Menu
leer hier japans!
IRASHAIMASE!!!
leer hier echt japans
Anime: (ah-ni-meh) Literally short for ‘animation’ and is the japanese word for such. In japan it refers to stuff from Sailor Moon to The Simpsons, but outside of japan it only means animation of japanese origin.
Anime is usually based on a popular manga of the same name. The manga will usually come out first, and if it proves popular enough and if the creator wishes it, an animated adaptation is soon made. Some anime are standalone (no manga inspired it) and others started as anime first and then became manga later, ie Cowboy Bebop.
Anison: (ah-ni-son(like song)Short for ‘anime song’, and is simply that, although the term usually implies a bubbly happy moe-anime theme.
Arigato: (ah-ri-gah-toh) Can also have ‘gozaimasu’ (goh-zye-mahs) added to make it more polite, it means ‘thankyou’.
Baka: (bah-kah) Means ‘stupid’ or ‘idiot’, and is a popular insult in anime, manga and the fandom. Can also have ‘kuso’ as a prefix or ‘yarou’ as a suffix to increase the intensity...see further down. Saying ‘baka na!’ can also mean ‘impossible!’
Bishoujo: (bi-shor(without an ‘r’ sound)-joe) Means ‘pretty girl’ and refers to girls in anime and manga that are unbelievably gorgeous, ie Belldandy from Oh My Goddess and Princess Serenity in Sailor Moon.
Bishounen:(bi-shore(no ‘r’ sound)-nen) Means ‘pretty boy’. Much the same as the bishoujo, and half the time they look like girls, too! X3 While bishounen can be used to describe any attractive anime guy (ie Takuto from Full Moon wo Sagashite). Although they dont have to be anime/manga characters to be classified ‘bishounen’, check out KAT-TUN. XD’
Chibi: Also known as ‘SD or ‘Super Deformed’.While its literal meaning is ‘kid’ or ‘shorty’, it actually comes from a japanese shortening ‘CB’, or ‘Child’s Body’. These are the characters that have bodies roughly the size of their own heads. The best example would have to be Puchiko from DiGi Charat. Whilst some characters are chibi for all eternity, it is common in manga and anime for characters to turn chibi as a comical way of expression. The most used chibis in a manga as comical expression is in CLAMP’s Magic Knight Rayearth.
Dating Sim: Hugely popular in japan amongst male otaku (although there are some geared towards female audiences, although arent as common). They’re set out as a text-based ‘choose your own adventure’ style ‘quest’, the objective of which is to win the heart of one of a number of girls the player ‘meets’ throughout the course of the game. Choosing to, or not choosing to do a certain thing when you are presented with a number of options can increase or decrease the affection a girl will ‘feel’ for you, influencing whichever of the multiple endings you’ll get when you finish the game. Pornographic and non-pornographic versions exist, the hentai versions usually referred to as ‘eroge’.
Doujinshi: (door-jin-shi)Doujin for short. Translates roughly as ‘amateur work’. Doujinshi are ‘fan manga’. Think fanfiction cross with manga. Non-professional artists uses an existing manga’s characters and make their own fan version. They can build on, parody or put characters in situations the original creator wouldnt. An overwhelming majority are pornographic in nature, yaoi and yuri being very common.
Dub: Refers to anime that isnt in its original language, ie has a different language, usually english, dubbed over. Always sucks compared to the original and can be extremely embarassing too... Although nowadays you can usually buy your anime dvds with a choice of watching dub or sub, many notorious dubbing companies like 4kids are infamous for brutally hacking innocent anime to pieces and making them ‘kid-friendly’...e_e....
Ecchi:(etchy) Ecchi is used to describe something perverted. It’s common to call a series or character ecchi. Not to be confused with ‘hentai’, although the words are often used synonymously in japan. It comes from the japanese pronunciation of the letter ‘h’, as in the first letter of the word ‘hentai’. For the most part people dont use ‘ecchi’ like the word hentai. For example, one could say Love Hina is ‘ecchi’, but it isnt ‘hentai’.
Eroge: (eh-roh(as in ‘roger’)-geh) Short for ‘erotic game’, it refers to dating sims with pornographic content.
Fanservice: Also known as ‘cheesecake’. Fanservice is common in shonen and seinen manga/anime. It’s all those moments that are slightly perverted, anything from panty shots to hotspring scenes and bouncing breasts. It’s less commonly used to describe moments in shojo and redicomi when you see topless bishounen. In other words, fanservice for female readers isnt uncommon, it’s just that the term ‘fanservice’ usually applies to service for the male reader.
Fansub/dub: A fansub is when a fan gets ‘raw’ anime (anime in japanese)that isnt commercially available and takes the liberty of adding the subtitles in themselves. These are uploaded to the internet for people to download, thus gaining access to an anime they otherwise would have alot of trouble seeing, let alone understanding if their japanese isnt up to scratch. Not entirely legal, but a good way if seeing if a series is worth your time/money when it’s commercially released in your area. A fandub is when fans cut out all the audio of an anime and put their own voices in, usually for humurous purposes.
Gaijin: (Guy-jin) Means ‘foreigner’. A sterotypical ‘gaijin’ in anime/manga is loud and irritating, ie Tina Foster in Ai Yori Aoshi.
Gaki: (gah-kee) Slang term for ‘kid’. Almost like saying ‘little punk’ I suppose.
Genki: Literally means ‘healthy’ or ‘active’ (ie ‘genki desu ka?’ means ‘are you well?’) but in the anime/manga fan community the word is used to describe characters that are so full of energy to the point of being ly retarded, jumping all over the place and annoying the hell out of everything and also eating everything in sight. Examples are Ed from Cowboy Bebop, Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece and Mew Pudding from Tokyo Mew Mew.
Gomenasai:(goh-men-nah-sigh) Or Gomen for short, means sorry.
Gouchisousama deshita: (Goh-chi-saw-sah-mah-desh-ta) This is said after finishing a meal in japan, if you’re polite, anyway. It pretty much means ‘thankyou for the meal, it was delicious’.
Henshin: Means ‘transform’ or ‘transformation’. Mostly used in magical girl anime/manga; her ‘henshin’ is her transformation from normal girl to super hero. In anime henshin are usually very lengthy and accompanied by theme music and mountains of sparkles and ribbons.
