Young Samurai: The Ring of Sky (42 page)
Read Young Samurai: The Ring of Sky Online
Authors: Chris Bradford
A SHORT GUIDE TO PRONOUNCING JAPANESE
WORDS
WORDS
Vowels are pronounced in the following
way:
‘a’ as the ‘a’ in
‘at’
‘e’ as the ‘e’ in
‘bet’
‘i’ as the ‘i’ in
‘police’
‘o’ as the ‘o’ in
‘dot’
‘u’ as the ‘u’ in
‘put’
‘ai’ as in ‘eye’
‘ii’ as in ‘week’
‘
ā
’ as in
‘far’
‘
ō
’ as in
‘go’
‘
ū
’ as in
‘blue’
Consonants are pronounced in the same way
as English:
‘g’ is hard as in
‘get’
‘j’ is soft as in
‘jelly’
‘ch’ as in
‘church’
‘z’ as in ‘zoo’
‘ts’ as in
‘itself’
Each syllable is pronounced separately:
A-ki-ko
Ya-ma-to
Ma-sa-mo-to
Ka-zu-ki
| arigatō (gozaimasu) | | thank you (very much) |
| azuma no yabun hito | | Eastern barbarian |
| bō | | wooden fighting staff |
| bōjutsu | | the Art of the Bō |
| bokken | | wooden sword |
| bugyō | | a magistrate or governor |
| bunbu ichi | | the pen and sword in accord (also Bunbu Ryodo – the duel path of pen and sword) |
| bushido | | the Way of the Warrior – the samurai code |
| Butokuden | | Hall of the Virtues of War |
| chigiriki | | a Japanese flail weapon with a wooden shaft and a spiked weight on the end of a short chain |
| daimyo | | feudal lord |
| daishō | | the pair of swords, wakizashi and katana , that are traditional weapons of the samurai |
| Daruma Doll | | small wooden egg-shaped doll with no arms or legs, which is modelled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen; one eye is filled in with black ink while making a wish or goal, and the other is filled in when the wish or goal is attained |
| dochu no sei | | stillness in motion |
| dohyō | | the ring in which sumo wrestling bouts are held |
| dojo | | training hall |
| dōshin | | Edo-period police officers of samurai origin (low rank) |
| ensō | | a circle and a concept strongly associated with Zen |
| fudoshin | | literally ‘immovable heart’, a spirit of unshakeable calm |
| fusuma | | vertical rectangular panels that act as sliding doors or room dividers |
| futon | | Japanese bed: flat mattress placed directly on tatami flooring, and folded away during the day |
| gaijin | | foreigner, outsider (derogatory term) |
| gasshuku | | martial arts training camp |
| geisha | | a Japanese girl trained to entertain men with conversation, dance and song |
| geta | | traditional Japanese sandal with an elevated wooden base |
| gyōji | | a referee in sumo wrestling |
| hachimaki | | headbands, sometimes reinforced with metal strips |
| hatamoto | | literally ‘under the banners’; a samurai in the direct service of the Shogun |
| hayanawa | | a short rope used for restraining prisoners |
| hikyaku | | ‘Flying Feet’ (a courier) |
| ippon seoinage | | one-armed shoulder throw |
| jigoku | | Hell pool |
| jutte ( or jitte) | | an iron truncheon or rod with a short pointed hook |
| kabuki | | a classical Japanese dance-drama |
| kama | | sickle-shaped weapon |
| kamon | | a samurai family crest (also mon ) |
| kata | | a prescribed set of martial arts moves |
| kataginu | | a Japanese-style jacket with stiffened shoulders like wings |
| katana | | long sword |
| ki | | energy flow or life force (Chinese: chi or qi ) |
| kiai | | literally ‘concentrated spirit’ – used in martial arts as a shout for focusing energy when executing a technique |
| kiaijutsu | | the Art of the Kiai (shout) |
| kimono | | traditional Japanese clothing |
| kissaki | | tip of sword |
| koban | | Japanese oval gold coin |
| koto | | a thirteen-string zither-like instrument |
| kuji-in | | nine syllable seals – a specialized form of Buddhist and ninja meditation |
| kunai | | a farming tool, which resembles a masonry trowel and can be used as a weapon |
| kyusho | | vital or nerve point on a human body |
| mabiki | | a farming process of weeding out the rice seedlings; also a term for infanticide |
| menpō | | protective metal mask covering part or all of the face |
| metsuke | | technique of ‘looking at a faraway mountain’ |
| mie | | a powerful and emotional pose struck by an actor during a kabuki performance |
| mikan | | satsuma, orange citrus fruit |
| mikkyō | | secret teachings |
| mochi | | rice cake |
