yakuza

American  

[yah-koo-zah] / ˈjɑ kʊˌzɑ /

noun

• yakuza
  plural

1. any of various tightly knit Japanese criminal organizations having a ritualistic, strict code of honor.

2. such organizations collectively.

3. a member of such an organization; gangster.

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yakuza British  

/ jəˈkuːzə /

noun

1. a Japanese criminal organization involved in illegal gambling, extortion, gun-running, etc

2. a member of this organization

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• yakuza
  plural

Etymology

Origin of yakuza

1960–65; < Japanese: racketeer, gambler, good-for-nothing, useless, from the name of a game in which the worst hand is of three cards marked ya eight, ku nine (< Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese jiǒu ), and -za three (combining form of sa ( n ) < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese sān )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yakuza

Kikuo is more gifted but in this nepotistic art form, being part of a respected kabuki lineage is crucial, something this yakuza scion doesn’t possess.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

It tells the dark fantasy story of orphaned teenager Denji, who is killed by the yakuza but reborn by merging with his pet devil to become Chainsaw Man.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025

The number of arrested yakuza members in 2023 declined to 9,610, compared to 22,495 in 2014, according to the police.

From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024

"Itami was a very tongue-in-cheek filmmaker and he did a movie about the yakuza," Wu said.

From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2024

The yakuza imagery was most recently reinforced in the 2013 Hollywood movie The Wolverine, where Hugh Jackman took the origin story of his most popular film persona to the streets of Japan, she added.

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2023