kamikazeとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

Borrowed from Japanese 神風(かみ​かぜ) (kami​kaze, “divine wind”), from 神(かみ​) (kami​, “divine”) + 風(かぜ) (kaze, “wind”); which originally referred to the typhoon that destroyed the Mongol navy attacking Japan in 1281.

発音

• enPR: kä′mĭ-kä′zē
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˌkɑː.mɪˈkɑː.ziː/
• (General American, Canada) IPA: /ˌkɑ.mɪˈkɑ.zi/

  (Canada) IPA: /ˌkɒ.mɪˈkɒ.zi/
• (General Australian) IPA: /ˌkɐː.mɪˈkɐː.ziː/
• (New Zealand) IPA: /ˌkɐː.məˈkɐː.ziː/
• (Scotland) IPA: /ˌka.mɪˈka.zi/
• (India) IPA: /ˌkaː.mɪˈkaː.ziː/

• 韻: -ɑːziː
• ハイフネーション: ka‧mi‧ka‧ze

名詞

kamikaze (countable and uncountable, plural kamikazes)

1. An attack requiring the suicide of the one carrying it out, especially when done with an aircraft.
2. (countable) One who carries out a suicide attack, especially with an aircraft.
3. (countable) A vehicle used for a suicide attack, especially an aircraft.
   • 2020 February 12, Drachinifel, 8:16 from the start, in The Mark 14 Torpedo - Failure is Like Onions‎, archived from the original on 24 November 2022:

     Coupled with this were issues involving actually getting enough torpedoes out there to the fleet in the first place! Whilst they were a munition, a torpedo is far more complex and took far longer to build than a shell for a naval gun, even a battleship shell. Torpedoes, remember, are effectively small self-guiding kamikaze submarines, and, so, unless you have a large factory and an extensive production line going, you're only gonna see handfuls produced each year.

   • 2022 October 17, Ivana Kottasová, “‘Kamikaze’ drones are the latest threat for Ukraine. Here’s what we know”, in CNN‎:

     The Ukrainians themselves have been using kamikaze drones to strike against Russian targets – and asked their allies to supply them with more of these deadly weapons.

4. (colloquial, countable) One who takes excessive risks, as for example in a sporting event.
5. (countable) A cocktail made of equal parts vodka, triple sec and lime juice.
   • 2000 May 7, Julia Chaplin, “Buzz Off: Secret Bars That Spurn Hype”, in The New York Times‎, archived from the original on 26 May 2025:

     Only top-shelf liquor is served, though Sasha refuses to serve drinks he deems fratlike. These include woo woos, kamikazes and shots of any kind.

6. (countable, surfing) A deliberate wipeout.

派生語

• kamikaze drone
• kamikaze shoplifting

参考

• hara-kiri
• hero
• juramentado
• martyr
• seppuku
• shaheed
• suicide
• suicide bomber

動詞

kamikaze (third-person singular simple present kamikazes, present participle kamikazeing, simple past and past participle kamikazed)

1. (transitive) To destroy (a ship, etc.) in a suicide attack, especially by crashing an aircraft.
2. (intransitive) To carry out a suicide attack, especially by crashing an aircraft.
3. (intransitive, slang) To fail disastrously.

形容詞

kamikaze (not comparable)

1. Suicidal, risking one's own life.
   • 2018 February, Robert Draper, “They are Watching You—and Everything Else on the Planet: Technology and Our Increasing Demand for Security have Put Us All under Surveillance. Is Privacy Becoming just a Memory?”, in National Geographic‎, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 June 2018:

     Sheathed in helmets, gloves, and jackets, they look more like manic video game figures than humans. They weave through traffic and around double-decker buses at kamikaze velocity.

2. Having or showing reckless disregard for safety or personal welfare.

参照

Further reading

• “kamikaze”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Discussion of this term on Languagehat, a language blog