion style. (If you know "Fushigi Yuugi" it Tasuki's weapon.) In modern days, it's usually a fan made of large piece of white paper, used in stand up comedy... an equivalence of the Western idea of throwing cream pies...?

He
exclamation of surprise, huh

hei hei
impolite way of saying hai hai, "yeah, yeah"

hentai
abnormal/perverted/strange

hi
sound that describes a shriek

hime-sama
princess

hiragana
letters of the Japanese alphabet

hisuterikku
hysteric, hysterical

hito
person

homo
Japanese term for gay

horenaosu
to fall in love again
to have a second/different opinion about someone after some incident

houkouonchi
a person who's hopeless with directions

I
ibo kyoudai
siblings having the same father but different mothers

iya
word showing negation, no

iyada
(I) don't want to

J
jitte
a weapon that the police of the past used to use, kinda like cop's baton/club but with a second bar running parallel to the first, it's made out of metal and the 'hilt' part is usually ornamented [I think it was also used as a status symbol for power/authority as well]

jizosan
a stone statue of a man, to which people give offering and prayers

K
-kun
suffix usually tacked on at the end of a guy's first/last name

kage no seisai
shadow/hidden wife

kagi
key

kai
company/group, hence Garyukai, and sometimes Kuryukai

kaicho
president

kakkoii
cool!!!

kakkowarui
uncool, embarrassing

kamo
duck

kampai
cheers

kanbu
a title meaning management level/executive

kanji
Japanese/Chinese character

kanojyo
her, she

kanpai
cheers

kashira
head, chief

kashira
head; leader; boss

katakana
letters of the Japanese alphabet written in another way to signify foreign/slang words, can also be used when one is too lazy to write out the kanji of a word

katagi
law abiding citizen, general public

katana
(Japanese) sword

keigo
a way of speaking politely; there are 3 levels but don't ask me more than that...

ki
energy, one's life force, spirit, will... it depends on who you ask

kimono
Japanese silk robe, worn by women

"kisu maaku"
Japanese way of saying "kiss mark" (which sounds much better than "hickey")

kogumi
small kumi

kokuhaku
confession, usually of love

konnichiwa
hello

konyaku (noun or verb)
to formally promise of marriage; such a promise

koohai
people younger/junior to you; opposite of senpai

koroshiai
fighting between two groups that leads to killing, literally "kill each other"

kumi
yakuza gang/group/association

kumicho
leader of a
kumi

kumiin
member of a
kumi

kuromaku
the "person behind it all"

kuso
shit, damn

kusogaki
literally "shit" and "gaki" put together

kusojiji
old geezer

kya (with any number of A's)
a girly scream [Guys tend to say "Wa" or "Gya"]

kyushoku
school meals

M
manga
Japanese comic

manuke
silly/ foolish

"migawari no jutsu"
a ninja move where someone (or something) takes the place for someone, used to defend someone with one's life

miso
preserved soy bean paste... can't think of a better translation
mizumishi
athlete's foot

N
nama
live/in the flesh

namida
tear

natto
fermented soy beans

neesan
older sister, opposite from oniisan, also another way of addressing the anesan

neguse
is a term that describes your hair when you wake up in the morning and it's stuck in a strange position from sleeping on it...

NG
Japanese short form for 'no good'

nidaime
second generation

nihonto
Japanese sword

niichan
big/older brother, more casual than oniichan

ninja
samurai spy

ninpo
relating to the way of the ninja; ninja style

nori
sea weed [actually, technically, it's layers of sea algae that have been dried into sheets

O
obi
sash on a kimono

occhan
slang for mister

ojyousama, ojyousan, ojyouchan
well off girl, miss/young lady esp. of a well to do family [I might have spelled them without the "u" after the "y" in some places; words are in order of increasing casualness]; each word can also exist without the first "o"

okaerinasai
"welcome back home"

omamori
good luck charm

omedeto
congratulations

omiki
sake offered at the alter or to a god; libation

omote no seisai
visible/primary/outward/main wife

oneechan, oneesan, oneesama
big sister, but also can be applied to women older than you if you're speaking casually or to someone close to you; in decreasing levels of casualness; each word can also exist without the first "o"

oniichan, oniisan, oniisama
big brother, "guy" when talking to a guy in general; in decreasing levels of casualness; each word can also exist without the first "o"

onna
girl/woman; chic; can go as far as to mean ''bitch''

