The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) updated its repository with the addition of 23 Japanese words, including the popular anime genre "isekai."
Other words such as "karaage," "donburi," "katsu", and more are featured in the new OED update.
'Isekai' Debuts in English Dictionary
According to the OED's description, "isekai" is a "Japanese genre of science or fantasy fiction featuring a protagonist who is transported to or reincarnated in a different, strange, or unfamiliar world." Most fans familiar with the genre will quickly associate the world with a story where a character finds himself in a different world.
The OED also detailed that Haruka Takachiho's novel "Isekai no Yushi" or "The Warrior from the Other World" is one of the earliest examples of the genre. Later on, the term "isekai" became regularly used to name a genre both in Japanese and English.
Other Japanese words in the context of art and media also made it into the list such as "kirigami" which is the Japanese are for folding and cutting papers and "shibori" for manual resist-dyeing methods. "Tokusatsu" is another entertainment genre that is usually used when there are special effects like giant monsters or robots.
OED Welcomes Japanese Words for Cooking, Food
The majority of the words that made it into the OED refer to food and cooking. This includes "hibachi" which is used to describe a hot steel plate.
Meanwhile, famous Japanese foods such as "tonkotsu", "donburi," "katsu", "okonomiyaki," "karaage", "onigiri," and "yakiniku" also made the list.
Currently, the OED has already acknowledged more than 500 loanwords from different languages.
"The editorial work on this batch of new Japanese words was carried out by OED editors in collaboration with research partners from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS)," the OED wrote. Other professors such as Professor Yukio Tono and Dr. Ariane Borlongan reviewed this batch of loanwords.
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