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Yakuza

2 stages from Japanese to English.

Today it means a member of Japan's traditional organized-crime syndicates

Where does the word "yakuza" come from? It comes from Japanese ya-ku-za, adopted directly into English (1950s-1960s).

ya-ku-za→yakuza

Japanese · 1800s

"a losing hand; by extension, a good-for-nothing"

named after 8-9-3, the worst possible hand in a card game, symbolizing worthlessness

English · 1950s-1960s

"a member of a Japanese organized-crime syndicate"

picked up by English-language journalism covering Japanese organized crime

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