23 Japanese Vocabulary Officially Included in the Oxford English Dictionary, Including Isekai and Mangaka!

Kapanlagi.com - The OED (Oxford English Dictionary) has just added Japanese vocabulary to their extensive dictionary. There are at least 23 Japanese vocabulary words that have been adopted into the English language.

Among the 23 vocabulary words, the most interesting ones are mangaka and isekai. For fans of Japanese comics and anime, they are already familiar with what isekai and mangaka mean.

In addition to isekai and manga, other Japanese vocabulary words that have been included in the Oxford English Dictionary are donburi, hibachi, kagome, karaage, katsu, katsu curry, kintsugi, kirigami, okonomiyaki, omotenashi, onigiri, santoku, shibori, takoyaki, tokusatsu, tonkatsu, tonkatsu sauce, washi tape, and yakiniku.

1. Meaning of Isekai

In the OED, isekai is defined as one of the genres of Japanese fantasy stories in which the protagonist is sent to another place, or they are reincarnated into something other than themselves in a different world or another world.

For example, the protagonist dies on Earth, then they are reincarnated in another world and become the strongest person or hero in that world. Or they are a gamer trapped inside the character they created in that game world.

Some manga or anime genres of isekai are very famous and popular, such as Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken or Tensura. Then Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari, Overlord, Sword Art Online, and Mushoku Tensei which are mentioned as pioneers of isekai novels and comics.

2. What is a Mangaka?

In addition to isekai, the Oxford English Dictionary also includes mangaka as one of the loanwords in English. In Indonesian, manga is translated as comics, and mangaka in Indonesian means comic artist.

In the Oxford English Dictionary, the meaning of manga itself is the style of Japanese comic strip writing created for children and adults. Meanwhile, the meaning of mangaka is the creator, writer, or illustrator of manga.

Some mangaka whose works are well-known include Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball), Tite Kubo (Bleach), Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen), Hajime Isayama (Attack on Titan), and many other famous mangaka.

(kpl/dwn)