Welcome everyone! These are Japanese words that begin with K that I learned from anime. They are listed in alphabetical order. These words are either entirely random or just personal favorites. They’re not necessarily commonly used or linguistically correct. Basically, don’t use this as a list of words to know if you’re seriously studying Japanese.

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1. Kawaii

Kawaii is used all over anime and it means cute, endearing, adorable, etc. I learned this word from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. Rena is a character who gets insanely excited over anything and anyone she considers cute. She usually grabs the person or thing and tries to run away with it. Rena’s catchphrase is, “Kawaii! I want to take you home!”

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2. Kibou

Kibou is the Japanese word for hope, and it can also be a person’s name. I learned this word from Danganronpa: The Animation. The major theme in that show is hope versus despair. Both words were mentioned so much that I unintentionally learned them. (Zetsubou is despair.) I love the way Kibou sounds and I like the idea of using it for a girl’s name.

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3. Kioku

To the left is the word Kioku written in Kanji. It means memory or memories. I must have learned this from an anime because I already knew it when it was introduced in my basic Japanese course. However, I don’t recall which specific anime taught me this word. I watched Steins;Gate, Angel Beats, and Mirai Nikki all around the same time in 2012, and all of them discuss memories. So mostly likely, that combo of shows is how I learned Kioku.

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4. Kurutta

Kuruteru is the form of the word I learned, but upon looking it up, I found that kurutta is the more correct or commonly used form of the word. It means insane. There are many different way to say someone’s crazy, like Yanderu (sick), Atama Okashii (not right in the head), or Kyouki (madness). I’ve only heard Kurutta or Kuruteru used in one anime. It was Mirai Nikki (The Future Diary). Yukiteru says Yuno has gone crazy, using the word Kuruteru.

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5. Kusari

This word, meaning chains, is one I learned very recently when watching Hunter x Hunter (2011) in early 2018. Of the four main boys, the one I admire most is Killua, but the one I most identify with, and thus my favorite, is Kurapika. Using the power of Nen, Kurapika conjures up chains attached to his fingers. The chains have many different uses and abilities. Kusabi is also a word for chains, but I rarely hear it said in anime.

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6. Kutabare

Warning: this word is extremely rude. I’m not sure of the exact definition, but for Kutabare, English subs usually say, “drop dead.” Occasionally, it’s used to say “go to hell” or “fuck you.” It probably means to die suddenly or to fall down and die. Using the form Kutabare means you’re ordering someone to do it. I learned this lovely word from Yuru Yuri. Yui is the mature character of the main four girls, and the one who has to deal with the annoying girl, Kyouko. Yui’s retorts can get snappy, and at times, she gets very angry with Kyouko. xD

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7. Kyoudai

Kyoudai means siblings, but it seems to be used mostly for brothers rather than for sisters. I first learned this word watching Blue Exorcists. Now you know why the cover image is from that anime. Rin and Yuki are fraternal twins and they are both exorcists of evil spirits and demons. Occasionally, people will call Rin and Yuki “ano kyoudai,” or “those brothers.” Incidentally, I recommend Blue Exorcists if you want a light-hearted shounen with some cool character designs and awesome music. Don’t expect much depth, though.

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Thank you for choosing Anime Rants on this fine Sunday! Be well, and stay awesome!

PATREON

(Images were found by searching the web, and I don’t own any of them)