Japanese in manga
Buddhist vocabulary
Words that came in with the sutras and stayed.
39 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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諦めろバカ息子コビーの覚悟は本物だぞ！！
“HEY, IDIOT-SON-OF-THE-CAPTAIN! KOBY MEANS IT!”
Seeing It Clearly Enough to Let Go: 諦める and the Buddhist Truth English Buries Under "Give Up"
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ごむ人間？悪運の強さは認めるが多少頭は打ったか…
“RUBBER MAN? YOU'VE GOT THE DEVIL'S OWN LUCK, BOY. BUT THAT HIT MUST HAVE SCRAMBLED YOUR BRAINS...”
Luck With a Criminal Record: 悪運 and the Devil English Hired to Explain It
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煩悩鳳！！！
“...POUND PHOENIX !!!!”
108 Desires, 108 Pounds: 煩悩鳳 and the Bilingual Pun VIZ Could Only Print Half Of
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あァわがままな畜生だ
“WHAT A SPOILED BRAT YOU ARE.”
Born an Animal: 畜生 and the Buddhist Curse Word English Turns Into "&%$!!!!"
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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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狐の餓鬼は間合いの内側
“THE FOX-BRAT IS IN STRIKING RANGE!”
The Demons' Word for Their Own Kind: 餓鬼 and the Hungry-Ghost Hell Behind Every "Brat"
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誰が好んで海賊なんて外道になるか
“...AND IT DOESN'T INVOLVE BECOMING A STINKING PIRATE!”
Outside the Path: 外道 and the Buddhist Heretic English Turns Into "Stinking," "Brute," and "Fiend"
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極楽
“*SIGNS: PARADISE”
Paradise in the Wallpaper: 極楽 and the Footnote VIZ Used When the Kanji Wouldn't Move
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ましてや社長の正体など言語道断
“AND ESPECIALLY NOT THE BOSS'S.”
The Road Where Words Are Cut Off: 言語道断 and the Buddhist Silence VIZ Turns into an Ellipsis
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トビ…仏の顔も三度までだ…
“TOBI, EVEN THE BUDDHA LOSES PATIENCE EVENTUALLY...”
Even the Buddha Keeps Count: 仏の顔も三度 and the Three VIZ Rounded Off to "Eventually"
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何の因果か知らねェが
“DUNNO WHAT YOU'RE AFTER, BUT...”
By What Twist of Karma: 何の因果か and the Bewildered Shrug VIZ Turns into a Question of Motive
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ケンカばっかしてるあの２人にそんな因縁があったとは…
“WHO'D A THUNK THAT THOSE TWO, WHO FIGHT LIKE CATS 'N' DOGS, HAD SUCH A BOND?”
One Word for Fate and Grudge: 因縁 and the Karmic Tie English Splits Five Ways
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何より邪念が強い…
“...FAR MORE MALEVOLENT...”
The Chakra's Own Readout: 邪念 and the Mindfulness English Turns Into a Mood
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あァ困るね武器は邪念と暴力しか生まねェ！！
“WEAPONS GIVE BIRTH TO WICKED THOUGHTS AND VIOLENCE!!”
The Thought Gone Off the Path: 邪念 and the Buddhist Mindfulness English Splits Into "Wicked," "Sedition," and "Distraction"
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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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自業自得ってのはこの事だな
“THE MORE YOU TRY TO FIGHT IT, THE MORE YOU'LL SUFFER!!”
When Karma Becomes Tactics: 自業自得 and the Buddhist Verdict English Turns into Battle Advice
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だから人は地に顔をうずめ神に慈悲を乞う！！
“THAT IS WHY PEOPLE BOW THEIR HEADS TO THE GROUND AND BEG FOR THE KAMI'S MERCY!!”
A False God's Mercy: 慈悲 and the Twin Compassions English Melts Into One Word
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成仏してください
“REST IN PEACE!”
Praying the Demon Onward: 成仏してください and the Epitaph That Points the Wrong Way
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弱き者をいたぶる鬼畜
“YOU BRUTES WHO TORMENT THE WEAK!”
