Wa-an dictionary

This Wa-an dictionary is a list of terms from the Wa language.

B

 * bakuto : a gambler; a yakuza gang specializing in gambling
 * burakumin : (syn, eta) village people; outcasts

C

 * chigaidama : staggered shelves typically found on the back walls of shoin

D

 * daimyo : the military governor of a province

E

 * eta : the lowest social class

G

 * gakusho : a scholarly priest
 * geisha : an entertainer and courtesan highly trained in the arts and social courtesy
 * genkan : a small alcove at the entrance to a home
 * giri : a sense of obligation
 * gurentai : members of a yakuza gang who act as enforcers

H

 * hirajiro : a castle in a plain
 * hirayamajiro : a castle on a hilltop

I

 * ishiotoshi : chutes built into castle walls for dropping stones on attackers

J

 * jodan : the highest room in a shoin

K

 * kobun : a son; the follower of a yakuza oyabun
 * koku : measurement: approximately, typically used for rice
 * kurumayose : the entrance to a mansion for carriages

M

 * mikoshi : a portable shrine carried on two poles
 * minka : a commoner's house

N

 * nagaya : a longhouse
 * ninjitsu : the art of the ninja
 * noren : curtains set in doorways

O

 * oyabun : a father; the leader of a yakuza gang

P

 * pagoda : a multi-storied tower

R

 * ronin : a masterless samurai

S

 * sake : a beverage made from fermented rice
 * sengoku-daimyo : an independent daimyo
 * shogun : the supreme military commander
 * shoin : a reception hall common in samurai homes, composed of a series of rooms, each raised slightly higher than the previous
 * soan : a grass cottage or tea house

T

 * tamon : long, narrow buildings built on top of castle walls
 * tekiya : a yakuza gang specializing in racketeering
 * tenshu : a castle tower
 * tenshu-kaku : the main tenshu of a castle
 * tokonoma : a narrow shelf at the back of a shoin
 * torii : a red archway to a shrine

Y

 * yamajiro : a castle on a mountain