Meanings
nounyakuza (plural yakuza or yakuzas)
plural yakuzas
- A Japanese organized crime gang.
Japan’s largest yakuza crime syndicate has pledged to end its longstanding war with a rival faction and refrain from causing “trouble,” authorities said, as the mafia-like groups contend with falling membership and increased police crackdowns.
2025 April 11, Junko Ogura, Helen Regan, “Japan’s biggest Yakuza crime group pledges to end decade-long gang war”, in CNN, archived from the original on 09 May 2025 - A member of that Japanese organized crime gang.
Origin
- Japaneseやくざ
- Englishyakuza
Borrowed from Japanese やくざ (yakuza). See there for more details.
More words from Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic يَاكُوزَا, يَاكُوزَا
- يَاكُوزَا (yakūzā)Japanese organized crime gang
- يَاكُوزَا (yakūzā)member of a Japanese organized crime gang
Chinese Mandarin 極道 /极道, 日本黑道
- 極道 /极道 (jídào)Japanese organized crime gang
- 日本黑道 (Rìběn hēidào)Japanese organized crime gang
- 極道 /极道 (jídào)member of a Japanese organized crime gang
- 如龍 /如龙 (rúlóng)member of a Japanese organized crime gang
Finnish yakuza, yakuza
- yakuzaJapanese organized crime gang
- yakuzamember of a Japanese organized crime gang
Japanese やくざ, ヤクザ
- やくざ (yakuza)Japanese organized crime gang
- ヤクザ (yakuza)Japanese organized crime gang
- 極道 (gokudō)Japanese organized crime gang
- やくざ (yakuza)member of a Japanese organized crime gang
- ヤクザ (yakuza)member of a Japanese organized crime gang
Korean 야쿠자, 야쿠자
- 야쿠자 (yakuja)Japanese organized crime gang
- 야쿠자 (yakuja)member of a Japanese organized crime gang
Malay yakuza, yakuza
- yakuzaJapanese organized crime gang
- yakuzamember of a Japanese organized crime gang
Polish yakuza, jakuza
- yakuzaJapanese organized crime gang
- jakuzaJapanese organized crime gang
- yakuzamember of a Japanese organized crime gang
- jakuzamember of a Japanese organized crime gang
Russian яку́дза, яку́дза
- яку́дза (jakúdza)Japanese organized crime gang
- яку́дза (jakúdza)member of a Japanese organized crime gang
Spanish yakuza, yakuzas
- yakuzaJapanese organized crime gang
- yakuzasJapanese organized crime gang
Cite this entry
APA
yakuza. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yakuza
MLA
“yakuza.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yakuza. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yakuza,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yakuza.
Source: yakuza on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.