ninja
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]A romanized borrowing of Japanese 忍者 (ninja), popularized within Japanese by manga after World War II and in English by Eric Van Lustbader's 1980 novel The Ninja and the 1981 movie Enter the Ninja, of uncertain derivation but with an underlying sense of secret or hidden person.
The “Mongolian miner” sense arose from the supposed resemblance of the bowls used to wash ore with mercury to the shells of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The Juggalo slang sense arose via influence from AAVE nigga.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]ninja (plural ninja or ninjas)
- (martial arts) A person trained in ninjutsu, especially (historical) one used for espionage, assassination, and other tasks requiring stealth during Japan's shogunate period.
- 1964, Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice, page 126:
- The men... are now learning to be ninja or ‘stealers-in’.
- 2000 October 15, Denver Post, page 10:
- Spies prowled Japan from the seventh century, but the secretive ninja left few written records.
- (figurative) A person considered similarly skillful to the historical ninja, especially in covert or stealthy operation.
- 1972 September 11, Newsweek, Int'l ed., p. 28:
- For months the Japanese spoke of national-security adviser Henry Kissinger as a ninja—the magician of Japanese legends who performs supernatural acts and practices sorcery.
- 1987 August 3, Business Week, page 40:
- Other bankers are dubbing themselves ninja, modern-day descendants of the superspies of 17th century samurai houses.
- 1991 August 4, The Guardian, page 13:
- Young banking and securities firms executives (nicknamed the ninja...) are especially assigned to cultivate relations with the finance ministry. Only verbal instructions are ever given to the ninja.
- (video games, fandom slang, in the plural) A notional draconian arm of a corporation (originally Nintendo), tasked with dealing with individuals that infringe on its rights or do not comply with its regulations.
- 1972 September 11, Newsweek, Int'l ed., p. 28:
- (figurative) A person considered to look like the historical ninja in some way, including (historical slang) an amateur private miner in Mongolia.
- 1998 December 28, Chicago Tribune, page 1:
- He immediately suspected they were ninjas because, he said, they were dressed in black and wore masks, trademarks of the mysterious assassins who have been sowing terror across East Java in recent months.
- 2003 February 21, Business Times::
- Yen buyers were more subdued... fearing the Bank of Japan's new strategy of covert intervention to buy U.S. dollars through agent banks—described by some as the central bank's ninjas or secret agents.
- 2007 October 10, Jonathan Watts, “Prospectors and 'Ninja' Miners Flood to East's El Dorado”, in The Guardian:
- Many were former nomads, but as the gold rush gathered pace, students, vets and taxi drivers from Ulan Bator joined the ninjas, not just in Ogoomor but in other gold towns across the country.
- (euphemistic, African-American Vernacular) Synonym of nigga as a friendly term of address.
- 2003, Steven Ayromlooi, Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, spoken by LEPRECHAUN:
- What's up, ninjas?
- 2024, “BBL Drizzy”, King Willonius (lyrics):
- I'm thicker than a Snicker, I'm thicker than your ninja!
- (euphemistic, vulgar, derogatory, offensive, ethnic slur) nigger.
Synonyms
[edit]- (person trained in ninjutsu): shinobi, assassin, spy
- (figurative covert agent): killer, spy, superspy, magician, secret agent
Hyponyms
[edit]- (person trained in ninjutsu): kunoichi
Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]
|
Adjective
[edit]ninja (not comparable)
- Of or related to ninjas in their various senses.
- 1966 October, Black Belt, page 5:
- The July 1966 issue had a cartoon concerning a Ninja dojo.
- 1971 May, Black Belt, page 40:
- One of the most controversial characters in Japan's current ninja boom is a stout but surprisingly agile man in his mid-forties named Norihiro Iga-Hakuyusai.
- 1995 August 28, Time, page 36:
- […] Federal agents in body armor and black ninja uniforms […]
- 2002 August 31, The Guardian, page 2:
- As they broke camp, the teenage son practised his Ninja moves with a tentpole.
Verb
[edit]ninja (third-person singular simple present ninjas, present participle ninjaing, simple past and past participle ninjaed or ninja'd)
- (transitive, intransitive) To act or move like a ninja, particularly with regard to a combination of speed, power, and stealth.
