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Frequently used terms
Feb 26th, 2003, 10:35 PM #1
happy_doughnut
just a rolling stone
Location: of what?
There are quite a couple of reocurring "strange" words and phrases often used when speaking of anime. Have you ever been left puzzled by them ? I know I sure have.
I decided to go out to find of list of frequently used terms in anime and now have this list to show :
Ai (ah-ee): Love
Arigato (ah-ree-gah-to): "Thank you". Can be amplified by subsequently adding gozaimasu (go-zah-ee-mas)
Anime (ah-nee-meh): Japanese animation
Baka (bah-kah): An idiot, term most commonly used to make fun of someone's lack of intelligence. It sometimes precedes a mean knock on the head
BGM (Background Music): Music featured in an anime soundtrack and played during the anime itself
Bishoujo (bee-sho-jo): A pretty girl
Bishounen (bee-sho-nen): A pretty boy. Often having long hair and a feminine figure, it is sometimes hard to discern the gender of an anime bishounen. Be careful.
Cel: Layer of an illustration. Instead of having to draw every frame of animation individually, animators superimpose transparent sheets allowing them to keep the same background while moving characters around. Authentic cels are often made available for purchase
CGI or CG (Computer Generated Imagery): Use of computers to produce different effects, backgrounds or entire sequences in anime
Chibi (chee-bee): Small. Chibi characters in anime are short and consequently cute. Often used as a prefix. Also see Super-Deformed
Con (Convention): A gathering of people sharing the same interests. There are many annual anime conventions everywhere in the world
Cosplay (Costume Play): A very popular activity during anime conventions, also referred to as masquerading. It consists of dressing up as an anime or video game character to participate in contests or simply for fun
Demo (deh-mo): But. Commonly the first word of a rebuttal
Doujinshi (doh-jeen-shee): Fan based art inspired by official anime or manga. Also referred to as fanzine
Dub: (Dubbed Anime): As opposed to a subtitled anime, dubs have voice tracks in languages differing from the original Japanese voice actors
Ecchi (eh-chee): Indecent. Comes from the Japanese pronunciation of "H" which in turn is the first letter of hentai (pervert). In anime, ecchi can describe mild sexual scenes
Eye Catch: Prolonged frames of art used midway into an anime and often display its name along with a quick tune. It is used as a transition before and after commercials of anime series airing in Japan. Most distributors leave eye catches in VHS and DVD releases
Fandom: A group of individuals having the same obsession on a particular subject, anime for one
Fanfic (Fan Fiction): An unofficial writing (can be a short story, script or novel) using characters from an existing anime, manga or game
Fan Service: Scenes or situations serving little purpose to the story but designed to arouse the viewer, whether male or female, with bare skin or offbeat action. The ever-so-popular shower scene is a good example of fan service
Fan Sub: Often done to allow non-Japanese viewers to watch and understand unlicensed anime, fan subs are made for fans by fans and making profits off them is expressly prohibited
Gaikoku-jin (gah-ee-ko-koo-jeen): Abbreviated gai-jin (gah-ee-jin), a foreigner. Gai-jin is used by Japanese as an impolite reference to outsiders lacking refinement while gaikoku-jin is the more respectful term
Gomen Nasai (go-men nah-sah-ee): "I'm sorry" Also see sumimasen
Hai (hah-ee): Yes. Also indicates paying attention to someone's oration
Hentai (hen-tah-ee): Its direct translation means "pervert" and refers to any scene or movie that explicitly presents nudity or sexual acts. Can also be used to describe a person who is strange or out of the ordinary
Hiragana (hee-rah-gah-nah): One of the three types of Japanese lettering consisting of 46 syllables. It is a basic script and can be used to name anything of Japanese origin. Can be identified by its smooth and curved characters
Honorific: Short status indicators place immediately after one's last name. Used frequently in Japan, these can be confusing since they make someone's name appear altered in specific occasions
- chan (chahn): Small or baby. Used among very close friends and relatives, especially females
- kohai (ko-hah-ee): One's junior. Usually substituted with –kun or -chan
- kun (kun): Used among very close friends and relatives, especially males
- sama (sah-mah): Lord. Used when addressing people of utmost respect or when referring to gods. Usually employed in concurrence with a title but can also be used with a name
- san (sahn): A close equivalent to Mr. and Mrs. Used as a respectful method of addressing people of similar status
- senpai (sen-pah-ee): Upperclassman. Used in relation to fellow classmates of higher level or age
- sensei (sen-say): Teacher, master or doctor. Used either at school or while being involved in a discipline or art
Iie (ee-eh): No
Image Album: A CD regrouping music made to set the mood for a particular manga, novel or video game. Hundreds of image albums are released every year. In anime, image albums are collections of songs sang by its voice actors
Itadakimasu (ee-tah-dah-kee-mas): Roughly translates to "Let's eat!"
