What does “Kaizoku (海賊)” mean in Japanese?

What does “Kaizoku (海賊)” mean in Japanese?

Meaning: Pirates

Romaji: Kaizoku

Hiragana: かいぞく

Katakana: カイゾク

Kanji: 海賊

The kanji for 海賊 means thief(賊) at sea(海). In Japanese, the bootleg is called Kaizokuban(海賊版). Kaizokuban is derived from the meaning of pirate or plunderer and has the meaning of copyright infringer or patent infringer.

・Kaizokuban no DVD wa nihonn niwa hotonndo urareteinai。
海賊版のDVDは日本にはほとんど売られていない。
Bootleg DVDs are rarely sold in Japan.

What does “Kaizoku ou ni ore wa naru ” mean in Japanese?

・Kaizokuban (海賊版)(海賊盤)

 Meaning: Bootleg

 Hiragana: かいぞくばん

・Sanzoku (山賊)

 Meaning: Bandit

 Hiragana: さんぞく

The kanji for 山賊 means thief(賊) at the mountain(山).

・Touzoku (盗賊)

 Meaning: Bandit

 Hiragana: とうぞく

Touzoku means someone who steals from someone.

・Gōtō (強盗)

 Meaning: Robbery

 Hiragana: ごうとう

・Shinnyuusha (侵入者)

 Meaning: Invader

 Hiragana: しんにゅうしゃ

・Pairetsu (パイレーツ)

 Meaning: Pirates

 Hiragana: ぱいれーつ

Pairetsu is written in katakana. “Pirates of the Caribbean” translates to “Pairetsu obu karibian” in Japanese.

About Takashi

I write THIS IS JAPAN to share practical, locally informed guides to Japanese travel, food, culture, anime, and everyday language from a Japanese perspective.

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