Are you new to anime? Maybe you’re reminiscing about some of your favorite childhood series?
Whether you came from classics like Naruto or One Piece, or newer favorites like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, there are a lot of Japanese words you commonly hear in anime episodes.
Some famous anime words can be used as interjections in conversations (hontou) or to refer to another person (senpai, kouhai).
We’re also going to look at some essential words to describe certain parts of anime culture (like otaku), which you should know if you’re going to be part of the fandom!
Here are 17 Japanese anime words you need to know.
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Hontou (本当)
When a character is surprised by something another person has said or done for them, you might hear them use hontou, which translates to ‘Really?’ in English. When used as a noun, hontou would mean ‘reality’ or ‘truth’.
Daijoubu (大丈夫)
Daijoubu is a very common word in anime! This means ‘it’s okay’ or ‘I’m alright’. When a character messes up, they’ll usually be reassured that it’s all daijoubu… or not? The colloquial, negative form of this is daijoubu janai (大丈夫じゃない), for when everything’s not fine!
Otaku (オタク)
In any anime or fandom context, otaku means ‘geek’ or ‘enthusiast’. This word used to carry a negative connotation in the past, but since its use has spread all over the world, the meaning of otaku changed with the popularity of anime.
In present times, otaku is commonly used to refer to fans of anime, manga, and video games. Even fans of trains, airplanes, history, and cars are considered otaku. Conventions are a great way to meet them!
Doujinshi (同人誌)