Demon and Beast, in One Word: 鬼畜 and the Two Lowest Realms VIZ Squeezes Into "Brutes"
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たとえそれが冥土の土産でもだ！！
“NOT EVEN AS A DEPARTING GIFT TO HELL...”
A Souvenir for the Underworld: 冥土の土産 and the Hell VIZ Wrote Into Buggy's Threat
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何の未練もなくお前たちを刻めるよ
“I'M SO IRRITATED THAT I CAN CUT YOU TO PIECES WITHOUT ANY REGRET!”
Not Yet Tempered: 未練 and the Attachment English Shrinks to 'Regret'
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しかしそうなると私は一体どうなるのか…南無三…
“BUT IN THAT CASE... WHAT ABOUT ME? DAMN IT!”
The Monk Who Says "Damn It!": 南無三 and the One Prayer VIZ Chose to Translate
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ここに居ればこの国と共に奈落の底へ落ちてしまうのだ
“IF YOU STAY YOU'LL SIMPLY FALL TO THE GROUND WITH THIS COUNTRY.”
Hell, Borrowed by Ear: 奈落 and the Buddhist Abyss VIZ Turns Back Into Plain Ground
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この二枚舌の大嘘吐きめ
“THAT TWO-FACED LIAR!”
The Tongue That Speaks Twice: 二枚舌 and the Body Part VIZ Traded for a Face
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往生際の悪い事だ…まだわからんのか
“WHAT SORE LOSERS. DON'T YOU GET IT YET?”
When "Give Up" Means "Die Gracefully": 往生際が悪い and the Buddhist Death Buried in a Villain's Taunt
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この世を恨んで呪いながら死んだ姉さんの怨念をこの世に存在させ…残し…知らしめるため…！
“...A REMINDER OF HER HATRED, OF HOW SHE WENT TO HER DEATH LOATHING AND CURSING THE WORLD... REMIND THEM... AND SHOW THEM ALL...!”
The Grudge That Refuses to Die: 怨念 and the Vengeful-Spirit Charge VIZ Boils Down to "Hatred"
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てめェらは少々やりすぎた…！！往生しろよ！！
“YOU WENT TOO FAR!! NOW REST IN PIECES!!”
Telling the Dead to Move Along: 往生しろ・成仏してください and the Tombstone Pun VIZ Reached For
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往生しやがれド腐れ野郎！！
“DIE, YOU ROTTEN BASTARD!!”
Temple Word, Gutter Grammar: 往生しやがれ and the Buddhist Send-Off VIZ Flattened to "Die"
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姉ちゃんは輪廻転生って信じるかよ
“DO YOU BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION?”
Ask Onee-chan, Not the Room: 輪廻転生 and the Sibling Address VIZ Erased
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三途の川を渡りかける
“...BEGAN TO CROSS THE RIVER TO THE AFTERLIFE.”
Not Japan's Styx: 三途の川 and the Three Crossings English Rounds Down to One
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久しぶりの娑婆の空気じゃあゆーのにから…
“I'M TRYING TO ENJOY MY FIRST BREATH OF FRESH AIR IN A LONG TIME, HERE...”
From Sutra to Slammer: 娑婆 and the Ex-Con's First Breath VIZ Files Under Fresh Air
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私が四苦八苦してんのを楽しんでる……
“HE RUINS EVERYTHING... HE ENJOYS TORMENTING ME!”
Four Sufferings, Eight Sufferings: 四苦八苦 and the Buddhist Headcount VIZ Rounds Down to "Torment"
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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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こっからが正念場だ
“HERE'S WHERE THE FUN REALLY BEGINS.”
The Scene That Tests What You Are: 正念場 and the Grave Warning VIZ Turned Into Fun
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オレってばこんな修羅場はいくつもくぐり抜けて来たんだもんね…
“HERE I AM AGAIN... FACING THE WORST KIND OF ENEMY! TEACHERS DIDN'T CALL ME THE ALL-TIME DUNCE FOR NOTHING!”
The Dead-Last on the Asura's Battlefield: 修羅場 and the Veteran's Boast VIZ Flipped Into Present-Tense Panic
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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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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