Kanji (kahn-jee): Japanese characters borrowed from the Chinese alphabet forming the base of the written Japanese language. It includes well over 2000 pictograms. Meanings can vary enormously according to the context. By far the hardest aspect of the Japanese language to master
Katakana (kah-tah-kah-nah): A more angular form of Japanese writing used to translate words of foreign origins and scientific terms
Katana (kah-tah-nah): Traditional, slightly curved blade of about 3 feet in length. Used as a weapon in Japan by swordsman of numerous eras
Kawaii (kah-wah-ee): Cute. Often used on its own when observing a situation or character having any distinct level of cuteness. See Kei's lecture on Kawaii Judgment
Key Frame: Key frames are drawn by the best artist available among the production staff of an anime. They are blatantly more detailed and often consist of close-ups of main characters
Konnichi wa (ko-nee-chee wah): One of the many different ways of saying hello in Japanese. This one is commonly used in the afternoon
J-Pop (Japanese Pop Music): A current trend in Japanese music, often featured in anime. Some of the more notable J-Pop artists are Aiko, Morning Musume and Hitomi Yaida
J-Rock (Japanese Rock Music): Popular J-Rock bands include L'arc-en-ciel, Chage & Aska and The Kome Kome Club
Ja Ne (jah-neh): "See ya!"
Mahou Shoujo (mah-ho sho-jo): Magical girl. A unique anime genre displaying girls with super powers. Sailor Moon is an example of mahou shoujo anime
Manga (mahng-gah): Japanese comics often possessing a linear storyline that extends to several volumes. The manga industry exploded in the early 1950s and was used as inspiration for many anime
Manga-ka (mahng-gah-kah): A professional Japanese comic writer
Masaka (mah-sah-kah): This expression of despair can be translated as "It can't be!"
Matte (mah-teh): "Wait!"
Mecha (meh-kah): Typically used when talking about giant, human-controlled robots but can also mean any type of destructive, mechanical weapon. Constitutes a genre featuring futuristic warfare
Mite (mee-teh): "Look!"
Mobile Suit: A giant machine hydraulically acting as an extension of the pilot's body. Sometimes abbreviated as MS
Moshi Moshi (mo-shee mo-shee): Informal Japanese greeting used when answering the phone
Nani (nah-nee): What. Can be used out of surprise or confusion
Neko (neh-ko): A cat. Can be used in conjunction with a girl or boy to describe half-human, half-cat characters in anime
Nippon (nee-pon): Japan. Also Nihon
Nosebleed: According to Japanese belief, boys get nosebleeds when they are sexually aroused. This can happen quite often in shounen anime
Ohayou Gozaimasu (o-hah-yo go-chah-ee-mas): "Good morning"
Omake (o-mah-keh): Bonus footage for interviews or comedic relief. Sometimes hidden in anime DVDs
Onegai Shimasu (o-neh-gah-ee shee-mas): A polite way to say "please"
Oni (o-nee): A demon
OST (Original Sound Track): Compact disc release of songs played during an anime
Otaku (o-tah-ku): A fan on an extremely obsessive level. In Japan, a derogatory term. Used anywhere outside of Japan, otaku automatically refers to an anime obsession
OVA (Original Video Animation): A direct-to-video release often divided into a handful of 30-minute episodes. Also known as OAV (Original Animated Video)
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*hang in there !