"oomaiga" (with any number of "a"s)
Japanese pronunciation of "Oh My God"

"Ore wa Tsukasa ga sukida"
I like/love Tsukasa [Akira's declaration of his love for Tsukasa in ep. 27... which Tsukasa didn't hear]

"Ore...Omae ga sukida"
I like/love you [Ryuji's famous words from ep. 22]

oresama
a fancy way of saying "me" or "myself" that puts you above others; usually a term used by guys

oriai no gi
something like "a ceremony to promote good relations", a peace talk?

oya-baka
someone who is very into being a parent, especially those who are the type to constantly beam with pride when talking about his/her kids, keeping all art projects done by the kids, taking zillions of pics etc.

oyabun
head, leader, chief person

oyaji
father, literally, or can just mean an older man, mister

R
ramen
a type of thin noodles in soup

reisui
literally means "water of thanks"

renkon
lotus root

rokudenashi
a good-for-nothing

ronge
a slang way of saying long-haired

rorikon
short for Lolita complex, when an older man has fancies for really young women, usually teenagers

rotenburo
open air bath, i.e. outside bath

ryu
dragon

S
sakazuki
literally means "wine/victory cup" which is very shallow, almost like a shallow bowl; you see them used in weddings

sakura
cherry blossoms

sambo
tray on a hollow wooden box; used to present food etc. on very special occasions

samuirai
warrior

sandaime
third generation

sankyu
thank you, with a Japanese accent

satsuki
literally "killing intent"; malicious intent, evil intent, evil presence

sayonara
good bye

seigi
good (as in opposite of evil)

seimei handan
a type of astrology like test where the number of brush strokes in one's name (written in kanji) determines one's fortune, kind of like numerology

seisai
right/holy wife

seiza
sitting on your heels [it totally numbs your feet if you're not used to it...]

senbei
Japanese rice crackers

senpai
people older/senior to you

sensei
teacher/doctor

shinai
bamboo swords used for practice in kendo

shingai
unexpected; violation of privacy [see ep. 74 if you're totally confused]

shirouto
amateur, unskilled person; the normal everyday person

shodaime
first generation kumicho

shoji
sliding doors made of a simple wooden frame covered in paper

shotakon
man who loves younger boys [I think]

shuriken
ninja star

shutoo
literally hand sword, or karate chop

soba
Japanese buckwheat noodles

sousui
leader/commander

sugoi
wow, cool, amazing

sukebe
perverted, sexy, dirty

sukida
I like/love you [confusing isn't it...?]

sutemi
throwing one's life away, especially when describing a desperate attack

T
tako
octopus

takobouzu
round headed [Tsukasa's description of Hizaki's head]

takuan
pickled daikon (large white radish)

tankoubun
complied comics (of 1 series)

tanto
short sword, dagger

tekken
iron fist, just like in the game

tsujikiri
a villain that kills innocent people with a sword, and sometimes strips the victim of all possessions; also called a phantom killer

U
ura no seisai
same as kage no seisai

ura
behind/hidden/back

uwaki
affair, unfaithful, disloyalty

W
wa
exclamation of surprise; when there's more than one "a", then it's the sound effects of someone crying, and may have an "n" at the end

wasabi
Japanese horse radish, the green stuff that comes with sushi

Y
yakuza
Japanese mafia, syndicate member

yana yatsu
literally means "a guy that people don't like" or "someone unpopular/disliked", "meanie" also applies

yaro
guy, bastard

yubitsume
cutting off one's finger, a typical way of compensation or asking for forgiveness among the yakuza [this may be stereotypical but I'm not a yakuza so I can't say for sure]

yukata
a simple version of a kimono, usually made of cotton and NOT silk, can be worn by both sexes

Z
zashiki
covered in tatami mats

zori
Japanese sandals made of woven grasses, resemble flip- fliops in shape

zubozhi
a term that vaguely means "that's right"

There have been

since Oct. 18, 2000

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