| mon | | a round copper coin with a hole in the centre, common currency of Japan until 1870; also can be a samurai family crest |
| musha shugyō | | warrior pilgrimage |
| nanban | | southern barbarian |
| ninja | | Japanese assassin |
| ninjatō | | ninja sword |
| ninjutsu | | the Art of Stealth |
| Niten Ichi Ryū | | the ‘One School of Two Heavens’ |
| nodachi | | a very large two-handed sword |
| obi | | belt |
| ofuro | | bath |
| ō-metsuke | | a spy of the Shogun, reporting directly to the Council of the Shogun |
| onsen | | natural hot springs used for bathing |
| ramen | | a noodle dish |
| ri | | traditional Japanese unit of distance, approx. 2.44 miles |
| ronin | | masterless samurai |
| rotenburo | | open-air hot spring bath |
| saké | | rice wine |
| sakura | | cherry-blossom tree |
| samurai | | Japanese warrior |
| sankyo | | a wrist lock in aikido that is termed ‘third teaching’ |
| sashimi | | raw fish |
| saya | | scabbard |
| Saya no uchi de katsu | | victory in the scabbard of the sword |
| sensei | | teacher |
| seppuku | | ritual suicide |
| Sha | | ninja hand sign, interpreted as healing for ninjutsu purposes |
| shakujō | | a Buddhist ringed staff |
| shamisen | | a three-stringed plucked lute |
| Shichi Hō De | | ‘the Seven Ways of Going’, the art of disguise and impersonation |
| shinobi shozoku | | the clothing of a ninja |
| Shodo | | the path or way of writing; Japanese calligraphy |
| Shogun | | the military dictator of Japan |
| shoji | | Japanese sliding door |
| shuriken | | metal throwing stars |
| suki | | a term in kenjutsu for a break in concentration that results in flawed technique or vulnerability to attack |
| sumimasen | | excuse me; my apologies |
| sumo | | a Japanese form of heavyweight wrestling |
| sushi | | raw fish on rice |
| suzume | | Japanese name for a sparrow; also can be used as a name |
| taijutsu | | the Art of the Body (hand-to-hand combat) |
| tameshigiri | | a test cut to assess the quality of a samurai sword, performed on corpses and sometimes convicted criminals |
| tantō | | short knife |
| Taryu-Jiai | | inter-school martial arts competition |
| tatami | | floor matting |
| tekubi gatamae | | hyperflexing wristlock |
| ten-uchi | | a sword technique – the arm and wrist make a twisting motion during a descending strike |
| torii | | a distinctive Japanese gate made of two uprights and two crossbars denoting the separation between common space and sacred space, found at the entrance to Shinto shrines |
| Toro Nagashi | | a ceremony that is carried out on the last evening of the Bon Festival; paper lanterns are floated down rivers and out to sea in order to guide the spirits back to their own world |
| tsuzumi | | handheld lacquered wooden drums in an hourglass shape |
| uke | | training partner who attacks |
| wakizashi | | side-arm short sword |
| wako | | Japanese pirates |
| washi | | traditional Japanese-style paper |
| yakitori | | grilled chicken on a stick |
| Yama Arashi | | Mountain Storm throw – a hand-throwing technique that also uses a thigh sweep to take an opponent to the ground |
| Yoko Sankaku Jime | | side triangle choke using the legs |
| yubitsume | | a Japanese ritual to atone for offences by means of cutting off one’s own little finger (lit. ‘finger shortening’) |
| yukata | | summer kimono |
| Zai | | ninja hand sign for sky or elements control |
| zazen | | meditation |
Japanese names
usually
consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name, unlike in the Western world
where the given name comes before the surname. In feudal Japan, names reflected a
person’s social status and spiritual beliefs. Also, when addressing someone,
san
is added to that person’s surname (or given names in less formal
situations) as a sign of courtesy, in the same way that we use Mr or Mrs in English, and
for higher-status people
sama
is used. In Japan,
sensei
is usually
added after a person’s name if they are a teacher, although in the Young Samurai
books a traditional English order has been retained. Boys and girls are usually
addressed using
kun
and
chan
, respectively.
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