Hentai: (hen-tie) Not to be confused with ‘ecchi’ or ‘fanservice’. The word means ‘pervert/ed’ or ‘abnormal’. It usually applies to, put simply, explicit anime or manga pornography. It either exists as a standalone series or as an erotic parody of an existing series ala doujinshi.
Inu: Eheh, dog!
Irashaimase:(i-rah-shy-mah-seh) Welcome! Often said by shopkeepers when the okyaku-sama (customer) enters their shop. -he yokouso also means ‘welcome to’. Ie, ‘Nihon he yokouso’ would mean ‘welcome to japan!’
Itadakimasu(I-ta-dah-kee-maahs, but the ‘su’ can also be pronounced sometimes) Said before eating in japan (by polite people). Literal meaning is ‘receiving’ but it’s actual meaning is closer to ‘let’s eat!’
Itterashai:(ih-teh-rah-shy) Said by someone in response to ‘itekimasu!’ (see below) which means ‘take care’ or ‘have a nice day’.
Itekimasu:(ih-teh-ki-maahs) You say this when leaving home to go to school, work, etc. Pretty much means ‘I’m off!’ Whoever you say it too should respond with ‘Itterashai!’
J-pop: Japanese popular music. There’s also j-rock and j-rap and j-anything else, but j-pop/rock are the most popular in the fandom due to their common inclusion in anime.
Ja ne or Ja mata:(jah-neh, jah-mah-tah) Ja means ‘well’, but ‘ja ne!’ means ‘see you later!’ ‘mata’ means again, so ‘ja mata’ means ‘I’ll see you again’ or ‘until next time!’
Kaizoku:(kie-zoh-koo) Pirate! ‘Kaizoku-ou ni narunda!’ means ‘I will be the Pirate King!’ as said by Monkey D. Luffy in the One Piece.
Kakkoii: Means ‘cool. I’ve seen it translated as ‘good looking’, which can work in some contexts, ie I’ve seen it in nakayoshi (‘kawaii and kakoii’ boys!) but I’ve also seen Luffy using it to describe Patty’s fish-boat-paddle thing and Yoh to describe Silva. So just ‘cool’ is my bet. ‘Kakkowarui’ means ‘uncool’.
Kanrinin: For the Love Hina fans out there, kanrinin is ‘resident manager’ and is the postion taken by the bumbling protagonist Keitarou Urashima.
Kawaii: (kah-wai-ee) The word ‘kawaii’ is perhaps the most important and most-used word in anime/manga fandom, and it means cute! Kawaii applies to pretty much anything in anime/manga that looks cute, the series itself, the artwork, a particular character, a song, a characters voice...etc. It’s an important word in marketing too. It has sometimes been translated as ‘lovely’, but its more commonly used as ‘cute’.
Kendo: Kendo is a japanese martial art very much like fencing. The ‘kendo girl’ in anime/manga is one to be feared. She’s sometimes nice...but for the most time she’s extremely dangerous and one must tread lightly while dealing with her if you like your head attached to its shoulders. These girls are skilled with those blades so do not mess with them! One of the fiercest and best examples of the kendo girl, in stereotypical kendo outfit and all, is Motoko Aoyama from Love Hina. (her nickname is also ‘kendo’)
Kogal: This is a hard word to describe. It is used to describe some japanese schoolgirls, but I’ve received two different meanings. The first is a kawaii school girl who loves kawaii things, like Hello Kitty, and decorates all her belongings with such things, gets cute covers for her mobile phone, etc. The second, according to tokyopop, is a girl who is really into fashion and make-up, sometimes going to extremes with the makeup and getting fake tans. The fake tan combined with the hideous eyeshadow and overuse of makeup is one of the most unattractive ‘looks’ I’ve ever seen...
Konbanwa:(kon-bahn-wah) Used as a ‘hello’ after 5’0 clock at night, it basically means ‘good evening.
Konnichiwa: (Koh-ni-chi-wah) Literal meaning is actually ‘today’ but it actually means ‘hello’ but is only used after 12 and before 5.
Kowai:(koh-why) Means scary. A favourite word amongst punsters as its so similar to ‘kawaii’. (the anime DiGi Charat is a noticeable cross between kowai and kawaii) Saying ‘kowai’ also means ‘I’m scared’.
Kuso(koo-soh!) Kuso is a famous japanese swear word used often in anime/manga. It basically means ‘shit!’ or ‘crap!’, although often just translated as ‘dammit!’
“Chikushou!’ means the same thing.
Using ‘kuso’ as a prefix to ‘baka’ or ‘yarou’ (see further down) can also increase the intenisty of the insult. ‘Kuso baka!’ would translate best as ‘imbosile!’
Lolicon: (lolly-kon) or ‘rorikon’, short for ‘lolita complex’. It refers to series that involve sexual situations with children. I think it’s illegal in many parts of the world as it falls under the ‘child pornography’ label, but in Japan it escapes this as the children depicted arent real. It usually refers to young girls, with boys it is more commonly called ‘shota’. Just so you know... >_>
Mahou Shojo: (ma-hoe shoh-joe) Means ‘magical girl’. Also a genre of anime/manga, where a young girl or team of young girls usually aged between 10-16 years of age gains magical abilities and can transform into a super-powered alter ego in order to save the world. Well, most of the time. Some battle evil, some battle crime, some just restore peace of mind to the innocent. There are also alot of mahou shojo who simply transform into idol singers, or anything else they cant be in their normal idendity. The most famous mahou shojo of all time is Sailor Moon, other examples are Tokyo Mew Mew, Wedding Peach, Saint Tail and to an extent Full Moon wo Sagashite.
