Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

banzai

/ˈbɑːnˈzaɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.34 in modern English

Syllables: ban-zai
IPA: /ˈbɑːnˈzaɪ/

17

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Thrill-seeking; wild.

intj

A cry or cheer of enthusiasm, or to celebrate victory.

noun

A cry or cheer of "banzai", to express enthusiasm or celebrate victory.

noun

Clipping of banzai charge.

verb

To carry out a banzai charge (against).

Example Sentences

"Still, the Seca II isn't meant to be a racebike, and power is adequate for all but the most banzai backroad blitzing."

Etymology

From Japanese 万歳(ばんざい) (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).

Origin

Source language: Japanese

Word Breakdown

Root: -, 萬歲

Inflected Forms

more banzai (comparative) most banzai (superlative) banzais (plural) banzais (present, singular) banzaiing (participle, present) banzaied (participle, past) banzaied (past)

Phrases

banzai attack banzai board banzai charge banzai crazy Banzai pipeline go banzai

Questions

How do you pronounce banzai?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɑːnˈzaɪ/.
What does banzai mean?: Thrill-seeking; wild.
Where does banzai come from?: It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce banzai

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “banzai”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɑːnˈzaɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “banzai”.
Repeat and practice — Say “banzai” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.