Glossary of Foreign Words and Terms
Many thanks to Vince Seifert for allowing me to "steal" his glossary page in toto. Cheers!
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General
Greetings and Such
Martial Arts
Food
Honorifics In progress...
Airen
Aiya/Aiyaa Chinese. Extraordinarily useful exclamation, suitable for expressing many levels of dismay and related emotions.
baka/baaka Japanese -n, adj. Fool. One of the kanji used in writing this word is the same as one of the kanji used in writing Ranma, making it unusually apropos when applied to him, as Akane does frequently.
-chan Japanese. Honorific suffix, diminutive. Used for those younger than the speaker, or for whom the speaker has affection, particularly children. See discussion of honorifics below.
dotera Japanese -n. Heavy, loose knee-length robe worn for warmth in casual circumstances, such as at an onsen in the winter.
ecchi Japanese -adj. Lecherous or perverted. From "H" as in "hentai".
futon Japanese -n. Thick quilt used as a pad when sleeping on the floor.
furigana Japanese -n. Small hiragana printed next to kanji characters to give their pronunciation, making them easier to read. The Ranma ½ manga have furigana.
furin Japanese -n. Small, ring chime almost ubiquitous in Japanese households. The wind-catch at the end of the string is often an ofuda, wishing for good luck or something similar.
furo Japanese -n. Deep bathtub filled with very hot water, intended for soaking and relaxation rather than hygiene, as the bather is expected to be squeaky-clean before entering the water.
Ha! Japanese. As concerns this glossary, a more formal version of hai, often used by inferiors in affirmative response to their administrative or other hierarchical superiors. For example, in Tenchi Muyou!, the Juraian Guardians, Azaka and Kamidake, often respond to Aeka's commands with "Ha!"
hai Japanese. "Yes", more or less, although the meanings of hai only partially overlap our "yes" and include other concepts that "yes" does not.
hiragana Japanese -n. One of two sets of "Japanese" characters used for writing Japanese (the other is katakana). Unlike kanji, they denote sounds; each character is a syllable. Collectively, the two systems are known as kana. Hiragana is the syllablic vocabulary for Japanese words, whereas katakana is for foreign words, although it doesn't preserve foreign pronunciation to any great extent. Two or more hiragana characters are used for some syllables.
iinazuke Japanese -n. Fiancée or fiancé.
Janken Japanese -n. A children's game, scissors-paper-stone. Stone breaks scissors, scissors cut paper, paper wraps stone.
Joketsuzoku Japanese -n. Lit. "Tribe of Hero Women"; the Chinese Amazons. I believe the Chinese version of this is Nyuuchiezuu.
kanaka
kanji Japanese -n. The large set of "Chinese" characters used for writing Japanese. Each represents a concept rather than a sound; each has several associated pronunciations. There are thousands of them, and learning them is nontrivial even for native speakers of Japanese.
kawaii Japanese -adj.Cute. It would take volumes to describe the notion of "cute" in Japanese society. Suffice it to say that it is pervasive at virtually all socio-economic levels.
keiki
kimono Japanese -n. Dress worn by traditional Japanese women, and by non-traditional women on formal occasions. Kimono are also worn by men, but a man's kimono is usually darker, less decorated, of heavier fabric, and cut differently.
koi Japanese -n. Colorful carp bred to be viewed from above. Related to goldfish, but spunkier and more gregarious.
-kun Japanese. Honorific suffix used for people with whom the speaker is familiar. See discussion of honorifics below.
lei Hawaiian -n. Flower necklace or garland.
manga Japanese -n. A Japanese comic-book. Ranma ½ was originally a serialized manga.
Nanniichuan Chinese -n. Spring of Drowned Man. Possibly a cure for Ranma's curse.
'Neechan Japanese -n. Short for "Oneechan", a familar or affectionate address for one's sister. Can be insulting if used inappropriately.
Nekohanten Japanese -n. The restaurant where Cologne, Shampoo, and Mousse live.
Lit. "Cat Chinese Restaurant".
Nyanniichuan Chinese -n. Spring of Drowned Girl. Ranma fell into it.
Obasama Japanese -n. Very polite address for the speaker's aunt, but also for any unrelated woman older than the speaker. Kasumi refers to Nodoka as "Saotome-no-obasama".
ofuda Japanese -n. Small amulet or charm used to influence spirits.
Ojisama Japanese -n. Very polite address for the speaker's uncle, but also for any unrelated man older than the speaker. Kasumi refers to Genma as "Saotome-no-ojisama".
Ojousan Japanese -n. Polite address for a young woman or girl.
Okaasama Japanese -n. Very polite address for the speaker's mother, or, in
Kodachi's case, someone she hopes will be her mother-in-law...
onna Japanese -n, adj. Female. "Onna-Ranma" refers to Ranma when in female form.
onsen Japanese -n. Hot spring, especially one used for bathing.
Origami Japanese -n. The art of paper-folding.
pilikia
-sama Japanese. Honorific suffix used to the speaker's social superiors. When Kodachi addresses Ranma as "Ranma-sama", she is flattering him immoderately. See discussion of honorifics below.