manga: (maahn-gah)Manga’s literal meaning is said to be ‘involuntary images’ ‘playful images’ or ‘irresponsible images’. (???) Japanese comics, serialized weekly or monthly in huge telephone-directory thick magazines in japan and collected in 180 page (average) tankoboun and sold in bookstores. Popular series in japan are made commercially available in other countries by translating companies. Stupid people often think manga comics are no different to their western counterparts, minus the distinctive artwork. But manga is far, far different to american comcis in almost every way, the themes dealt with are often very deep and realistic, manga characters can be sympathized and related to unlike the boring character-less heroes of marvel comics, and the comedy in manga is unmatched by any other form of visual art. One of the biggest differences is the fact that in the west, comics are mostly for children, but manga, which accounts for roughly 50% of japan’s published material, is read by everyone. There is manga for young children, boys, girls, teenages, young men and women, adults. There are countless genres, comedies, fantasies, romances, sports, gags, adventures, sci-fi, historical, and pornography. In fact manga is so ‘everything’ in japan that to say you’re a fan of manga over there is almost meaningless, much the same as saying you like books or movies. Manga is by no means a genre of comic art, and to generalize it is simply the same as saying ‘all movies have johnny depp in them’ or ‘all books are romances’.
manga-ka (maahn-gah-kah) The artist of a manga. (ie Hiroyuki Takei is the manga-ka of Shaman King)
manwha: (maahn-wah) Korean manga.
mecha: All the mechanical gizmos and whatnot in some anime/manga series. A series itself can be described as ‘a mecha series’, and it usually refers to those of the ‘giant robot’ type, ie Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Meshi: One of Kaolla-Su, Luffy and Pudding’s favourite words, meshi means ‘meal’.
Minna: (mih-nah) Means ‘everyone’ or ‘all’. ie, ‘Konnichiwa, Minna-san!’ means ‘hello everyone!’
Moe: (mo(as in not, top, shot)-eh) An otaku slangterm that has created something of a boom in recent years. It comes from the kanji meaning ‘to sprout’ or ‘budding’. Moe is difficult to describe, it can refer to a style of anime and manga, usually to do with young girls or girls that appear very young, drawn in a distinctive style that depicts childish innocence and extreme cuteness, it can also describe this way of acting, and it can also be used to describe the feeling one gets from this characters. It may have also come from the word ‘moeru’, which means ‘burning’, linking to the passionate obsession otaku have for this character type. Not to be confused with ‘lolicon’, moe indicates a desire to protect or ‘be soothed’ rather than something sexual. Ichigo Marshmallow is an example of ‘moe’ style, as is most dating sims. Ken Akamatsu posted his thoughts on ‘moe’ and how he defines it, you can read the translated version here.
Na! Short for ‘nani’, which means ‘what’, na! pretty much means ‘huh?!’ in anime and manga. Its alot cuter than ‘huh?’ hower. The award for ‘most na’s used by a single person’ goes to Misaki Suzuhara of Angelic Layer. (However in the english version of the manga she only says ‘eeks’) There’s also ‘nanda’ which pretty much means ‘what the hell?!’ and ‘nande’ which means ‘why?’
-nasai (nah-sigh) You’ve probably noticed a few words, such as gomen and okeraeri, can alternatively have ‘nasai’ added to the end. This just makes it more polite. Some other words use ‘gozaimasu’.
Nakama: (nah-kah-mah) Any proper One Piece fan should know this one. Nakama can I guess be translated to mean ’friend’ or ‘companion’, but it has a much deeper meaning, reserved for the best of teammates with incredible friendship for one another. In One Piece, Luffy’s pick-up line for recruiting members for his pirate crew is “Will you be my nakama?” The meaning and depth of the word is such that when manga is translated I prefer the word ‘nakama’ to be left intact.
Ne: Ne isnt really a word...actually a sentence particle added onto the end of a sentence to make a sort of comment. ie ‘Yoh-kun suteki dane’ would mean ‘isnt Yoh-kun cool?’ or ‘Yoh-kun is cool, hey?’ whereas ‘Yoh-kun suteki da’ would be simply ‘Yoh-kun is cool’. Guess it’s basically ‘hey’ or ‘huh’, but you dont use it like you would use ‘na’. It’s also used to get someone’s attention. ‘Ne, Yoh-kun!’
Neko: (neh-koh) Another popular word in the fandom, it means cat. The ‘neko shojo’ is a popular theme in many anime and manga. Cats play a valuable part in japan, not only are the ‘mike-neko’ (tortoise-shell and white cats) featured on those beckoning cat statues said to bring good fortune to a shop, black cats are also considered good luck.
Nihon, or Nipon: Means japan,and means ‘land of the rising sun’! ‘Nihonjin’ means ‘japanese’ (as in a japanese person) and ‘nihongo’ means japanese as in the japanese language.
Niku: (ni-koo) Luffy’s favourite word. Means ‘meat’.
Nyan-ko: Slang for ‘kitten’. ‘Nyan’ is the onomatopaeia for the sound a cat makes, and ‘ko’ is a suffix often used in names and can mean ‘child’ and more loosely ‘little’, so it sort of means ‘little nyan’. Another slang term for kitty is ‘kone’. ‘Koneko’ is the japanese word for kitten, therefore much like how ‘kitty’ is short for ‘kitten’ in english, ‘kone’ is short for ‘koneko’.
Ohayo!:(oh-hah-yoh) Means ‘good morning’. Can also be ‘Ohayo Gozaimasu’ which is more polite. ‘Ohayo’ is used as ‘hello’ up to about 11 or 12 in the morning.
Okaerinasai: (oh-kay-ree-nah-sigh) Or Okaerie for short. Said when someone comes home, means ‘welcome back’ or ‘welcome home’.
Otaku: (oh-tah-koo) Otaku was originally a polite form of ‘you’ in japan, but now it has come to mean someone who is so obsessed with something they have trouble interacting with ‘normal’ people. It can also mean ‘crazy people’ etc but is usually used for people who are OBSESSED with anime and manga to the point of barely being able to pay their own rent from all the stuff they buy. It has actually been a very deragotary term in japan, and may be similar to sweaty pale-faced star-trek enthusiasts in the west. However in recent years the ‘otaku industry’ is growing with films like ‘Densha Otoko’, making them not be viewed quite as negatively as they once were. People outside japan make the common mistake that an ‘otaku’ is just an anime fan.
Oni-chan and Onee-chan: (o-nee chaan, o-neeh chaan)Means big brother and big sister respectively. (can also be oni/onee-san, sama, etc) Young children in japan often call older people ane-chan or oni-chan even if they’re of no relation. Calling someone your older sibling is also a sign of respect. Piyoko-sama in DiGi Charat refers to Dejiko as Dejiko-oneechan.