- 1996 April 23, Rocky Mountain News, page 5:
- In our dark house we were ninja-ing around with water guns.
- 2002 August 29, Los Angeles Times, page 48:
- I ninja'd my way into Kung Fu Records to hang out with those merry pranksters the Vandals.
- (Internet slang) Synonym of preempt: to supersede and invalidate a response by posting immediately before it.
- When I hit post, I saw that Blue Emu had ninja'd me, so I just deleted my reply.
- (online gaming slang) To claim an item through abuse of game mechanics.
- That damn warrior ninja'd an epic-quality wand even though he can't even use it!
References
[edit]- “ninja, n. and adj.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- “ninja, v.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Anagrams
[edit]Danish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]ninja c (singular definite ninjaen, plural indefinite ninjaer)
- ninja
- 2016, Kristoffer Jacob Andersen, Lord Kenshus forbandelse, Tellerup A/S, →ISBN:
- „Ninjaer er blot simple spioner.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2014, Lise Bidstrup, Shinobi #5: Ninja-genfærd, Tellerup A/S, →ISBN:
- Disse ninjaer var uhyggelige, tågeagtige skikkelser.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2016, Anders Matthesen, Ternet Ninja, Rosinante & Co, →ISBN:
- Aske kunne se syningerne i ninjaens dragt.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2002, Kejserens atlas, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN, page 184:
- „Nattergalegulvet", der sladrede om ninjaens trin, blev et kuriosum.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Declension
[edit]common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | ninja | ninjaen | ninjaer | ninjaerne |
genitive | ninjas | ninjaens | ninjaers | ninjaernes |
References
[edit]- “ninja” in Den Danske Ordbog
Finnish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]ninja
Declension
[edit]Inflection of ninja (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation) | |||
---|---|---|---|
nominative | ninja | ninjat | |
genitive | ninjan | ninjojen | |
partitive | ninjaa | ninjoja | |
illative | ninjaan | ninjoihin | |
singular | plural | ||
nominative | ninja | ninjat | |
accusative | nom. | ninja | ninjat |
gen. | ninjan | ||
genitive | ninjan | ninjojen ninjain rare | |
partitive | ninjaa | ninjoja | |
inessive | ninjassa | ninjoissa | |
elative | ninjasta | ninjoista | |
illative | ninjaan | ninjoihin | |
adessive | ninjalla | ninjoilla | |
ablative | ninjalta | ninjoilta | |
allative | ninjalle | ninjoille | |
essive | ninjana | ninjoina | |
translative | ninjaksi | ninjoiksi | |
abessive | ninjatta | ninjoitta | |
instructive | — | ninjoin | |
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Further reading
[edit]- “ninja”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish][5] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03
Indonesian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from Japanese 忍者 (ninja).
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]ninja (first-person possessive ninjaku, second-person possessive ninjamu, third-person possessive ninjanya)
- (historical) ninja, a person trained in ninjutsu, especially one used for espionage, assassination, and other tasks requiring stealth during Japan's shogunate period.
- unidentified assassin with black clothes and mask
Further reading
[edit]- “ninja” 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.
Italian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]ninja m (invariable)
Japanese
[edit]Romanization
[edit]ninja
Coordinate terms
[edit]Polish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Unadapted borrowing from English ninja.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]ninja m pers (indeclinable)[1]
- (espionage, historical, martial arts) ninja (person trained in ninjutsu, especially one used for espionage, assassination, and other tasks requiring stealth during Japan's shogunate period)
- Coordinate term: ninjutsu
Declension
[edit]or
Indeclinable.
References
[edit]- ^ Maciej Malinowski (27.05.2012) Poradnia Językowa PWN [Language clinic PWN][1], Polish Scientific Publishers PWN
Further reading
[edit]Portuguese
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from Japanese 忍者 (ninja).
