Japanese in manga
JLPT N2
Manga lines whose difficulty sits at N2, with what the official English had to give up to carry them.
45 notes
By kind of Japanese
- All174
- Honorifics & keigo17
- Role language19
- Register & tone35
- First-person pronouns9
- Second-person pronouns4
- Villain speech5
- Idioms55
- Body idioms48
- Four-character idioms18
- Proverbs7
- Kanji anatomy81
- Buddhist vocabulary39
- Language around death7
- Wordplay10
- Classical & archaic Japanese4
- No English equivalent40
- One word, many renderings34
- False friends5
- Cultural localisation6
By JLPT level
By series
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助太刀に入った所で足手まといでしかないとわかるから動けねぇ
“I KNOW THAT IF I GO IN TO HELP, I'LL ONLY GET IN THE WAY.”
Three Speakers, One Verdict: 足手まとい and the Hindrance VIZ Can't Stop Choosing
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足手まといにしかなってないじゃない…！
“I'M JUST A BURDEN TO THEM... JUST SOMEONE THEY HAVE TO PROTECT!”
Tied Hand and Foot: 足手まとい and the Burden VIZ Keeps Calling "In the Way"
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足手まといになるから…ヒナ迷惑
“IF YOU GET IN MY WAY, HINA WILL BE VERY UPSET.”
Hina Talks About Hina: 足手まとい and the Body VIZ Turns Into a Warning
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昔の血が騒ぎ出しかねない
“...MY OLD BLOOD MIGHT START BUBBLING UP...”
Blood That Riots on Its Own: 血が騒ぐ and the Agency English Won't Give Up
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てめェにゃ血も涙もねェのかァ！！！
“HAVE YOU NO FEELINGS?! ARE YOU MADE OF STONE?!!”
No Blood, No Tears: 血も涙もない and the Stone and Heart English Reaches for Instead
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いい加減にして頂戴
“YOU MUST RESTRAIN YOURSELF.”
Please Give Me the Favor of Your Silence: 頂戴 and the Humble "Receive" English Reads as a Bare Command
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こりゃあ縁起がいいなあ
“WHAT LUCK!”
Nothing Arises Alone: 縁起 and the Doctrine of Dependent Origination Flattened into "WHAT LUCK!"
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その縁起の悪りィ首飾り．．．もらうからな．．．
“THAT BAD LUCK NECKLACE AROUND YOUR NECK... I'M GONNA TAKE IT...”
The Necklace With a Body Count: 縁起が悪い and the Omen VIZ Flattens into "Bad Luck"
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いい御身分だなァ
“WELL, AREN'T YOU SOMETHING?”
Must Be Nice, Said With a Bow: いい御身分だな and the Honorific English Strips Out of the Insult
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おーおー腹の虫が鳴っとるね
“OH, MY. LISTEN TO ALL THE LITTLE STOMACHS GROWL!”
A Worm Lives in Your Belly: 腹の虫 and the Tiny Tenant English Evicts
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反乱軍の火に油を注ぐ様なものです！！
“...WILL ONLY INCITE THE REBELS FURTHER!”
Same Metaphor, Free of Charge: 火に油を注ぐ and the Idiom VIZ Left on the Table
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だから骨が折れるまで締めつけることもできる
“AND WITH THIS SAME POWER, I CAN KEEP SQUEEZING AND CONSTRICTING UNTIL YOUR BONES CRACK!”
Textbook Idiom, Literal Threat: 骨が折れる and the Bones VIZ Never Turns Into a Metaphor
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鞭でめった打ちにされようが骨を折られようが
“I COULD TAKE THE PUNISHMENT.”
Two Grammars, One Bone: 骨を折る and the Passive Voice VIZ Collapses Into "Punishment"
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地獄の果てまで追いかけて
“I'LL FOLLOW YOU TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL...”
The Hell With Levels: 地獄 and the Eight Buddhist Underworlds English Flattens to One
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地獄へ．．．行くんだよォ！！
“...TO HELL!!”
Taking Him to Hell: 地獄 and the Eight-Tiered Underworld English Scatters Into Ten Different Words
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かつて“七武海”の一人ジンベエと肩を並べた魚人の海賊
“ARLONG'S A FISH-MAN. HE USED TO BE JIMBEI'S EQUAL.”
Shoulder to Shoulder, Almost: 肩を並べる and the Idiom English Already Owns But Won't Use
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罪なき人に牙を剥こうものならば
“...IF YOU BARE YOUR FANGS AT INNOCENT PEOPLE...”
Baring Fangs, Literally: 牙を剥く and the Idiom English Translates Perfectly by Accident
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肝っ玉の座った女だ！！
“YOU'VE GOT GUTS!”
One Organ Over: 肝っ玉 and the Liver English Relocates to the Gut
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おい貴様このおれを誰だと思ってる
“WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?”
From "Your Esteemed Self" to Fighting Words: 貴様 and the Pronoun System English Flattens Into "You"
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なんという腰抜けだ
“WHAT A COWARD!”
Coward by the Hips: 腰抜け and the Anatomy "Coward" Erases
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腰抜け…
“COWARD!”
Losing Your Hips: 腰抜け and the Spine English Grows in Its Place
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ちょ…ちょっと腰が抜けてて
“I'M A LITTLE OFF TODAY.”