Oyasumi:(oh-yah-soo-me) Can also have ‘nasai’ added. It means ‘goodnight’ or ‘I’m off to bed’.
redikomi:(ray-dee-koh-me) Japanese way of saying ‘ladies comic’. Not to be confused with ‘shojo’. Ladies comics often deal with heavy romance and explicit sexualality, although not in the same vein as hentai.
Ronin: (roh-nin) Fans of Love Hina and Chobits should be well familiar with the term ‘ronin’. It’s the word for people who took a university entrance exam...and failed it, so have to wait an entire year in order to try again. In this time they usually attend cram schools and study like crazy.
Sayonara:(say-your-nah-rah) Means ‘goodbye’.
Scanlation: Comes from combing ‘scan’ and ‘translation’, this is when a manga, primarily one only available in japan, is scanned onto a computer and edited in a graphics program so that the japanese text is changed to english text. These are then uploaded to the internet which allows people to gain access to manga that’s unavailable in their country until a company licenses it.
Screentone: Tones are adhesive material printed with a pattern in black ink, used frequently in manga. The use of screentone is an art in it’s own. Screentones are available in many different shades of grey for things like hair, but there are also many others like sand tones for earthy textures, water tones, even circles and sparklies for backgrounds. Some artists who arent skilled at drawing backgrounds can actually buy pre-drawn background tones that are free of copyright to use in their manga,
Seinen:(say-nen) Men’s manga. It can be almost like shonen yet slightly more mature, ie Ai Yori Aoshi, or extremely mature and graphically violent like Berserk. Since their directed at older audiences seinen manga often deal alot more with sexual issues than most manga.
Seiyuu:(say-you) Voice actor for an anime character. Seiyuu are actually quite famous in japan and frequently appear in many anime much like actors in movies. One of the most famous seiyuu is Megumi Hayashibara, also a famous j-pop singer. She supplies Anna’s voice in Shaman King and also the lovely SK theme songs, plus countless other roles including Faye Valentine (cowboy bebop) Piyoko (DiGi Charat) Haruko (Love Hina) Lina Inverse (Slayers) to name a few.
Shojo: (shou-joe) Means ‘girls’ or ‘for girls’. Shojo manga are usually cute and deal alot with romance and coming-of-age issues like school, friends relationships and social-interaction. They usually cater for audiences around the ages 10 to 18.
Shonen: (shou-nen) Whilst it does mean ‘boys’ or ’for boys’, this is too a genre of manga. Shonen ranges from action/fighting adventure stories like One Piece, Shaman King and DragonBall Z, to romantic comedies filled with sexual humour, innuendo and more breasts than you can shake a stick at ala Love Hina and Chobits. Some fans call the latter character ’ecchi shonen’ since there is a difference between the two. Perhaps you’ve heard of Shonen Jump, the most popular manga magazine in all of japan, home to DragonBallZ, One Piece and Shaman King? Unfortunately for the english-speaking crowd, VIZ’s US Shonen Jump sucks. *nods*
Shojo-ai and Shonen-ai: (ai=eye)Means ‘girl love’ and ‘boy love’ respectively and is used to desribe characters/series/etc where a boy has almost romantic feelings for another boy, or a girl with a girl. Not to be confused with yuri or yaoi, shonen and shojo-ai is mostly subtle and ‘soft-core’ and presented in a ‘kawaii’ or unoffensive manner.
Shota:(shor-tah) A male form of ‘lollicon’, refers to the depiction of underage boys involved in sexual activities, usually with older men, but sometimes other underage boys or older women.
Sub: Short for subtitle, means anime in its original form with english/other language subtitles.
Sugoi:(soo-goye) Means ‘great!’ or ‘awesome!’ or ‘wow!’ Sometimes it’s used in a mall slang-like manner where it’s spelled ‘suge’ and pronounced ‘soo-geh!’
Suteki: (soo-teh-kee) Means ‘splendid’ ‘great’, ‘cool’ ‘wonderful’.
Tadaima:(tah-die-mah) Said when you come home, means ‘I’m home’ or ‘I’m back’. Should be responded to with ‘okaerinasai!’
Tankoubon: (Tahn-kor-bohn) Means ‘graphic novel’, and is on average 180 pages thick. Called ‘tanks’ for short by fans.
Tenkousei: (ten-kor-say) t means ‘Transfer Student.’ Why this, you ask? A surprising number of animes and mangas will have a class scene in which a teacher announces ‘Class, we have a new Transfer Student. I would like you to meet.....Yet ALWAYS, the tenkousei is never a normal person. They are ALWAYS linked to the main character sometimes and usually even posess supernatural powers. So if you’re ever in a manga and you get a new tenkousei all of a sudden, look out!
Tenshi: Tenshi means ‘angel’. Have to include it cos it’s such a pretty word. The kanji for ‘ten’ comes from the other word ‘tengoku’ which means ‘heaven’.
Translation: A text document which is pretty much a ‘script’ for a manga. Made for people who have japanese books of a manga but arent too good with their japanese, it acts as a translation aid.
Wanko: (waan-koh) Much like ‘nyanko’, this is japanese slang for ‘puppy’. ‘Wan’ is the onomatopaeia for the sound a dog makes. Puppy in japanese is Ko-inu.
Yakuza (yah-koo-zah)a: The japanese equivalent to the mafia.
Yaoi/Yuri:(Yow-ee, Yoo-ree) Yaoi applies to the male, Yuri to the female. It refers to manga/anime/doujinshi with more ‘hardcore’ homosexual tendencies. For some unbeknownest reason a large number of fangirls think there’s nothing better than seeing their favourite bishounen feel eachother up. Surprisingly, there isnt as much Yuri whereas Yaoi dominates...particularly in the doujinshi market!
Yarou(yah-roar) When you say ‘konno yarou!’ it best translates as ‘you bastard!’ It can also have ‘kuso’ added, ie ‘kuso yarou’ would translate as ‘asshole’ or something along those lines.Adding ‘yarou’ to the end of someone’s status can also degrade, ie ‘gaki-yarou’ is like ‘damn kid’, etc.
