Japanese word

ヤクザ

Pronunciation

Romajiyakuza

Meaning

  • noungangster

Example

この映画にはヤクザが出ます。ko no ei ga ni wa ya ku za ga de ma su

This movie features the yakuza.

Illustration for ヤクザ (gangster)

More examples

彼はその人物をヤクザだと思っています。kare wa so no jin butsu o ya ku za da to omo tte i ma su

He thinks that person is a gangster.

Core concept

Refers to a gangster connected with an established underworld organization rather than acting as an isolated criminal.

Common phrases

  • ヤクザになるya ku za ni na ru

    become a gangster

  • ヤクザを描くya ku za o ega ku

    portray gangsters

Similar words

暴力団員bōryokudanin: A person who belongs to an organized criminal group, especially in official descriptions.
極道gokudō: A person associated with the criminal underworld, with a traditional or dramatic tone.

Definition in Japanese

違法な活動を組織的に行う日本の犯罪組織に属する者。i hō na katsu dō o so shiki teki ni okona u nihon no han zai so shiki ni zoku su ru mono

Word origin

ヤクザ (yakuza) is often traced to 八 (ya, "eight"), 九 (ku, "nine"), and 三 (sa, "three"), a worthless hand in the card game おいちょかぶ (oichokabu).

Usage tips

  • In English, yakuza usually refers to Japanese criminal organizations as a group, while gangster can describe an individual from many kinds of criminal groups.

Other meanings

  • yakuzanoun

Word lists with this word