One Verb, Two Collapses: 腰が抜ける・腰抜け and the Pun English Drops Along With the Hips
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冨岡が横から口を挟んだとはいえ不死川に一撃を入れた
“TOMIOKA'S DISTRACTION HELPED, BUT IT'S STILL AMAZING HE LANDED A BLOW ON SHINAZUGAWA.”
A Mouth Wedged In Sideways: 口を挟む and the Interjection VIZ Turns Into a Tactic
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下忍のお前がいちいち口を挟むことではないからのォ…
“SO THE OPINIONS OF ONE JUNIOR NINJA DON'T REALLY COUNT...”
Speaking Out of Rank: 口を挟む and the Vote VIZ Never Lets a Genin Cast
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…どんな拷問や幻術にかけられたってボクは口を割らないしね…
“NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF TORTURE OR GENJUTSU YOU INFLICT UPON ME, I WON'T SPILL A SINGLE SECRET...”
The Mouth That Won't Crack: 口を割る and the Interrogation Verb English Loosens Into "Talk"
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鬼舞辻無惨は目の色を変えてそれを狙ってくるでしょう
“THIS MEANS THAT MUZAN KIBUTSUJI WILL COME FOR HER WITH RENEWED VIGOR...”
Eyes That Never Change Color: 目の色を変える and the Glint VIZ Renamed "Vigor"
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．．．んでオレ以外の優秀な奴って目星付いてんのか？
“SO BESIDES ME, YOU GOT ANY EXCELLENT GENIN IN MIND?”
Eye on the Star: 目星 and the Aim English Renders as Just "In Mind"
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急いで私達が見つかったら水の泡でしょ！！？
“HURRY! IF THEY FIND US, WE'RE GONERS!!”
Gone Like Foam on the Water: 水の泡 and the Impermanence English Trades for Plain Failure
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この戦いにどうしても水を差したきゃあっしらを殺して行きな！！
“IF YOU INSIST ON BUTTING INTO THIS FIGHT, YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH US!!”
The Cold Water English Already Owns: 水を差す and the Idiom VIZ Never Once Reaches For
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こんな夜は胸が高鳴るというか…
“NIGHTS LIKE THIS DO SOMETHING TO ME.”
A Bell in the Chest: 胸が高鳴る and the Heartbeat VIZ Turns Into a Shrug
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虫唾が走るぜェ
“IT'S PATHETIC.”
The Acid That Never Translates: 虫唾が走る and the Disgust English Keeps Relocating
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なんだってばよ！突き落としたのまだ根に持ってんのかぁ！？
“WHAT! ARE YOU STILL HOLDING IT AGAINST ME THAT I SHOVED YOU?!”
Where the Grudge Takes Root: 根に持つ and the Grip VIZ Reaches for Instead
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恐れ入ります！！
“THANK YOU!”
Shrinking Into Awe: 恐れ入る and the Humble Verb English Splits Four Ways
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正々堂々
“IT WAS A BOLD...”
A Dying Demon's Highest Compliment: 正々堂々 and the "Fair and Square" VIZ Never Actually Prints
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正々堂々…勝負！！
“LET'S DO THIS... FAIR AND SQUARE!”
Two Old Friends, One Doubled Word: 正々堂々 and the Rare Case Where “Fair and Square” Really Fits
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一か月間は各々更に精進し励むが良い
“EACH OF YOU MUST EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE HARD, LEARN SOME NEW TRICKS...”
The Discipline That Purifies: 精進 and the Sixth Perfection VIZ Reduces to "Practice Hard"
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ワシでも手に負えねーからのォ
“...EVEN I CAN'T HANDLE HIM!”
Too Heavy to Carry: 手に負えない and the Hands English Quietly Drops
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解毒薬を調合されて手を焼いた
“...COMPOUNDED ANTIDOTES FOR THEM, AND MADE A FOOL OF ME.”
Too Hot to Hold: 手を焼く and the Burn English Never Felt
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ロロノア・ゾロ…てめェの評判はきいてたが、このおれを甘くみるなよ
“RORONOA ZOLO! PEASANTS AND PIRATES MAY TREMBLE AT YOUR NAME... BUT YOU'RE NO MATCH FOR THE GREAT ONE!”
Your Humble Servant, Turned Into a Slur: てめェ and the Register English Flattens Into "YOU"
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私には何の天罰も下っていない
“...HEAVEN HAS NEVER PUNISHED ME.”
Nobody Up There to Punish Him: 天罰 and the Impersonal Heaven English Keeps Personifying
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腕が鳴るだろ……
“HE MEANS HE'S HUNGRY FOR BATTLE.”
A Footnote in the Speech Bubble: 腕が鳴る and the Idiom VIZ Explained Instead of Translated
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生殺与奪の権を他人に握らせるな！！
“NEVER LEAVE YOURSELF SO DEFENSELESS IN FRONT OF AN ENEMY!”
VIZ Translation Watch #2: 生殺与奪の権 Becomes "Never Leave Yourself So Defenseless" — and Four More Shifts We Verified by Hand
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５：油断大敵！！
“number 5: Pride Goeth Before a Fall”
The Chapter Title That Became a Bible Verse: 油断大敵 and the Proverb VIZ Swapped In
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図に乗るな！！
“YOU'RE GETTING OVER-CONFIDENT!”
Riding Your Own Hype: 図に乗る and the Nine Faces English Gives to Getting Cocky
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図星じゃねェかよ
“BULL'S-EYE.”
Dead Center for Once: 図星 and the Archery Metaphor VIZ Actually Kept