Yatta! (yah-tah) An exclamation of joy which means ‘I did it!’ or ‘Hurray!’ A very popular and important word in the fandom.
leer hier echt japans
Anime: (ah-ni-meh) Literally short for ‘animation’ and is the japanese word for such. In japan it refers to stuff from Sailor Moon to The Simpsons, but outside of japan it only means animation of japanese origin.
Anime is usually based on a popular manga of the same name. The manga will usually come out first, and if it proves popular enough and if the creator wishes it, an animated adaptation is soon made. Some anime are standalone (no manga inspired it) and others started as anime first and then became manga later, ie Cowboy Bebop.
Anison: (ah-ni-son(like song)Short for ‘anime song’, and is simply that, although the term usually implies a bubbly happy moe-anime theme.
Arigato: (ah-ri-gah-toh) Can also have ‘gozaimasu’ (goh-zye-mahs) added to make it more polite, it means ‘thankyou’.
Baka: (bah-kah) Means ‘stupid’ or ‘idiot’, and is a popular insult in anime, manga and the fandom. Can also have ‘kuso’ as a prefix or ‘yarou’ as a suffix to increase the intensity...see further down. Saying ‘baka na!’ can also mean ‘impossible!’
Bishoujo: (bi-shor(without an ‘r’ sound)-joe) Means ‘pretty girl’ and refers to girls in anime and manga that are unbelievably gorgeous, ie Belldandy from Oh My Goddess and Princess Serenity in Sailor Moon.
Bishounen:(bi-shore(no ‘r’ sound)-nen) Means ‘pretty boy’. Much the same as the bishoujo, and half the time they look like girls, too! X3 While bishounen can be used to describe any attractive anime guy (ie Takuto from Full Moon wo Sagashite). Although they dont have to be anime/manga characters to be classified ‘bishounen’, check out KAT-TUN. XD’
Chibi: Also known as ‘SD or ‘Super Deformed’.While its literal meaning is ‘kid’ or ‘shorty’, it actually comes from a japanese shortening ‘CB’, or ‘Child’s Body’. These are the characters that have bodies roughly the size of their own heads. The best example would have to be Puchiko from DiGi Charat. Whilst some characters are chibi for all eternity, it is common in manga and anime for characters to turn chibi as a comical way of expression. The most used chibis in a manga as comical expression is in CLAMP’s Magic Knight Rayearth.
Dating Sim: Hugely popular in japan amongst male otaku (although there are some geared towards female audiences, although arent as common). They’re set out as a text-based ‘choose your own adventure’ style ‘quest’, the objective of which is to win the heart of one of a number of girls the player ‘meets’ throughout the course of the game. Choosing to, or not choosing to do a certain thing when you are presented with a number of options can increase or decrease the affection a girl will ‘feel’ for you, influencing whichever of the multiple endings you’ll get when you finish the game. Pornographic and non-pornographic versions exist, the hentai versions usually referred to as ‘eroge’.
Doujinshi: (door-jin-shi)Doujin for short. Translates roughly as ‘amateur work’. Doujinshi are ‘fan manga’. Think fanfiction cross with manga. Non-professional artists uses an existing manga’s characters and make their own fan version. They can build on, parody or put characters in situations the original creator wouldnt. An overwhelming majority are pornographic in nature, yaoi and yuri being very common.
Dub: Refers to anime that isnt in its original language, ie has a different language, usually english, dubbed over. Always sucks compared to the original and can be extremely embarassing too... Although nowadays you can usually buy your anime dvds with a choice of watching dub or sub, many notorious dubbing companies like 4kids are infamous for brutally hacking innocent anime to pieces and making them ‘kid-friendly’...e_e....
Ecchi:(etchy) Ecchi is used to describe something perverted. It’s common to call a series or character ecchi. Not to be confused with ‘hentai’, although the words are often used synonymously in japan. It comes from the japanese pronunciation of the letter ‘h’, as in the first letter of the word ‘hentai’. For the most part people dont use ‘ecchi’ like the word hentai. For example, one could say Love Hina is ‘ecchi’, but it isnt ‘hentai’.
Eroge: (eh-roh(as in ‘roger’)-geh) Short for ‘erotic game’, it refers to dating sims with pornographic content.
Fanservice: Also known as ‘cheesecake’. Fanservice is common in shonen and seinen manga/anime. It’s all those moments that are slightly perverted, anything from panty shots to hotspring scenes and bouncing breasts. It’s less commonly used to describe moments in shojo and redicomi when you see topless bishounen. In other words, fanservice for female readers isnt uncommon, it’s just that the term ‘fanservice’ usually applies to service for the male reader.
Fansub/dub: A fansub is when a fan gets ‘raw’ anime (anime in japanese)that isnt commercially available and takes the liberty of adding the subtitles in themselves. These are uploaded to the internet for people to download, thus gaining access to an anime they otherwise would have alot of trouble seeing, let alone understanding if their japanese isnt up to scratch. Not entirely legal, but a good way if seeing if a series is worth your time/money when it’s commercially released in your area. A fandub is when fans cut out all the audio of an anime and put their own voices in, usually for humurous purposes.
Gaijin: (Guy-jin) Means ‘foreigner’. A sterotypical ‘gaijin’ in anime/manga is loud and irritating, ie Tina Foster in Ai Yori Aoshi.
Gaki: (gah-kee) Slang term for ‘kid’. Almost like saying ‘little punk’ I suppose.
Genki: Literally means ‘healthy’ or ‘active’ (ie ‘genki desu ka?’ means ‘are you well?’) but in the anime/manga fan community the word is used to describe characters that are so full of energy to the point of being ly retarded, jumping all over the place and annoying the hell out of everything and also eating everything in sight. Examples are Ed from Cowboy Bebop, Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece and Mew Pudding from Tokyo Mew Mew.
Gomenasai:(goh-men-nah-sigh) Or Gomen for short, means sorry.
Gouchisousama deshita: (Goh-chi-saw-sah-mah-desh-ta) This is said after finishing a meal in japan, if you’re polite, anyway. It pretty much means ‘thankyou for the meal, it was delicious’.
Henshin: Means ‘transform’ or ‘transformation’. Mostly used in magical girl anime/manga; her ‘henshin’ is her transformation from normal girl to super hero. In anime henshin are usually very lengthy and accompanied by theme music and mountains of sparkles and ribbons.