-san Japanese. Default honorific suffix, used in situations of ordinary politeness when none of the others apply. See discussion of honorifics below.
Sempai Japanese -n, suffix. An upperclassman or mentor. Also an honorific suffix used
when addressing such a person.
Sensei Japanese -n, suffix. A teacher, doctor, professor, or master. Also an honorific suffix used when addressing such a person.
shinentai Japanese -n. Yearning ghost, a spirit trapped in the world by some task left incomplete.
shoji Japanese -n. Sliding screen used in traditional Japanese architecture as a door or room divider. The term refers both to light, translucent screens and heavier, opaque screens, but not to the heavy sliding shutters used to secure a building.
shoujo-manga Japanese -n. Girls' comics, often featuring romantic themes.
tatami Japanese -n. A mat, about 3' by 6', made of bundled straw and used for
flooring in traditional Japanese architecture. The size of a room is often referred to in terms of the number of tatami, e.g., an eight-tatami bedroom.
wahine
Wo ai ni
Wo da airen
Yazuniichuan Chinese -n. Spring of Drowned Duck. Mousse fell into it.
yen/en Japanese -n. Unit of Japanese currency. About $0.01 US, give or take exchange
fluctuations. The "y" in "yen" is a Western addition. The proper word is "en", and can be easily seen in Hinako-sensei's ki-draining attacks, e.g., Happou-go-en-satsu. However, "yen" is so ingrained in our minds, in my opinion, it serves little purpose to use "en" in fanfiction.
yukata Japanese -n. Light cotton robe worn in casual circumstances, such as at an onsen in the summer.
Ja/Ja ne/Ja mata/Mata ne Japanese. All basically mean "See you later," but there are subtle differences.
Moshi moshi Japanese. Standard telephone greeting.
Nihao
Ohayou (gozaimasu) Japanese. "Good morning." The addition of gozaimasu strengthens and, depending on the circumstance, may formalize the greeting.
Oyasumi (nasai) Japanese. "Good night." The addition of nasai strengthens the sentiment and may, depending on the circumstances, formalize it.
bogu Japanese -n. Kendo armor, consisting of men, tare, do, and kote: mask with flaring shoulder-pads, armor-skirt, chest armor, and padded gauntlets.
bokken Japanese -n. A hardwood stick shaped roughly like a katana, usually used for
practicing forms. Kunou Tatewaki is rarely without one.
bonbori Japanese(?) -n. Large-headed Chinese mace. Shampoo's favorite weapon.
Chudan-no-kamae Japanese -n. Kendo guard position in which the shinai is held in front of the waist and the tip is at eye level.
do-gi Japanese -n. "Battle costume", more or less. The suit that "chose" Akane in v.32, parts 8-11, was a do-gi, which Akane later called "Do-chan".
doujou Japanese -n. Martial-arts training hall. Lit. "teaching place".
gi Japanese -n. Clothing for martial-arts practice, consisting of loose trousers and an overlapping-closure top of heavy cotton.
hakama Japanese -n. Item of (male, usually) apparel, sort of like a cross between a skirt and very baggy trousers. Kunou Tatewaki almost always wears hakama, and it's also part of the customary dress for kendo. It is also worn by the groom in a traditional wedding.
Hiryuu Shouten Ha Japanese -n. Lit. "Flying Dragon Ascending Strike". Viz translates
it as "Heaven-Blast of the Dragon".
Iaido Japanese -n. The sport of sword-drawing. A rather refined and contemplative practice, having more to do with ritual and ceremony than practical martial applications.
kata Japanese -n. Lit. "form". In this context, a martial-arts exercise used to train reflex responses by a repeated sequence of movements.
katana Japanese -n. A Japanese sword with a slightly curved, single-edged blade. This is the type of sword Ranma's mother carries with her.
kempo Japanese -n. The family of martial arts which includes Musabetsu Kakutou.
kendo Japanese -n. Japanese fencing. Kendo is really more of a sport than a martial art; it is descended from swordfighting skills, but is now a discipline in and of itself rather than a way to train for combat. The opponents wear armor called bogu, covering the torso, hands and forearms, and head, and these are also (more or less) the valid striking areas. The sword is represented by a shinai, a flexible mock-sword made of bamboo and leather. A kendo match is fought in a square floor area about 10 meters across, to best two of three hits; there are rules for fouls, invalid hits, etc. A datotsu (valid hit) has to strike a valid target area with correct form and displayed attitude.
kenjutsu Japanese -n. Japanese sword combat skill. Students of kenjutsu use bokken or sometimes katana to practice skills that are applicable to actual combat with edged weapons.
ki Japanese -n. Energy or power. In this context, refers to the power used by martial artists to perform amazing feats ranging from running over rooftops to the Hiryu Shoten Ha.
