100+ Popular Japanese Vocabulary Words Frequently Used in Anime (With Meanings)

Here are 100+ Popular Japanese Vocabulary Words that often Used in anime , complete with their meanings.

It cannot be denied that anime is one of the works made in Japan that is well received by the Indonesian people.

The reasons are varied, ranging from the interesting story to the characters who seem perfect.

Behind the popularity of anime, a trend has also emerged among fans, namely using Japanese words in conversation. Obviously, these words are mostly obtained from dialogue between characters in the anime.

Popular slang words in Anime

Cute: (kawaii)
Really: (maji)
What: (nani)
Good luck: (ganbatte)
Hati-hati: (kiotsukete)
Don’t give up : (akirameru na)
Lover: (koibito)
Slang for the word “Head”:(kashira)
Sedih:(kanashii)
Long time no see: (hisashiburi)
Another way to say “cute little thing”: (chibi)
Kecil: (chiisai)
Bukan apa-apa: (betsu ni)
Aneh: (look for it)
Keren: (kakkoi)
So cute: (meccha kawaii)
Please don’t lie: (uso o iwanaide)
Tolong hentikan: (yamete kudasai)
Hey, shut up: (oi, damare)
Mohon tunggu sebentar: (chotto matte kudasai)
Unusual: (arienai)
Monster: (bakemono)
Terrible: (hidoi)
Aku lapar: (onaka ga peko peko)
Satan: (I am)
Unusual: (arienai)

