Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Japanese ·1960s
Ninja
from ninja
- Meaning
- A covert agent of feudal Japan; figuratively, an expert.
- Source word
- ninja
- Route into English
- Japanese *ninja* (person of stealth) → English via 1960s James Bond-era fascination and 1980s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Historical ninja were espionage specialists, not the black-clad assassins of pop culture.
- Arrived
- 1960s
From Japanese
Two waves — Meiji-era diplomatic contact (1850s–1900s) and post-war US military presence (1945–) account for almost all Japanese loans in general English.
English borrows.
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