Kiai! Japanese. Yell used to center and focus one's energies when striking.
kunoichi Japanese -n. A female shinobi or ninja, a warrior trained in stealth. Konatsu, Ukyou's waitress (or perhaps waiter) is a kunoichi. Although Konatsu is actually male, he was raised as a woman, so the appellation still fits.
Kyudo Japanese -n. Target archery.
Musabetsu Kakutou Japanese -n. The martial-arts style practiced by the Saotome and Tendou families. Lit. "unrestricted unarmed combat," more or less. Some translate it as "unrestricted grappling". Viz translates this as "Anything Goes Martial Arts".
naginata Japanese -n. A polearm with a long curved blade, a little like a katana with a two-meter hilt, although the blade may be shorter and wider. Naginata were the traditional weapon of women of the noble class, particularly samurai, although men might use them as well.
Neko-ken Japanese -n. Lit. "Cat-Fist".
Mouko Takabisha Japanese -n. Lit. "Fierce Tiger Domineering".
-ryuu Japanese -n, suffix. School, style. Musabetsu Kakutou Tendou-ryuu is the variant of Unrestricted Combat taught by the Tendou family, for example.
samurai Japanese -n. A warrior in service to a clan or lord in feudal Japan.
shinai Japanese -n. Mock sword made of bamboo strips, used for kendo (Japanese fencing).
tsuba Japanese -n. The hilt-guard of a katana. Tsuba are often works of art in and of themselves, being decorated by engraving, piercing, inlays, etc.
tsuki Japanese -n. In kendo, a thrust to the throat-flap of the mask; the only valid thrust.
tsubo Japanese -n. Point on the body used as the focus for acupuncture or acupressure.
Umi-sen-ken Japanese -n. Lit "sea-thousand-fist", a Musabetsu Kakutou style
invented by Genma in analogy to the methods of a stealthy burglar.
Wakki-ga-kamae Japanese -n. Kendo guard position in which the shinai angles downward with the tip near the right foot.
yari Japanese -n. Spear. The Japanese spear typically has a short, narrow, double-edged blade with a short symmetrical point.
bento Japanese -n. A box lunch, usually involving rice; can be quite elaborate in preparation and attractive in presentation. For a girl to make a bento for a boy is often a sign of interest. Often heard in spoken Japanese with an "O-" prefix.
cha-su-men Japanese(?) -n. Barbecued pork and noodles.
gomoku Japanese -n. Lit. "five things". Meat and vegetables with rice.
gyoza Japanese(?) -n. Small packets of meat mixture in a dough wrapper.
kappa-maki Japanese -n. Rolled sushi with cucumber in the middle, nori on the
outside, and rice in between, seasoned with wasabi. What Americans call a "California Roll", more or less.
ma-bo toufu Japanese(?) -n. Ground beef or pork and soybean cake in a spicy sauce.
maki-sushi Japanese -n. Sushi made by rolling a cylinder of sushi rice and fillings in a skin of nori, using a bamboo-and-string mat called a makisu. One of the main classifications of sushi; the other is nigiri-sushi, in which the rice is formed in the hand.
miso Japanese -n. Fermented soybean paste, frequently eaten as soup but also as a flavoring.
musubi Japanese -n. A rice ball, usually formed in the hand, sometimes with a tidbit
in the center, sometimes with a strip of nori wrapped around it.
niku dango Japanese -n. Sweet-and-sour meatball dumplings.
nori Japanese -n. Seaweed dried in sheets, used in sushi fabrication and, shredded, as a condiment.
okonomiyaki Japanese -n. A flat fried food involving shredded cabbage, soba noodles, batter, and the toppings of the customer's choice. Ukyou's stock-in-trade.
ramen Japanese(?) -n. Chinese noodles in clear broth, usually with meat and/or vegetables added. Shampoo's stock-in-trade.
soba Japanese -n. Thin brown buckwheat noodles, eaten hot or cold.
sushi Japanese -n. Rice seasoned with vinegar. Also, by extension, small delicacies fashioned from sushi rice, fish, egg, seaweed, etc. Does not necessarily involve raw fish; that's sashimi.
tako
tamago
tamago-nigiri Japanese -n. Sushi made by placing a slice of omelet atop a small block of pressed rice and securing it with a strip of nori. A delicious way to introduce people turned off by images of raw fish to sushi.
ten-don Japanese -n. Short for tenpura-donburi. Tempura (batter-fried shrimp, fish, vegetables, etc.) over rice.
toufu Japanese -n. A cake of soy-bean curd, eaten as a protein supplement. There's no other possible reason, as neither its taste nor its texture is particularly interesting. Not to be confused with toufuu, which is the given name of our good doctor of accupuncture and moxibustion in Ranma ½ and means "east wind". The word tofu means something entirely different, although this is the way most English speakers are accustomed to seeing the name of the doctor and the bean curd spelled.
udon Japanese -n. Thick white noodles, usually eaten in soup.
wasabi Japanese -n. Japanese mustard, sort of. Hot green horseradish paste.
yasai
yatai Japanese -n. Cart used for food-service, such as okonomiyaki.
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