Ninja fans will already know the answer to this one, but for those not already in the know:
The word “ninja” comes from a Japanese word which is written using Kanji, or characters, borrowed from the Chinese. The Chinese pronunciation of the characters is “nin sha” – or “ninja” in the Western derivation.
The Chinese pronunciation is sometimes also used in Japan, but the native Japanese pronunciation of the characters is “shinobi.”
TL;DR: A Shinobi is a Ninja.
The different pronunciations enable me to offer the entertaining explanation that shinobi is “the Japanese word for ninja.” (Think about it for a minute. You’ll get the joke.)
Did you know that Shinobi and Ninja meant the same thing? Do you have a favorite foreign word or unique translation you enjoy? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Learn something new everyday :) . I did not know the two were actual synonyms.
wait a minute… they are not synonyms… just the same word pronounced differently depending on the language… Faaaaaancy!
Exactly! Even better than synonyms!