Hentai: (hen-tie) Not to be confused with ‘ecchi’ or ‘fanservice’. The word means ‘pervert/ed’ or ‘abnormal’. It usually applies to, put simply, explicit anime or manga pornography. It either exists as a standalone series or as an erotic parody of an existing series ala doujinshi.
Inu: Eheh, dog!
Irashaimase:(i-rah-shy-mah-seh) Welcome! Often said by shopkeepers when the okyaku-sama (customer) enters their shop. -he yokouso also means ‘welcome to’. Ie, ‘Nihon he yokouso’ would mean ‘welcome to japan!’
Itadakimasu(I-ta-dah-kee-maahs, but the ‘su’ can also be pronounced sometimes) Said before eating in japan (by polite people). Literal meaning is ‘receiving’ but it’s actual meaning is closer to ‘let’s eat!’
Itterashai:(ih-teh-rah-shy) Said by someone in response to ‘itekimasu!’ (see below) which means ‘take care’ or ‘have a nice day’.
Itekimasu:(ih-teh-ki-maahs) You say this when leaving home to go to school, work, etc. Pretty much means ‘I’m off!’ Whoever you say it too should respond with ‘Itterashai!’
J-pop: Japanese popular music. There’s also j-rock and j-rap and j-anything else, but j-pop/rock are the most popular in the fandom due to their common inclusion in anime.
Ja ne or Ja mata:(jah-neh, jah-mah-tah) Ja means ‘well’, but ‘ja ne!’ means ‘see you later!’ ‘mata’ means again, so ‘ja mata’ means ‘I’ll see you again’ or ‘until next time!’
Kaizoku:(kie-zoh-koo) Pirate! ‘Kaizoku-ou ni narunda!’ means ‘I will be the Pirate King!’ as said by Monkey D. Luffy in the One Piece.
Kakkoii: Means ‘cool. I’ve seen it translated as ‘good looking’, which can work in some contexts, ie I’ve seen it in nakayoshi (‘kawaii and kakoii’ boys!) but I’ve also seen Luffy using it to describe Patty’s fish-boat-paddle thing and Yoh to describe Silva. So just ‘cool’ is my bet. ‘Kakkowarui’ means ‘uncool’.
Kanrinin: For the Love Hina fans out there, kanrinin is ‘resident manager’ and is the postion taken by the bumbling protagonist Keitarou Urashima.
Kawaii: (kah-wai-ee) The word ‘kawaii’ is perhaps the most important and most-used word in anime/manga fandom, and it means cute! Kawaii applies to pretty much anything in anime/manga that looks cute, the series itself, the artwork, a particular character, a song, a characters voice...etc. It’s an important word in marketing too. It has sometimes been translated as ‘lovely’, but its more commonly used as ‘cute’.
Kendo: Kendo is a japanese martial art very much like fencing. The ‘kendo girl’ in anime/manga is one to be feared. She’s sometimes nice...but for the most time she’s extremely dangerous and one must tread lightly while dealing with her if you like your head attached to its shoulders. These girls are skilled with those blades so do not mess with them! One of the fiercest and best examples of the kendo girl, in stereotypical kendo outfit and all, is Motoko Aoyama from Love Hina. (her nickname is also ‘kendo’)
Kogal: This is a hard word to describe. It is used to describe some japanese schoolgirls, but I’ve received two different meanings. The first is a kawaii school girl who loves kawaii things, like Hello Kitty, and decorates all her belongings with such things, gets cute covers for her mobile phone, etc. The second, according to tokyopop, is a girl who is really into fashion and make-up, sometimes going to extremes with the makeup and getting fake tans. The fake tan combined with the hideous eyeshadow and overuse of makeup is one of the most unattractive ‘looks’ I’ve ever seen...
Konbanwa:(kon-bahn-wah) Used as a ‘hello’ after 5’0 clock at night, it basically means ‘good evening.
Konnichiwa: (Koh-ni-chi-wah) Literal meaning is actually ‘today’ but it actually means ‘hello’ but is only used after 12 and before 5.
Kowai:(koh-why) Means scary. A favourite word amongst punsters as its so similar to ‘kawaii’. (the anime DiGi Charat is a noticeable cross between kowai and kawaii) Saying ‘kowai’ also means ‘I’m scared’.
Kuso(koo-soh!) Kuso is a famous japanese swear word used often in anime/manga. It basically means ‘shit!’ or ‘crap!’, although often just translated as ‘dammit!’
“Chikushou!’ means the same thing.
Using ‘kuso’ as a prefix to ‘baka’ or ‘yarou’ (see further down) can also increase the intenisty of the insult. ‘Kuso baka!’ would translate best as ‘imbosile!’
Lolicon: (lolly-kon) or ‘rorikon’, short for ‘lolita complex’. It refers to series that involve sexual situations with children. I think it’s illegal in many parts of the world as it falls under the ‘child pornography’ label, but in Japan it escapes this as the children depicted arent real. It usually refers to young girls, with boys it is more commonly called ‘shota’. Just so you know... >_>
Mahou Shojo: (ma-hoe shoh-joe) Means ‘magical girl’. Also a genre of anime/manga, where a young girl or team of young girls usually aged between 10-16 years of age gains magical abilities and can transform into a super-powered alter ego in order to save the world. Well, most of the time. Some battle evil, some battle crime, some just restore peace of mind to the innocent. There are also alot of mahou shojo who simply transform into idol singers, or anything else they cant be in their normal idendity. The most famous mahou shojo of all time is Sailor Moon, other examples are Tokyo Mew Mew, Wedding Peach, Saint Tail and to an extent Full Moon wo Sagashite.