Pocky (po-kee): Popular biscuit-like Japanese snack covered with a wide variety of flavors such as chocolate or strawberry. There are many Pocky references in anime, and some Pocky brands even sport anime characters on their boxes
Ramen (rah-men): Japanese noodles. Standard college meal of choice because it's cheap and easy to make
Romanji (ro-mahn-jee): Phonetic writing of Japanese words using the Roman alphabet as used in this glossary and in most Internet discussions pertaining to anime. It is not an official Japanese lettering
Ronin (ro-neen): A student who has failed a university's entrance exam.
Sake (sah-keh): Alcoholic beverage typical to Japan. Made of fermented rice and brewed much like beer. Made to be served cold or warm
Sayonara (sah-yo-nah-rah): One way of saying "goodbye". Can be used at any time of the day
Sei-jin no Hi (say-jeen no hee): Coming of Age Day, a holiday celebrated by twenty-year-olds who can drink, smoke and vote
Seiyuu (say-yoo): A Japanese voice actor
Sentai (sen-tah-ee): A group of superheroes typically wearing assorted outfits. More of a sub-genre, sentai are featured in many anime, notably Bubblegum Crisis and Gatchaman
Shimatta (shee-mah-tah): "Damn!"
Shinto (sheen-to): Japan's oldest and original religion. In Shintoism, every thing and being possesses its own spirit. Shinto is based upon the worship of, and coexistence with, the natural world
Shoujo (sho-jo): A girl or young woman. Shoujo anime is a genre marketed as entertainment for young girls but it is quite all right for boys to enjoy, too. Romance, love and cute guys are common themes in shoujo anime
Shounen (sho-nen): A boy or young man. Shounen anime is a genre marketed as entertainment for young boys, often featuring a young man surrounded by attractive girls
Shounen Ai (sho-nen ah-ee): A shoujo anime feature in which the plot concerns a romance between two males. Contains male-male relationships but not displayed as explicitly as in yaoi
Sub (Subtitled Anime): Subs consist of an anime including a written translation of the ongoing dialogue on the bottom of the screen
Sugoi (soo-goy): Incredible, awesome
Sumimasen (soo-mee-mah-sen): "I'm sorry" Also see gomen nasai
Super Deformed: An anime art style in which characters have very small bodies shouldering large heads. Super Deformed often leads to exaggerated facial expressions and movement. Also see chibi
Sweatdrop: A comical facial expression in which someone is drawn with a giant sweat drop next to their head. Indicates personal embarrassment or a reaction to another character embarrassing him/herself
Urusai (oo-roo-sah-ee): "Be quiet!".
Wakatta (wah-kah-tah): Understood
Yaoi (yah-oh-ee): A male/male relationship, usually of a more sexual and explicit nature than shounen ai
Yuri (yoo-ree): A female/female relationship
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Thanks goes to -Kjeldoran- for supplying thins info
Please feel free to add to the list if you know any words or phrases not already mentioned, or correct any you might deem wrong.
Feb 27th, 2003, 04:53 AM #3
merylsilverburg
Enemy or Ally?
This is great information for those who are new to anime/manga, Mena.
I'm also glad that you included a great definition for bishounen because many girls are confused by this word. A lot think it means "handsome guy" or "cute guy", but your definition is correct.
Speaking of the J-Pop one where you listed Morning Musume...omg, that group is so stupidly huge! All these girls with no point in being in it....there's like....10 girls or something. And I bet they all sound alike too.
It's also good that you listed gaijin too because Westerners who go to Japan can sometimes be called that behind their backs and they won't even know it.
