What does "yakuza" mean?
The word ヤクザ (yakuza) is usually explained as coming from the traditional card game oicho-kabu, where the combination 8 (ya), 9 (ku) and 3 (za) adds up to 20, scoring zero, the worst possible hand. It came to mean someone "useless" to society, and the groups later adopted the name with a certain pride. In official Japanese usage, police and media call these organisations 暴力団 (bōryokudan, "violence groups"), while the groups describe themselves as 任侠団体 (ninkyō dantai, "chivalrous organisations"). This glossary explains the terms you meet in Japanese films, anime, games like the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series, manga and news, with the kanji, romaji and a plain-English meaning.
Where the yakuza came from
Historians usually trace the yakuza to two Edo-period groups: bakuto, itinerant gamblers, and tekiya, peddlers who ran stalls at festivals and markets. Both developed strict hierarchies and codes of loyalty. After the Second World War, large syndicates grew rapidly; the Yamaguchi-gumi, founded in Kobe in 1915, became the largest. Membership has fallen sharply since the 1990s because of tougher laws.
The hierarchy: oyabun and kobun
Yakuza groups are modelled on a family. The central relationship is oyabun–kobun, literally "parent role" and "child role". A new member becomes a kobun by drinking from a shared sake cup in the sakazuki ceremony, promising absolute loyalty. Above the ordinary members (wakashu) are the boss's sworn "younger brothers" (shatei), the wakagashira or second-in-command, advisers such as the saikō-komon, and at the top the kumichō or kaichō. Large syndicates are pyramids of affiliated sub-groups, each with its own boss who is in turn a kobun of the boss above.
Rituals and symbols
Irezumi, traditional full-body tattoos often done by hand (tebori), became strongly associated with the yakuza, which is why many Japanese onsen and gyms have restricted tattooed visitors, although attitudes are slowly changing for tourists. Yubitsume, cutting off the top joint of a little finger as an apology, is well known from films but has become rare. Discipline ends in hamon (expulsion that can be reversed) or zetsuen (permanent). Each group has a crest called a daimon.
Laws and the modern decline
The 1992 Anti-Boryokudan Act (Bōtaihō) allowed police to designate groups and ban activities such as demanding mikajime-ryō (protection money). Between 2004 and 2011 every prefecture passed exclusion ordinances that make it an offence for ordinary businesses to pay or deal with gangs, and contracts in Japan now commonly include a clause excluding hanshakai ("anti-social forces"). According to National Police Agency figures, total membership has fallen from more than 80,000 in the early 2000s to around 20,000 in recent years. Meanwhile looser groups called hangure operate outside the traditional structure.
Using these words correctly
Most of these terms are everyday Japanese words with a specific meaning in this context: kumi also means "class" or "team", giri is used for ordinary social obligations, and jingi appears in old films as a formal greeting. This page is for language learning, culture and fiction; it does not glorify crime.
Yakuza in films, games and anime
Japanese cinema has a long tradition of yakuza stories. The 1960s ninkyō eiga (chivalry films) starring actors such as Ken Takakura showed honourable gangsters bound by giri and ninjō (duty and human feeling). In 1973 Kinji Fukasaku's Battles Without Honor and Humanity launched the grittier jitsuroku ("true record") style. Later, Takeshi Kitano's Sonatine and Outrage brought a cool, violent minimalism. Today many international fans learn these words through SEGA's Yakuza / Like a Dragon games set in the fictional Kamurocho district, and through anime and manga where words like aniki (big brother), kashira (head) and oyaji (old man/boss) are common.
Everyday slang you will hear
- Aniki (兄貴): "big brother", used for a senior member or respected friend.
- Oyaji (親父): "old man"; can mean father or boss.
- Kashira (頭): short for wakagashira.
- Kumi-in (組員): a registered member of a group.
- Katagi (堅気): an ordinary law-abiding citizen, as opposed to someone in the underworld.
Note that katagi is important in the traditional code: harming ordinary citizens was described as a violation of ninkyō, even though in reality yakuza crimes have affected many civilians.
How to read the kanji
Several terms share kanji, which makes them easier to learn. 組 (kumi, group) appears in 組長 (kumichō, group head) and 組員 (kumi-in, member). 舎弟 (shatei) appears in 舎弟頭 (shateigashira). 頭 (head) is read gashira or kashira in 若頭 and 舎弟頭. 親 (parent) and 子 (child) form 親分 and 子分. Learning these building blocks helps you guess new words in subtitles and manga.
For Japanese history, films and culture stories, visit Yakuza Gang.
Frequently asked questions
What does yakuza mean?
It traditionally refers to the losing card hand 8-9-3 (ya-ku-za) and came to mean someone useless to society; it now refers to Japanese organised-crime members.
What is an oyabun?
The boss or "parent" figure in the oyabun–kobun relationship; followers are kobun ("children").
What is a wakagashira?
The second-in-command of a yakuza group, who oversees the affiliated sub-groups.
Why do yakuza cut off fingers?
Yubitsume is a historic apology ritual; it has become rare in modern times.
What is the biggest yakuza group?
The Yamaguchi-gumi, founded in Kobe in 1915, has long been the largest.
What is a shatei?
A sworn "younger brother" of the boss, ranked below him but above ordinary members.
What does katagi mean?
An ordinary law-abiding person outside the underworld.