The Oxford English Dictionary (also known as the OED) updates its repository four times a year. Like DLC for a game, these quarterly patches can introduce new words, features, and definition changes. The first quarter of 2024 is approaching, and the OED recently updated its language repository, adding 23 Japanese words, including “isekai,” a popular anime and manga genre.
as discovered tutelar, the OED’s latest update includes Japanese words from art, cooking, and other fields. Japanese Tempura Appetizer “Karaage,” made the list.kintsugi,” a Japanese art that repairs broken ceramics with lacquer to highlight flaws. And in the mix there is “isekai” is defined by the OED as “a Japanese science fiction or fantasy novel in which the main character is transported or reincarnated in a different, strange, or unfamiliar world. There are also animations, comics, video games, etc. in this genre.” Think of animation or comics. Sword Art Online (He is often called the pioneer of ‘isekai’. still What is technically considered from a purist point of view) or animated films. super mario bros movie (Can also be seen as “isekai”) then you will get the general idea. Basically, when a character awakens in another world, the OED says it can be called an ‘isekai’.
There are two subtypes of the genre: standard ‘isekai’ or ”.another world” and “isekaitensei” or “reincarnation into another world”—In English, “isekai” is a much more widely used term. In certain nerd spaces, especially those centered around anime and manga, “isekai” is generally understood to mean any story in which characters find themselves in a world other than their own. It seems to be an increasingly popular story format across all types of media. Therefore, it is often described as “isekai” in anime, games, and TV.
We love expanding our vocabulary and learning new things, and we can all rejoice that “isekai” and numerous other Japanese words have now entered the OED. I mean, this is the Oxford Dictionary, which has been the preeminent repository of the English language for over a century. Weebs, if this isn’t the classic expression of “we did it,” I really don’t know what is.
Below you can find a full list of Japanese words newly added to the OED.
Oxford Dictionary Japanese Vocabulary Update March 2024
- donburi, n.
- hibachi, n.
- isekai, n.
- Kagome, n.
- Karaage, n.
- Katz, n.
- katsu curry, n.
- kintsugi, n.
- kirigami, n.
- Mangaka, N.
- okonomiyaki, n.
- omotenashi, n.
- onigiri, n.
- santoku, n.
- shibori, n.
- Takoyaki, n.
- tokusatsu, n.
- Tonkatsu, n.
- tonkatsu sauce, n.
- tonkotsu, n./1
- tonkotsu, n./2
- Washi tape, n.