Meanings
plural yokozunas
- governmentThe highest rank of sumo wrestler, above ozeki; grand champion.
A yokozuna is the very highest rank in sumo – “just like Mameha's position in Gion,” as Nobu explained it to me. I had no reason to doubt him; but if Mameha ever took half as much time entering a party as these yokozuna took entering the ring, she'd certainly never be invited back.
1997, Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha, Vintage, page 202 - governmentA person holding the rank, either competing at the rank or retired after having achieved it.
What mattered most was that, from the very top of the Nihon Sumo Kyōkai, Yokozuna Akebono had been shown respect.
2006, Mark Panek, Gaijin Yokozuna: A Biography of Chad Rowan, page 265
Origin
From Japanese 横綱(よこづな) (yokozuna, “wide rope”), the symbol of their rank worn about the waist.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 橫綱 /横纲
- 橫綱 /横纲 (hénggāng)Translations
Japanese 横綱
- 横綱 (yokozuna)Translations
Russian ёкодзу́на
- ёкодзу́на (jokodzúna)Translations
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with yokozuna
All rhymes →Cite this entry
yokozuna. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yokozuna
“yokozuna.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yokozuna. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yokozuna,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yokozuna.
Source: yokozuna on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.