Glossary of Terms

Explore the Yakuza Kiwami Glossary of Terms to understand Japanese honorifics, yakuza ranks like Aniki and Captain, and cultural references like the Bubble Economy.

Here I provide some terms that you'll read in the subtitles and also might pick up in the actual language, further explaining how some of those terms are translated to subtitle.

"Aniki"

Literally "big brother". Younger brothers tend to refer to older brothers with this term in Japanese, and in the yakuza world, someone you refer to as "aniki" is your direct superior on the streets and generally someone you aspire to be. Shinji Tanaka refers to Kiryu as his "aniki", not only during the prologue, but also later on in the story.

Bubble

The bubble economy, or "baburu keizai". During the 1980s, the housing market skyrocketed and made those who worked in real estate insanely rich for the time. The yakuza capitalized on this as well and were rumored to be involved in bad loans which contributed to the inevitable bursting of that bubble. _Yakuza 0_ takes place during the height of the bubble economy, and _Kiwami_ makes some references to it. If you wish to learn more, please visit this link:

Captain

In Japanese, this is the "wakagashira": the second in command for any family. Being the captain of a family is tantamount to being a heartbeat away from running it. The captain-ship of the Dojima Family was an issue in _Yakuza 0_. Shintaro Kazama serves as the current captain of the Dojima Family. It's possible to be a patriarch of one's own family and still be the captain of another more esteemed family, as in the case of Kazama, who is also the patriarch of his own family.

Chairman

The boss of bosses of a yakuza association, similar to a "godfather". The Chairman is arbiter for the families in a yakuza association, ultimately deciding what is best for the group. It's a position of considerable power but also considerable responsibility. When directly referring to a chairman, it's typical to refer to them by their number of succession. In the case of Masaru Sera, he's typically addressed as "san-daime", literally "the third", since he's the Third Chairman of the Tojo Clan.

"Chinpira"

While this isn't really used much in subtitle or brought up because of localization, I figured it important to mention this term, which refers to both low-level members of the yakuza as well as typical street punks. "Chinpira" are basically considered as well below the executive level of the yakuza. They either dress in track pants and sweats or flashy clothes. Kiryu is notable in that regardless of his place in the series, he routinely dresses as a "chinpira" with the somewhat flashy suit. Furthermore, Kiryu's Brawler Style is referred to in the original Japanese as Chinpira Style, and is a reference to his status when he had only this style in _Yakuza 0_.

Expulsion vs. Exile/Banishment

Early in the game, Kiryu receives a notice that he's been "expelled" from the Tojo Clan. This is known as "hamonjo" and is meant to state that the recipient is no longer tied to the organization and is now for all intents a civilian. The thing about hamonjo is that is possible to reverse it. Kiryu expected to be completely banished from the life, what's known as "zetsuenjo", an irreversible expulsion that would mean that even associating with members of the yakuza would result in severe hostilities. Kiryu also receives hamonjo in Yakuza 0, which is why he's able to return following the game's events.

Family

In the case of the yakuza, a family ("-kai", or "-gumi") is quite simply an organization with a patriarch at its head. The family could be focused around one specific business, or could have whole neighborhoods in their racket. The family could be small and of low influence, or it could stretch back towards the beginning of the organization and have great power. More prominent families, like the Kazama Family, the Dojima Family, or the Shimano Family, have a seat at Tojo HQ where they convene with the chairman to discuss policy and tactics. Smaller families can sometimes go about their business without any great amount of notice, as long as they know their place and don't make waves.

"Gokudo"

Literally meaning "the ultimate path", but also commonly meaning just "gangsters", members of the yakuza will typically refer to themselves as this. Commonly, when the subtitles say "yakuza", you'll instead hear "gokudo". When the characters say this word, they typically mean that their perspective of their organization is favorable or honorable.

Honorifics

Honorifics exist on a much greater hierarchy in polite Japanese society than Western society's "Mister" or "Mrs." Almost everyone is addressed with some sort of honorific attached to their name. Furthermore, in the case of this game series at least, men tend to be referred to by their family name (Kiryu, Majima, Kazama), whereas women tend to be referred to by their given name (Yumi, Reina, Haruka). If someone refers to a character without an honorific, they're either very close with that character or being very rude on purpose. Here's a list of common honorifics you'll find in this game, although plenty more exist:

• "-chan" — An honorific typically used as a diminutive. Most often you'll find this used by adults when addressing children. One might think it could mean "My dear" or "Little". As children get older, boys usually are addressed as "-kun", but girls tend to hold onto being addressed as "-chan" into their adulthood. In this game, Kiryu addresses Haruka as "Haruka-chan" in reference to her being a little girl and under his protection. In Pocket Circuit, PCF refers to everyone involved by their first name and an honorific, addressing women of any age as "-chan" due to his desire for the sport to operate without age as a factor. On the other hand, when Majima refers to Kiryu as "Kiryu-chan", he's intending to be rude, belittling, and his own wacky self. No one in their right mind would ever refer to Kiryu as "-chan" if they wanted to keep their teeth.
• "-han" — Only used a very small amount in this ga