Widely used Japanese words

Aho: Stupid in Kansai dialect. Can also be used to express that an action is stupid or meaningless. Compared to words like baka, Aho has a milder connotation and can also mean “pleasant fool.”
Aikawarazu: As usual. The same as usual.
Aite: Fight. Anta no aite wa… Your opponent is…
Aitsu: A rude way of saying THAT person.
Will: The Kansai way of saying “no use” or “no use”. Or, “oh no!”
Akirameru: Menyerah.
Akuma: Satan.
Arienai: Amazing. Impossible. Impossible! Riehen is the Kansai slang version.
Arubaito: Part time job. Sometimes shortened to baito. It comes from the German word arbeit, which means “to work.”
Arukimasu: Walking.
Ashi: Kaki
Atarimae: Of course. Of course. Clear. A very common retort used in anime. Often used as atarimae, ja nai ? It’s obvious, right?
Atsui: Panas.
Ayamaru: To apologize.
Ayashii: Suspicious. Very often heard in detective anime series such as Conan and Kindaichi Case Files.
Baba: Old woman. The male version is jiji. Depending on the context of the conversation, this can have a negative connotation.
Baka: Stupid. Perhaps the most famous vulgar word in Japanese. The most famous anime rant too.
Bakemono: Monster.
Benkyou: Study. To learn.
Betsu Ni: It’s nothing. No. Nothing special.
Bijin: Beauty.
Bikkuri Suru: Surprised. Suru is often omitted.
Bimbo: Poor thing. Lack of money. The opposite is kane mochi.
Bishounen: A beautiful young man.
Bocchan: You’ll often hear this term used as semi-derogative slang for rich boys. It is also the title of one of Japan’s most famous novels.
Bouken: Adventure.
Bouzu: Anak kecil. Kata ini awalnya mengacu pada biksu muda tetapi istilah ini kemudian dikaitkan dengan anak laki-laki karena siswa laki-laki muda di Jepang biasa mencukur rambut mereka hingga botak. (Saat ini, banyak orang, seperti tim bisbol, masih melakukan hal tersebut)
Chibi: Bahasa gaul yang artinya benda kecil yang lucu.
Chigau: Salah. Dalam dialek Kansai, ini menjadi chau .
Chiisai: Kecil.
Chikara: Kekuatan. Anta, chikara aru? Apakah Anda memiliki kekuatan?
Chinpira: Villain. Young street punk.
Chotto Ii: Do you have a minute?
Chou: Prefix meaning “super”.
Chousen: Tantangan.
Daijoubu: Means “fine/fine” and can be used in a variety of situations, including, “Are you daijoubu (fine) with
that?” Or, fukuro wa daijoubu (I don’t need a bag). One of the most frequently heard anime expressions, regardless of the genre of the story.
Dakara: Therefore.
Dame: Not effective. There is no point. Not good. Or, “no, I can’t do that.”
… de gozaru/gozaimasu : A very formal and old-fashioned way to end a sentence. (Just think of it as a medieval form of… desu ) Nowadays, it is often used in anime for comedic and humorous effect. Such as depicting a character as extremely chivalrous, or obsessed with medieval chivalry, or pretending to be a samurai.
Dekkai: Besar.
Densetsu: Legenda. Densetsu no otoko. Pria legendaris.
Deshi: Murid.
Dete Ke: The cry of “get out!”
Doki Doki: An onomatopoeia denoting the rapid beating of one’s heart, like when near one’s absolute true love. One of the simplest anime phrases to know love too.
Don Don: Progressively.
Fukuzatsu: It’s complicated. The opposite is tan.
Fuzaken: A very rude way of saying, “don’t mess with me.” Often spit on as fuzakenna too, like during fight scenes. After baka, perhaps the most famous anime rude exclamation.
Gaki: Slang for a naughty child or small child. The word can also refer to a hungry ghost, namely preta in Buddhism, although in this case the kanji is used in writing.
Giri Giri: Just in time. There are many repeated words in Japanese, and linguistically they are known as onomatopoeia.
Gyaru: Sexy darling and comes from the English word “girl.” Also refers to a particular women’s fashion subculture that involves heavy makeup and colored hair.
Hakai Suru: To destroy. Suru is often omitted to create a noun form.
Hamon: Excommunication. Expulsion from a Yakuza clan or guild, or family. A term often used in anime gangster dialogue and gangland video games such as the Ryu ga Gotoku series.
Hashiru: Lari.
Hayai: Hurry up. Fast.
… hazu: Marked at the end of a sentence to imply uncertainty.
Hazukashii: Memalukan.
Heiki: I’m fine.
Hentai: Obscene. Abnormal. Ecchi has the same meaning. Hen na means “strange.”
Hidoi: Terrible. Very bad.
Hikari: Ringan.
Hisashiburi: Long time no see.
Hizamakura: Hisa means lap, and makura means pillow. Putting it all together, it was a heavenly scenario when a disappointed boy could rest his head on a girl’s lap for comfort.
Hontou : Really? In Kansai dialect, this becomes honma.
Hora: Hey!
Ii Kagen Ni Shinasai: An expression often heard in anime dialogue meaning “that’s enough!” “Stop your nonsense!” Etc.
Ii Kangae: Good thinking. Smart idea.
Ikemen: A suave, handsome, and charming man. A staple of any good Shoujo anime or manga.
Ikuze: Let’s go.
Imi: Meaning
Iranai: I don’t want it.
Irasshaimase: A world-famous Japanese phrase as a greeting heard when entering a Japanese shop or restaurant. But in the language, it is also an important keigo, which is Japanese polite language. Tanaka-san wa irrashimase ka means “is Mr. Tanaka there?”
Isekai: Alternative worlds or dimensions. In recent years, the premise for various popular anime series and light novels such as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
Isshokenmei: Memberikan segalanya.
