Banzai

Origin of: Banzai

Banzai

Somewhat infamous Japanese battle cry used during WWII by suicidal Japanese soldiers. In fact it literally means ‘10,000 years’ and was a cry used by the Japanese populace to wish their emperor a long life. Banzai has been in use in this sense since the late 19th century. Rather ironically for suicidal Japanese soldiers, it is the Japanese equivalent of long live.