yakuza

ya·ku·za

(yä′ko͝o-zä′)

n. pl. yakuza

1. A loose alliance of Japanese criminal organizations and illegal enterprises.

2. A Japanese gangster.

[Japanese yakuza, card hand consisting of eight, nine, and three (the worst possible hand in a traditional Japanese card game in which a player's final score is the last digit of the sum of the values of the player's hand), good-for-nothing, yakuza : ya, eight (from Old Japanese) + ku, nine (from Early Middle Chinese kuw' (also the source of Mandarin jiǔ, nine), ultimately from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *d-ku; akin to Tibetan dgu) + za, alteration of san, three (from Middle Chinese sam; also the source of Mandarin sān; see sampan).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

yakuza

(jəˈkuːzə)

n, pl -kuza

1. (Law) the yakuza a Japanese criminal organization involved in illegal gambling, extortion, gun-running, etc

2. (Law) a member of this organization

[C20: from Japanese ya eight + ku nine + za three, the worst hand in a game of cards]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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Noun	1.	yakuza - a Japanese gangster Nihon, Nippon, Japan - a constitutional monarchy occupying the Japanese Archipelago; a world leader in electronics and automobile manufacture and ship building gangster, mobster - a criminal who is a member of gang
	2.	yakuza - organized crime in Japan; an alliance of criminal organizations and illegal enterprises gangdom, gangland, organized crime - underworld organizations Nihon, Nippon, Japan - a constitutional monarchy occupying the Japanese Archipelago; a world leader in electronics and automobile manufacture and ship building

Translations

yakuza

якудза

Yakuza

[jəˈkuːzə] N the Yakuza → los yakuzas

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Yakuza

pl → Yakuza pl, Mitglieder einer geheimen japanischen Verbrecherorganisation

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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References in periodicals archive ?

So far, the Anti-Boryokudan Law's primary effect has been to organize the public consciousness against the Yakuza. (216) Politicians must take advantage of this favorable environment and provide prosecutors with the tools necessary to pursue criminal organizations in large-scale, efficient prosecutions with stiff penalties for perpetrators.

Criminalizing Yakuza membership: a comparative study of the anti-boryokudan law

Japan's biggest organized crime syndicate has launched its own website, complete with corporate song and a strong anti-drugs message, as the yakuza looks to turn around its outdated image and falling membership, Focus reported.

Japanese mobsters launch own website

In late September the FSA ordered Mizuho Bank to improve operations after it was found to have taken "no substantial steps" to sever the Yakuza links two years after they were discovered.

Yakuza-linked Mizuho bank ordered to suspend loan business

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (NYSE: SMFG) and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ have also admitted to making direct loans to anti-social groups or 'yakuza' in their April-September earnings last week.

-Two more Japanese banks admit to lending to yakuza

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has decided to reappoint Makoto Taki as justice minister, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Wednesday, following the resignation of Keishu Tanaka over his past connections with a yakuza organized crime syndicate.

Taki reappointed as justice minister after scandals

Japan Tattooed mob helped provide tsunami relief JAPAN'S criminal underworld, the Yakuza, goes back 400 years and supposedly originated from Robin Hoodlike characters who defended villages against roving bandits.

Gangs thrived in Hong Kong; Secret societies are worth billions

According to the report on October 12, Tanaka admitted to having acted as a matchmaker for a senior member of a major yakuza gang in Yokohama about 30 years ago and attended a party hosted by its leader.

Japan's Justice Minister to resign after admitting links to organized crime

Similar to international corporate expansion, members of organized crime in Japan, also called yakuza, have proven to be "innovative entrepreneurs," increasing their profits by extending their reach.

Global vice: the expanding territory of the yakuza: an interview with Jake Adelstein

From the Seattle Art Museum to Kyoto art conservation, their inquiries drive them into close corners with the Yakuza, Japan's most notorious gang.

Renn, Diana. Tokyo Heist

This pleasure district was once a place where yakuza could relax and enjoy the simple pleasure of clobbering each other in the streets.