manga: (maahn-gah)Manga’s literal meaning is said to be ‘involuntary images’ ‘playful images’ or ‘irresponsible images’. (???) Japanese comics, serialized weekly or monthly in huge telephone-directory thick magazines in japan and collected in 180 page (average) tankoboun and sold in bookstores. Popular series in japan are made commercially available in other countries by translating companies. Stupid people often think manga comics are no different to their western counterparts, minus the distinctive artwork. But manga is far, far different to american comcis in almost every way, the themes dealt with are often very deep and realistic, manga characters can be sympathized and related to unlike the boring character-less heroes of marvel comics, and the comedy in manga is unmatched by any other form of visual art. One of the biggest differences is the fact that in the west, comics are mostly for children, but manga, which accounts for roughly 50% of japan’s published material, is read by everyone. There is manga for young children, boys, girls, teenages, young men and women, adults. There are countless genres, comedies, fantasies, romances, sports, gags, adventures, sci-fi, historical, and pornography. In fact manga is so ‘everything’ in japan that to say you’re a fan of manga over there is almost meaningless, much the same as saying you like books or movies. Manga is by no means a genre of comic art, and to generalize it is simply the same as saying ‘all movies have johnny depp in them’ or ‘all books are romances’.
manga-ka (maahn-gah-kah) The artist of a manga. (ie Hiroyuki Takei is the manga-ka of Shaman King)
manwha: (maahn-wah) Korean manga.
mecha: All the mechanical gizmos and whatnot in some anime/manga series. A series itself can be described as ‘a mecha series’, and it usually refers to those of the ‘giant robot’ type, ie Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Meshi: One of Kaolla-Su, Luffy and Pudding’s favourite words, meshi means ‘meal’.
Minna: (mih-nah) Means ‘everyone’ or ‘all’. ie, ‘Konnichiwa, Minna-san!’ means ‘hello everyone!’
Moe: (mo(as in not, top, shot)-eh) An otaku slangterm that has created something of a boom in recent years. It comes from the kanji meaning ‘to sprout’ or ‘budding’. Moe is difficult to describe, it can refer to a style of anime and manga, usually to do with young girls or girls that appear very young, drawn in a distinctive style that depicts childish innocence and extreme cuteness, it can also describe this way of acting, and it can also be used to describe the feeling one gets from this characters. It may have also come from the word ‘moeru’, which means ‘burning’, linking to the passionate obsession otaku have for this character type. Not to be confused with ‘lolicon’, moe indicates a desire to protect or ‘be soothed’ rather than something sexual. Ichigo Marshmallow is an example of ‘moe’ style, as is most dating sims. Ken Akamatsu posted his thoughts on ‘moe’ and how he defines it, you can read the translated version here.
Na! Short for ‘nani’, which means ‘what’, na! pretty much means ‘huh?!’ in anime and manga. Its alot cuter than ‘huh?’ hower. The award for ‘most na’s used by a single person’ goes to Misaki Suzuhara of Angelic Layer. (However in the english version of the manga she only says ‘eeks’) There’s also ‘nanda’ which pretty much means ‘what the hell?!’ and ‘nande’ which means ‘why?’
-nasai (nah-sigh) You’ve probably noticed a few words, such as gomen and okeraeri, can alternatively have ‘nasai’ added to the end. This just makes it more polite. Some other words use ‘gozaimasu’.
Nakama: (nah-kah-mah) Any proper One Piece fan should know this one. Nakama can I guess be translated to mean ’friend’ or ‘companion’, but it has a much deeper meaning, reserved for the best of teammates with incredible friendship for one another. In One Piece, Luffy’s pick-up line for recruiting members for his pirate crew is “Will you be my nakama?” The meaning and depth of the word is such that when manga is translated I prefer the word ‘nakama’ to be left intact.
Ne: Ne isnt really a word...actually a sentence particle added onto the end of a sentence to make a sort of comment. ie ‘Yoh-kun suteki dane’ would mean ‘isnt Yoh-kun cool?’ or ‘Yoh-kun is cool, hey?’ whereas ‘Yoh-kun suteki da’ would be simply ‘Yoh-kun is cool’. Guess it’s basically ‘hey’ or ‘huh’, but you dont use it like you would use ‘na’. It’s also used to get someone’s attention. ‘Ne, Yoh-kun!’
Neko: (neh-koh) Another popular word in the fandom, it means cat. The ‘neko shojo’ is a popular theme in many anime and manga. Cats play a valuable part in japan, not only are the ‘mike-neko’ (tortoise-shell and white cats) featured on those beckoning cat statues said to bring good fortune to a shop, black cats are also considered good luck.
Nihon, or Nipon: Means japan,and means ‘land of the rising sun’! ‘Nihonjin’ means ‘japanese’ (as in a japanese person) and ‘nihongo’ means japanese as in the japanese language.
Niku: (ni-koo) Luffy’s favourite word. Means ‘meat’.
Nyan-ko: Slang for ‘kitten’. ‘Nyan’ is the onomatopaeia for the sound a cat makes, and ‘ko’ is a suffix often used in names and can mean ‘child’ and more loosely ‘little’, so it sort of means ‘little nyan’. Another slang term for kitty is ‘kone’. ‘Koneko’ is the japanese word for kitten, therefore much like how ‘kitty’ is short for ‘kitten’ in english, ‘kone’ is short for ‘koneko’.
Ohayo!:(oh-hah-yoh) Means ‘good morning’. Can also be ‘Ohayo Gozaimasu’ which is more polite. ‘Ohayo’ is used as ‘hello’ up to about 11 or 12 in the morning.
Okaerinasai: (oh-kay-ree-nah-sigh) Or Okaerie for short. Said when someone comes home, means ‘welcome back’ or ‘welcome home’.
Otaku: (oh-tah-koo) Otaku was originally a polite form of ‘you’ in japan, but now it has come to mean someone who is so obsessed with something they have trouble interacting with ‘normal’ people. It can also mean ‘crazy people’ etc but is usually used for people who are OBSESSED with anime and manga to the point of barely being able to pay their own rent from all the stuff they buy. It has actually been a very deragotary term in japan, and may be similar to sweaty pale-faced star-trek enthusiasts in the west. However in recent years the ‘otaku industry’ is growing with films like ‘Densha Otoko’, making them not be viewed quite as negatively as they once were. People outside japan make the common mistake that an ‘otaku’ is just an anime fan.
Oni-chan and Onee-chan: (o-nee chaan, o-neeh chaan)Means big brother and big sister respectively. (can also be oni/onee-san, sama, etc) Young children in japan often call older people ane-chan or oni-chan even if they’re of no relation. Calling someone your older sibling is also a sign of respect. Piyoko-sama in DiGi Charat refers to Dejiko as Dejiko-oneechan.
