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Where does the word "ninja" come from? It comes from Japanese ninja, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).
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Where does the word "ninja" come from? It comes from Japanese ninja, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).
Ninja’s story begins in Japanese: ninja meant “one who endures/hides; a covert agent.” Trained agents from the Iga and Koga regions skilled in stealth. It reached English by 1960s as ninja. Popularized internationally through films and television. Today, ninja means historically, a covert agent in feudal Japan; informally, someone highly skilled or stealthy.
- Stage 1 · Japanese · c. 1400s-1600s ninja "one who endures/hides; a covert agent", trained agents from the Iga and Koga regions skilled in stealth.
- Stage 2 · English · 1960s ninja "a feudal Japanese covert agent", popularized internationally through films and television.