isekai

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 異世界 (isekai, literally “different world”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈiːsəkaɪ/, (uncommon, imitating Japanese pronunciation) /iˈsɛkaɪ/, (uncommon) /ˈɪsəkaɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

isekai (countable and uncountable, plural isekai or isekais)

1. (chiefly Japanese fiction, uncountable) A genre of Japanese fiction involving everyday people transported to alternative fantasy or virtual worlds.
   • 2017, Ryo Shirakome, DxS, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest (volume 1)

     It's not every day that an isekai author gets published out of the sea of isekai stories on there.

2. (countable) Any piece of media in this genre.

Translations

Genre

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 異世界 / 异世界 (zh) (yìshìjiè)

• Dutch: isekai
• French: isekai (fr) m
• German: Isekai
• Japanese: 異世界 (ja) (isekai), 異世界ファンタジー (isekai fantajī)
• Korean: 이세계 (isegye)
• Ukranian: ісекай (uk) (isekaj)
• Vietnamese: isekai, dị thế giới, dị giới

Piece of media in genre

• Dutch: isekai
• French: isekai (fr) m
• Japanese: 異世界作品 (isekai sakuhin), 異世界ファンタジー作品 (isekai fantajī sakuhin)

Verb

isekai (third-person singular simple present isekais, present participle isekaiing, simple past and past participle isekaied or isekai'd)

1. (fandom slang, transitive) To transport (someone) into an alternative world, often by killing them.

Derived terms

• reverse isekai

Translations

To transport into an alternative world

• Belarusian: ісекайнуцца (isjekajnucca)
• French: isekaïser (fr)
• Japanese: 異世界 (ja)
• Marathi: इसेकाई करणे (isekāī karṇe)
• Russian: исекайнуться (isekajnutʹsja)
• Spanish: isekai m
• Ukrainian: ісекайнутися (isekajnutysja)

Anagrams

• saikei

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 異世界(いせかい) (isekai, “another world; isekai”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /iˈsekai̯/ [iˈse.kai̯]
• Rhymes: -ekai̯
• Syllabification: i‧se‧kai

Noun

isekai (plural isekai-isekai)

1. another world; isekai

   Synonyms: dimensi lain, dunia lain

Derived terms

• dunia isekai

Further reading

• “isekai”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Japanese

Romanization

isekai

1. Rōmaji transcription of いせかい

Malay

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 異世界.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /iˈsekaj/ [iˈse.kai̯]

Noun

isékai (plural isekai-isekai or isekai²)

1. (fandom slang, humorous) alternative world
   • 2025 May 31, u/DoubleDifference8041, “GUYS, RARE FIRE RAINBOW PHENOMENON OCCURRED IN KELANTAN”, in Reddit‎^[1], archived from the original on 24 June 2025:

     maaf bey, adik kito duk main alat portal nok gi ke isekai.

     Sorry bro, my younger sibling is playing with the portal device to go to another world.

Derived terms

• dunia isekai

Verb

isékai

1. (fandom slang, transitive) to transport someone into an alternative world by killing them