Oyasumi:(oh-yah-soo-me) Can also have ‘nasai’ added. It means ‘goodnight’ or ‘I’m off to bed’.
redikomi:(ray-dee-koh-me) Japanese way of saying ‘ladies comic’. Not to be confused with ‘shojo’. Ladies comics often deal with heavy romance and explicit sexualality, although not in the same vein as hentai.
Ronin: (roh-nin) Fans of Love Hina and Chobits should be well familiar with the term ‘ronin’. It’s the word for people who took a university entrance exam...and failed it, so have to wait an entire year in order to try again. In this time they usually attend cram schools and study like crazy.
Sayonara:(say-your-nah-rah) Means ‘goodbye’.
Scanlation: Comes from combing ‘scan’ and ‘translation’, this is when a manga, primarily one only available in japan, is scanned onto a computer and edited in a graphics program so that the japanese text is changed to english text. These are then uploaded to the internet which allows people to gain access to manga that’s unavailable in their country until a company licenses it.
Screentone: Tones are adhesive material printed with a pattern in black ink, used frequently in manga. The use of screentone is an art in it’s own. Screentones are available in many different shades of grey for things like hair, but there are also many others like sand tones for earthy textures, water tones, even circles and sparklies for backgrounds. Some artists who arent skilled at drawing backgrounds can actually buy pre-drawn background tones that are free of copyright to use in their manga,
Seinen:(say-nen) Men’s manga. It can be almost like shonen yet slightly more mature, ie Ai Yori Aoshi, or extremely mature and graphically violent like Berserk. Since their directed at older audiences seinen manga often deal alot more with sexual issues than most manga.
Seiyuu:(say-you) Voice actor for an anime character. Seiyuu are actually quite famous in japan and frequently appear in many anime much like actors in movies. One of the most famous seiyuu is Megumi Hayashibara, also a famous j-pop singer. She supplies Anna’s voice in Shaman King and also the lovely SK theme songs, plus countless other roles including Faye Valentine (cowboy bebop) Piyoko (DiGi Charat) Haruko (Love Hina) Lina Inverse (Slayers) to name a few.
Shojo: (shou-joe) Means ‘girls’ or ‘for girls’. Shojo manga are usually cute and deal alot with romance and coming-of-age issues like school, friends relationships and social-interaction. They usually cater for audiences around the ages 10 to 18.
Shonen: (shou-nen) Whilst it does mean ‘boys’ or ’for boys’, this is too a genre of manga. Shonen ranges from action/fighting adventure stories like One Piece, Shaman King and DragonBall Z, to romantic comedies filled with sexual humour, innuendo and more breasts than you can shake a stick at ala Love Hina and Chobits. Some fans call the latter character ’ecchi shonen’ since there is a difference between the two. Perhaps you’ve heard of Shonen Jump, the most popular manga magazine in all of japan, home to DragonBallZ, One Piece and Shaman King? Unfortunately for the english-speaking crowd, VIZ’s US Shonen Jump sucks. *nods*
Shojo-ai and Shonen-ai: (ai=eye)Means ‘girl love’ and ‘boy love’ respectively and is used to desribe characters/series/etc where a boy has almost romantic feelings for another boy, or a girl with a girl. Not to be confused with yuri or yaoi, shonen and shojo-ai is mostly subtle and ‘soft-core’ and presented in a ‘kawaii’ or unoffensive manner.
Shota:(shor-tah) A male form of ‘lollicon’, refers to the depiction of underage boys involved in sexual activities, usually with older men, but sometimes other underage boys or older women.
Sub: Short for subtitle, means anime in its original form with english/other language subtitles.
Sugoi:(soo-goye) Means ‘great!’ or ‘awesome!’ or ‘wow!’ Sometimes it’s used in a mall slang-like manner where it’s spelled ‘suge’ and pronounced ‘soo-geh!’
Suteki: (soo-teh-kee) Means ‘splendid’ ‘great’, ‘cool’ ‘wonderful’.
Tadaima:(tah-die-mah) Said when you come home, means ‘I’m home’ or ‘I’m back’. Should be responded to with ‘okaerinasai!’
Tankoubon: (Tahn-kor-bohn) Means ‘graphic novel’, and is on average 180 pages thick. Called ‘tanks’ for short by fans.
Tenkousei: (ten-kor-say) t means ‘Transfer Student.’ Why this, you ask? A surprising number of animes and mangas will have a class scene in which a teacher announces ‘Class, we have a new Transfer Student. I would like you to meet.....Yet ALWAYS, the tenkousei is never a normal person. They are ALWAYS linked to the main character sometimes and usually even posess supernatural powers. So if you’re ever in a manga and you get a new tenkousei all of a sudden, look out!
Tenshi: Tenshi means ‘angel’. Have to include it cos it’s such a pretty word. The kanji for ‘ten’ comes from the other word ‘tengoku’ which means ‘heaven’.
Translation: A text document which is pretty much a ‘script’ for a manga. Made for people who have japanese books of a manga but arent too good with their japanese, it acts as a translation aid.
Wanko: (waan-koh) Much like ‘nyanko’, this is japanese slang for ‘puppy’. ‘Wan’ is the onomatopaeia for the sound a dog makes. Puppy in japanese is Ko-inu.
Yakuza (yah-koo-zah)a: The japanese equivalent to the mafia.
Yaoi/Yuri:(Yow-ee, Yoo-ree) Yaoi applies to the male, Yuri to the female. It refers to manga/anime/doujinshi with more ‘hardcore’ homosexual tendencies. For some unbeknownest reason a large number of fangirls think there’s nothing better than seeing their favourite bishounen feel eachother up. Surprisingly, there isnt as much Yuri whereas Yaoi dominates...particularly in the doujinshi market!
Yarou(yah-roar) When you say ‘konno yarou!’ it best translates as ‘you bastard!’ It can also have ‘kuso’ added, ie ‘kuso yarou’ would translate as ‘asshole’ or something along those lines.Adding ‘yarou’ to the end of someone’s status can also degrade, ie ‘gaki-yarou’ is like ‘damn kid’, etc.
Yatta! (yah-tah) An exclamation of joy which means ‘I did it!’ or ‘Hurray!’ A very popular and important word in the fandom.
