Japanese in manga
Register & tone
How formal, how rough, how old — carried by grammar English lacks.
35 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
-
無礼者っ！！
“HOW DARE YOU!”
Know Your Place: 無礼者 and the Hierarchy VIZ Flattens into Anger
-
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
-
腑に落ちねェ……！！
“IT JUST STICKS IN MY CRAW!”
Understanding Is Digestion: 腑に落ちない and the Organ English Only Sometimes Finds
-
ご武運を…
“I WISH YOU GOOD FORTUNE IN WAR!”
The Blessing That Lost Its Verb: ご武運を and the Send-Off English Had to Spell Out
-
カカシはござる口調だった！
“The Kakashi That Might Have Been”
The Kakashi That Might Have Been: ござる and the Samurai Copula English Has No Voice For
-
まるで歯が立たないんです……！
“I'M NO MATCH FOR HIM!”
Teeth That Can't Get a Grip: 歯が立たない and the Bite VIZ Turns Into a Verdict
-
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
-
「いらっしゃいませイカ野郎」！！
“"WELCOME, SQUID-FACE!!"”
Bowing While Insulting You: いらっしゃいませ and the Sonkeigo Greeting VIZ Turned Into "Welcome, Squid-Face"
-
洗ってお返し致しますからこちらを着て
“I'LL BRING THEM BACK. PLEASE WEAR THESE FOR NOW.”
Doing It With a Bow: 致す and the Humble Verb English Reads as Plain "Do"
-
貴殿ら何用かは知らぬが
“I DO NOT KNOW WHAT BUSINESS BRINGS YOU HERE...”
A Priest's Formal Challenge: 貴殿 and the Officer's "You" VIZ Prints as Plain "You"
-
……？剣士殿……！！！貴殿の力を見こんで理不尽な願い申し奉る！！！
“MR. BUSHIDO! YOU'RE STRONG! PLEASE GRANT MY HUMBLE REQUEST!”
An Ostrich's Chivalry: 貴殿 and the Warrior's Formal "You" VIZ Trades for a Nickname
-
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"
-
胡蝶様の申し付けにより参りました
“WE COME ON ORDERS FROM LADY KOCHO.”
Reporting for Duty With a Bow: 参る and the Humble Verb English Reads as Plain "Go"
-
さき程は失礼おわびにフルーツのマチェドニアを召し上がれ
“FORGIVE THE COMMOTION. A FRUIT MACÉDOINE, WITH MY COMPLIMENTS.”
A Verb That Bows: 召し上がる and the Deference English Can't Conjugate
-
私は“珠世”と申しますその子は〝愈史郎〟
“MY NAME IS TAMAYO. THIS BOY IS YUSHIRO.”
Saying It With a Bow: 申す・申し上げる and the Humble Verb English Reads as Plain "Say"
-
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
-
おのれ麦わら！！！
“BLAST YOU, STRAW HAT!!!”
Self, You, and a Curse: おのれ and the One Word English Splits Three Ways
-
トトと言ったな…おぬし…
“YOUR NAME IS TOH-TOH.”
An Old-Fashioned "You": おぬし and the Archaic Register That Dissolves Into Plain "You"
-
恐れ入ります！！
“THANK YOU!”
Shrinking Into Awe: 恐れ入る and the Humble Verb English Splits Four Ways
-
男気を持ち合わせとる女はそうおらぬからな……
“SO FEW WOMEN POSSESS SUCH STRONG SPIRIT...”
A Man's Spirit, a Dying Woman's Praise: 男気 and the Gender "Strong Spirit" Quietly Removes
-
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
-
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"
-
嬲り殺して差し上げますお望みのままに．．．！！
“I'LL KILL HER SLOWLY AND THEN LAY THE PROOF AT YOUR FEET!”
A Torture-Killing, Gift-Wrapped in Keigo: 差し上げる and the Humble "Give" English Can't Make Sinister
-
介錯もつけずに
“THERE WAS NO SECOND!”
Borrow the Ritual, Translate the Mercy: 切腹・介錯 and the Duelist's Second English Sent Instead
-
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"
-
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
-
手も足も出まいこの…
“I'M INVULNERABLE!!”
You Can't Even Get a Hand Out: 手も足も出ない and the Body-Idiom English Keeps Rewording
-
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
-
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
-
手前勝手な頼みとは承知しておりますが何卒御容赦を
“I KNOW THIS IS A SELFISH REQUEST, SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME.”
A Selfish Request, From Where I Stand: 手前勝手 and the Doubled Self VIZ Squeezes Into One Word
-
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"
-
猫背で揉み手をしながら俺の機嫌を常に伺い…全身全霊でへつらうのだ。
“FIRST AND FOREMOST, YOU MUST PLEASE ME! BOW AND SCRAPE AND AVERT YOUR EYES! YOU TOADIES ARE MINE, BODY AND SOUL!”
The Humble Verb for Watching: 伺う and the Mood-Check VIZ Turns Into Averted Eyes
-
わしゃちょうどへビ革の財布が欲しゅーてのォ…
“I'VE ALWAYS WANTED A SNAKESKIN WALLET...”
Old Man, Old Toad, Old God: わし and the Elder 'I' Every VIZ Line Calls Just 'I'
-
．．．．．．どどなたか存じませんが．．．．．．水を
“I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE...”
I Humbly Don't Know: 存じる and the Kenjōgo Verb English Can't Conjugate
-
図星じゃねェかよ
“BULL'S-EYE.”
Dead Center for Once: 図星 and the Archery Metaphor VIZ Actually Kept