banzai
See also: banzaï
English
Etymology
From Japanese 万歳 (banzai, “long live..., huzzah, hurrah”), from Middle Chinese 萬歲 (mjonH sjwejH), from Old Chinese 萬歲 (*mans s-qʷʰats, “10,000 years [of life]”, i.e. “immortality”), from 萬 / 万 (wàn, “10,000”) 歲 / 岁 (suì, “year (of age)”).
Compare Mandarin 萬歲/万岁 (wànsùi).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbɑːnˈzaɪ/, /ˈbænˈzaɪ/
- Hyphenation: ban‧zai
Adjective
banzai (comparative more banzai, superlative most banzai)
- Thrill-seeking; wild.
- 1991, Cycle World: Volume 30:
- Still, the Seca II isn't meant to be a racebike, and power is adequate for all but the most banzai backroad blitzing.
Derived terms
- banzai attack
- banzai board
- banzai charge
- banzai crazy
- Banzai pipeline
- go banzai
Interjection
banzai
- A cry or cheer of enthusiasm, or to celebrate victory.
Translations
a celebratory cheer
hurrah — see hurrah
Noun
banzai (plural banzais)
- A cry or cheer of "banzai", to express enthusiasm or celebrate victory.
- Clipping of banzai charge.
Verb
banzai (third-person singular simple present banzais, present participle banzaiing, simple past and past participle banzaied)
- (ambitransitive) To carry out a banzai charge (against).
Anagrams
Indonesian
Etymology
From Japanese 万歳 (banzai, “long live..., huzzah, hurrah”).
Pronunciation
- (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /ˈbanzai̯/ [ˈban.zai̯]
- Syllabification: ban‧zai
Noun
banzai
- a cry or cheer of "banzai", to express enthusiasm or celebrate victory
Further reading
- “banzai” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
Japanese
Romanization
banzai