Pronunciation
[edit]
- Rhymes: -ĩʒɐ
- Hyphenation: nin‧ja
Noun
[edit]ninja m or f by sense (plural ninjas)
- (historical, martial arts) ninja (Japanese fighter trained in the art of ninjutsu for activities such as espionage, sabotage or assassination)
Further reading
[edit]- “ninja”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024
- “ninja”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024
Spanish
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]
- Rhymes: -inʝa
- Syllabification: nin‧ja
Noun
[edit]ninja m or f by sense (plural ninjas)
- (martial arts, historical) ninja (person trained in stealth, espionage, assassination and ninjutsu)
Further reading
[edit]- “ninja”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
Swedish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from Japanese 忍者 (ninja).
Noun
[edit]ninja c
- a ninja
- Ninjor är mästare på att röra sig osynligt i skuggorna
- Ninjas are masters of moving invisibly in the shadows
Declension
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]Turkish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From French ninja, from Japanese 忍者 (ninja).
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]ninja (definite accusative ninjayı, plural ninjalar)
Declension
[edit]Inflection | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | ninja | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Definite accusative | ninjayı | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Singular | Plural | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nominative | ninja | ninjalar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Definite accusative | ninjayı | ninjaları | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dative | ninjaya | ninjalara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locative | ninjada | ninjalarda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ablative | ninjadan | ninjalardan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genitive | ninjanın | ninjaların | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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- English terms borrowed from Japanese
- English terms derived from Japanese
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɪnd͡ʒə
- Rhymes:English/ɪnd͡ʒə/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
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- en:Martial arts
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- en:Video games
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- Danish lemmas
- Danish nouns
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- Danish terms with quotations
- Finnish terms borrowed from Japanese
- Finnish terms derived from Japanese
- Finnish 2-syllable words
- Finnish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Finnish/injɑ
- Rhymes:Finnish/injɑ/2 syllables
- Finnish lemmas
- Finnish nouns
- Finnish kala-type nominals
- Indonesian terms derived from Japanese
- Indonesian 2-syllable words
- Indonesian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Indonesian/d͡ʒa
- Rhymes:Indonesian/d͡ʒa/2 syllables
- Rhymes:Indonesian/a
- Rhymes:Indonesian/a/2 syllables
- Indonesian lemmas
- Indonesian nouns
- Indonesian terms with historical senses
- Italian terms derived from Japanese
- Italian 2-syllable words
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- Rhymes:Italian/indʒa
- Rhymes:Italian/indʒa/2 syllables
- Italian lemmas
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- Italian terms spelled with J
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- it:Martial arts
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- Polish terms derived from Japanese
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- Polish unadapted borrowings from English
- Polish terms derived from English
- Polish 2-syllable words
- Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Polish terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:Polish/ind͡ʑa
- Rhymes:Polish/ind͡ʑa/2 syllables
- Rhymes:Polish/ind͡ʐa
- Rhymes:Polish/ind͡ʐa/2 syllables
- Polish lemmas
- Polish nouns
- Polish indeclinable nouns
- Polish masculine nouns
- Polish personal nouns
- pl:Espionage
- Polish terms with historical senses
- pl:Martial arts
- pl:Japan
- pl:Male people
- pl:Occupations
- Portuguese terms borrowed from Japanese
- Portuguese terms derived from Japanese
- Portuguese 2-syllable words
- Portuguese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Portuguese/ĩʒɐ
- Rhymes:Portuguese/ĩʒɐ/2 syllables
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese nouns
- Portuguese countable nouns
- Portuguese nouns with irregular gender
- Portuguese masculine nouns
- Portuguese feminine nouns
- Portuguese nouns with multiple genders
- Portuguese masculine and feminine nouns by sense
- Portuguese terms with historical senses
- pt:Martial arts
- Spanish 2-syllable words
- Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Spanish/inʝa
- Rhymes:Spanish/inʝa/2 syllables
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish nouns
- Spanish countable nouns
- Spanish nouns with irregular gender
- Spanish masculine nouns
- Spanish feminine nouns
- Spanish nouns with multiple genders
- Spanish masculine and feminine nouns by sense
- es:Martial arts
- Spanish terms with historical senses
- Swedish terms borrowed from Japanese
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- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns
- Swedish terms with usage examples
- Turkish terms borrowed from French
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- Turkish terms derived from Japanese
- Turkish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Turkish lemmas
- Turkish nouns