The ever popular snack Pocky...became even more popular when the 2001/2002 anime Onegai Teacher! (Please Teacher!) came out. They have wonderful flavors now...much more than when I was a kid!
Six terms I'd like to add:
Hajime mashite (ha-gee-may ma-shee-tay): "Nice to meet you"
Kuso/Kuzo (koo-so/koo-zo): "Sh*t/Damn"
Tankouban (tahn-ko-bahn): Weekly manga magazine which features stories of different currently running mangas (for example: Hana to Yume (Flowers and Dreams) has: Fruits Basket, GodChild, Sequence, Hitsuji no Namida (Tears of the Sheep), etc.) Usually b&w and in the front, has photos of great merchandise that you can win from the featured mangas (stuff ranges from cell phone straps, keychains, plushies, etc.). There's also a free gift included sometimes. It's the size of a telephone book.
Bakemono (bah-keh mo-no): Ghost/Creature/Monster
Onna (oh-na): Woman (can be used politely or rudely)
Otoko (oh-toe-ko): Man
"You're a louse Roger Smith" ~ R. Dorothy Wayneright
"Have a little priest" ~ Mrs. Lovett
"Grim Reaper, you could not get the women? What was the problem? Didn't you reap them with your grim reaping equipment?"
"I tried that but the women, they all know hopscotch" ~ Eddie Izzard
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ssjtrunks13
WHat about pronunciation, I think it would be nice if there was a pronunciation key for all the words. This thread has helped me a lot, thanks!
Visit ssjtrunks13's homepage!
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ssjtrunks, ZeroSniper had included a pronunciation key. It's in parentheses next to the Japanese word.
Originally posted by ZeroSniper
mark0â"¢
Extinct.
Thats a nice set of... words there zero
I really appreciate it though, It'll help me out a lot
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Originally posted by merylsilverburg
I know ZeroSniper included a pronunciation key for her words, but I didn't see any near the ones you put up when I first readf them.
Hadoken
Location: Around
Wow, I didnt know all that. Now I can understand some of the words when my anime's subtitle's arent translated. But umm. Do any of you know what "de gazaru" or somethin like that means? The phrase is never translated in my kenshin series and I keep wondering what it means. I think its something close to the word "though"..
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Originally posted by Hadoken
But umm. Do any of you know what "de gazaru" or somethin like that means? The phrase is never translated in my kenshin series and I keep wondering what it means. I think its something close to the word "though"..
Ah yes, de gozaru! Basically, this word doesn't really have a meaning, but it is almost like the English verb "to be"/"be". It's an indirect form of the word gozaimasu (from arigatou gozaimasu or ohayou gozaimasu). Kenshin uses this term in an very polite way, but it's not formal....it's polite but friendly. It's not used in modern Japanese anymore...instead they use desu (like in watashi wa ureshii desu (I'm very happy)).
Originally posted by ssjtrunks13
Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you meant for Zero's words because you didn't directly state it regarding my terms. Yeah, I changed it because I just realized that I didn't do it. So sorry!
Feb 28th, 2003, 09:22 PM #10
Don't worry, I consider you a great friend even though we don't talk much. WHat matters is you cahnged it and I thank you.
Mar 2nd, 2003, 02:39 AM #11
DSgamer
Location: ps2f, where else?
wow, ima start using these
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Oct 26th, 2004, 05:42 PM #12
LrdAlucard
Metalik0r
Location: Hellsing Castle
there are plenty of free e-learning websites out there just google 'em
in most of the cases, apart from spelling, most of those words are easy to enter our heads. just watch anime for a couple of years, u wont even need those sites *brags himself*
"Its a good night... On nights like these, I crave for blood."
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Originally Posted by LrdAlucard
Well...yes...of course any veteran anime watcher would be able to recognize these terms quickly and easily. But for those who are new to anime, this is a nice list for them since they might be unfamiliar with these terms/phrases.
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