やくざ
やくざ
noun
gangster; yakuza; hoodlum
1.
yakuza; gangster; member of organized crime
A member of a Japanese organized crime syndicate, or the organized crime world itself. Historically rooted in Edo-period gambling rings and street vendor networks, yakuza groups have a hierarchical structure modeled on family relationships.
あの男はやくざだ。
That man is a yakuza.
やくざの組織は全国に広がっている。
Yakuza organizations are spread across the entire country.
警察はやくざの取り締まりを強化している。
The police are strengthening their crackdown on yakuza.
2.
good-for-nothing; worthless person
By extension, describes someone who is useless, unproductive, or who leads a disreputable life. This sense is the older meaning, derived from a losing hand in a card game.
やくざな生活をしている。
He's living a worthless life.
やくざな商売に手を出すな。
Don't get involved in shady business.
いくら働いても金が貯まらないやくざな暮らしだ。
No matter how much I work, I can't save any money — it's a dead-end life.
The word originates from a losing hand in the card game 花札 or 株: the sequence 8-9-3 (ya-ku-za) totals 20, which counts as zero — a worthless hand. This 'worthless' meaning was applied to people on the margins of society, and eventually to the organized crime groups they formed.
USAGE:
- As a noun, refers to a yakuza member or the organization itself
- As a pre-noun modifier (やくざな), means 'disreputable' or 'good-for-nothing'
- In modern usage, the crime-organization sense dominates
- Often used with の to modify nouns: やくざの世界 ('the yakuza world')
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- やくざの組: yakuza group; crime family
- やくざの親分: yakuza boss
- やくざ映画: yakuza film; gangster movie
- やくざ稼業: the yakuza trade
- やくざな生活: a dissolute life
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 暴力団: violent crime group — the official/legal term used by police and media, more formal than やくざ
- 極道: the way of extremes — a romanticized term yakuza members sometimes use to describe their lifestyle
- チンピラ: petty thug; punk — a low-ranking hoodlum, often used for young street toughs who may or may not be affiliated with a yakuza group