“Before words became words,
the core trembled in silence.
When memory and emotion converged,
language first touched the world.”
Some lexemes were born from story.
Others still wait to be remembered.
This dictionary does not claim to hold every answer.
But it holds something rarer:
a space where meaning can breathe.
If you’ve ever paused at a manga panel,
wondering why a word felt heavier than its definition—
this book was made for you.
* To open the dictionary, please click the dictionay.
This dictionary is online, but uses a paper-based table format, allowing you to instantly see any closely related spellings. Manga is full of unique expressions, such as onomatopoeia, dialects, slang, and imperfect mumblings, that create a sense of realism, and the spelling varies from artist to artist. Since it's not subject to the space constraints of paper media, we've devised a way to fit similar expressions within a page. It contains approximately 10,000 words and phrases. この辞書はオンラインですが紙媒体の表形式を採用しています。酷似表記を即座に目視できるように。漫画には、オノマトペ、方言、俗語、不完全なつぶやきなど臨場感に溢れる漫画家独自の表現が多く見られ、その綴りは漫画家十色。一方、紙媒体の紙面制約を受けないので、近い表現をページ内に収める工夫をしました。約一万語句を収録。
Sample entries from this book.
Kazuha Toyama 「遠山和葉」 PROFILE: Daughter of the Osaka Police Chief and childhood friend of Heiji Hattori, from [Detective Conan]. A spirited, caring, yet stubborn "Naniwa (Osaka) schoolgirl" who becomes endearingly clumsy whenever Heiji is involved. She idealizes human relationships based on loyalty and compassion「義理人情(ぎりにんじょう)」.
SPEECH STYLE:Naniwa-ben (Osaka Dialect). Kazuha speaks Naniwa-ben - a thick Kansai dialect, characterized by stronger vowel sounds and a rhythmic flow compared to Standard Japanese. She frequently uses endings like 「~やya 」(is/am),「 ~ねんnen」 (emphasizer), and 「~かてkate」 (but/even). For her, this dialect is more than just a regional accent; it's a symbol of her shared identity with Heiji.
TRANSLATION PITFALLS: Literal vs. Nuanced vs. Japanese. Reading her literally can lead to a misunderstanding of her character:
1. 「せやかて、平次」Seyakate, Heiji. ( A mix of impatience, familiarity, and a hint of rivalry toward Heiji’s best friend. It’s "meddling" born out of affection.)
LT: "But, Heiji." (It sounds merely an argumentative or logical boy.)
FT: "Oh, come on, Heiji!" (Close, but it's not Kazuha yet.)
2. 「アホ! 何(なん) いゆてんねん」Aho! Nan iuten-nen! (In Osaka, Aho (idiot) is often a term of endearment. This phrase captures her bashfulness and her inability to be honest about her feelings.)
LT: "Idiot! What are you saying?" (She sounds aggressive or insulting.)
FT: "Stop it! You’re being ridiculous!"
Notes: The Japanese used in manga changes like a living thing, imbuing it with the soul of the characters and reaching directly into the reader's heart.. Kazuha's Osaka dialect reveals(forms) her character: Gentle, high school girl, expressive of emotions, her feelings for Heiji, girlish shyness, but strong at heart. ⇨コナン。
The single character "「わ」wa" in Kazuha's "「ほんまやわ」Honma ya wa" (That's true) embodies both "complete trust in the other person" and "everyday ease." Because this is an "expression of emotion close to a sigh," it's a big challenge to convey using English grammatical structures (subject + verb...); it isn't a matter of the length of the explanatory text.
Soregashi 「某」 This first-person pronoun has a very strong "「武士(ぶし)の香(かお)り」samurai feel" that defines the personality of the samurai character. ⇨ せっしゃ。 The difference from 「拙者(せっしゃ)」: While 「せっしゃ」 is often used by somewhat comical ronin or ninjas, 「それがし」 tends to be used by "位(くらい)の高(たか)い武士(ぶし)」 high-ranking samurai" or "「実力(じつりょく)のある硬派(こうは)な剣客(けんきゃく)」 straightforward, skilled swordsmen." The sound of the word carries weight and expresses a serious personality that values discipline.
Notes: The aesthetics of "「謙虚(けんきょ)さ」humility": originally, the act of obscuring one's own name by saying "「それがし」soregashi" (so-and-so) implies a humble nuance, deliberately placing oneself as "nobody." It evokes the spirit of the good old samurai, who did not boast about their achievements. That single phrase can convey to the reader that the character is either a servant of a lord or a practitioner striving to master a particular path.