Itadakimasu: Formally, this means, “I humbly accept.” Nowadays, it is also one of the most famous Japanese expressions throughout the world, known as the Japanese expression before eating.
Itai: Painful. Or, it hurts! Some anime characters tend to say ite-te-te too.
Ittai dou iu imi desu ka: A powerful and often heard anime phrase that translates to “what the hell does that mean?” Imi can be replaced by tsumori to change the sentence to, “what do you want?” Tsumori () means intention.
Jya Nai: No. This is usually placed at the end of the sentence. Often pronounced as ja ne too.
Jibun de… : Different verbs can follow this, with the phrase translating to “alone.”
Jikoshoukai: Self-introduction. A must-do when a new student joins the class in a high school rom-com anime series. Often, the beginning of a complicated relationship is also a heartwarming love story
Joudan: Joke
Junbi: Preparation.
Jyama: Obstacle, hindrance, interference. When entering someone’s home in Japan, it is polite to say ojyama shimasu “I’m bothering you.”
Kachi: Victory. Yes, no kachi da! My victory! I win!
Kagayaki: Cemerlang.
Kakkoii: Cool. The masculine version of kawaii.
Kakugo: Kakugo is often heard in anime dialogue before confrontations and battles. It is also often used in mockery. The word roughly means “fortitude,” “readiness,” or “mental awareness/preparation.”
… kamoshirenai: Marked at the end of a sentence meaning, “I think.” In modern spoken Japanese, this word tends to be drastically reduced to simply kamo.
Kanashii: Yes.
Kanben Shite Kudasai: “Please forgive me” or “please forgive me.” This is not necessarily a request for forgiveness. Without thinking, it could be an answer like, “Oh, don’t do that crap!”
Kanzen: Completely
Kareshi: Girlfriend. The opposite is kanojo.
Kashikomarimashita: A very formal way of saying “I understand” or “of course”. Widely used in Japanese business conversations and by service industry staff.
… kashira: Used by women at the end of a sentence to indicate uncertainty. This is roughly equivalent to, “I think.”
Kashira: Slang for boss or chief.
Katagi: Although the dictionary meaning is temperament, this word can also refer to a person who lives a clean and honest life. Or just ordinary people.
Katte Ni Shiro: Do whatever you like. Exclamations that are often heard during fight scenes.
Kawaii: Cute. Cute. Ouch!!!!!
Kawaisou: Sad. What a pity.
Kega: Injured.
Kesatsu: Polisi.
Ki Ni Naru: Worried, curious, or interested about something.
Ki Ni Shinai: Don’t worry.
Ki O Tsukete: Be careful. Be careful.
Kimi: One of the many Japanese words for “you”. It can imply intimacy between speakers, or condescension.
Kimoi: Gross. Short form of kimochi warui.
Kisama: Another rude way to say “you” in Japanese.
Kizuita: Realized. To pay attention.
Koibito: Lover.
Kokoro Atari: To know something. This Japanese phrase literally means “to have something in your heart.”
Kokuhaku: Confess. Or someone’s declaration of love.
Korosu: To kill. Zettai korosu means “sure to kill”. The latter is practically a staple statement in anime fight scenes.
Kouhai: Junior.
Koukousei: Siswa SMA.
Kowai: Scary.
Kurae: Anime fighting phrase meaning “take a look” or “eat this!” Often shouted before executing a deadly technique in combat, and sometimes sounds like “ku-rake” in the heat of things.
Kuremasu: In short, kuremasu and its variants kuremasen and kurenai are polite suffixes tagged at the end of Japanese sentences when asking for permission. It roughly means “bequeathed to me.” For example, misete kuremasen ka ? Can you let me see it?
Kuso: An expletive meaning, damn it! Kusai, coincidentally means “smell.”
Kuuki Yomeru: This means “reading the air”, but what it really means is paying attention to the situation and context, such as during a conversation. (In other words, read the room) The negative version is kuuki yomenai . A famous anime psychic often complains about not being able to do this.
Machi: Kota.
Mahou: Magic. Witches and wizards are usually called mahou tsukai in fantasy anime.
Maji: Really? You’re serious?
Makasete Kudasai: Please leave it to me. Trust me on that.
Makeru: Defeated. Lost. However, you’ll more often hear this as the classic anime fighting phrase zettai makenai, meaning “I will not be defeated!” On the other hand, when you admit defeat, you mourn the maitta.
Mamoru: To protect. Shouting minna o mamoru (to protect everyone) often suddenly fills Shounen anime protagonists with incredible power.
Maniau: Right on time. The negative form is maniawanai.
Masaka: No way! Impossible!
Mattaku: This is best understood as a mild expletive expressing annoyance. It is also often pronounced without the first sound.
Mazui: Adjective for something that is very troublesome or in bad taste. A women’s basketball coach is renowned for his truly mazui cooking.
Me No Mae Ni: Literally, before one’s eyes.
Meccha: Kansai slang meaning “very”.
Meiwaku: Although the kanji implies confusion, the word actually means annoyance, annoyance, frustration, etc.
Mendousai: Troublesome. Like other Japanese words ending in “…ai,” this word is often pronounced mendouse . Also, one of Saiki Kusuo’s favorite grouches. (The other is yare yare, which means sheesh )
Minna : Everything.
… mitai: Suffix meaning “same”. For example, inu mitai. (Like a dog)
Mochiron: Tentu saja.
Moeru: To ignite.
Mondai: Problem.
Moshi Wake Gozaimasen: A complicated Japanese expression for “sorry.” Widely used in business conversations and literally means, “no excuses.”