yakuza

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

Yakuza’s story begins in Japanese: ya-ku-za meant “a losing hand; by extension, a good-for-nothing.” Named after 8-9-3, the worst possible hand in a card game, symbolizing worthlessness. It reached English by 1950s-1960s as yakuza. Picked up by English-language journalism covering Japanese organized crime. Today, yakuza means a member of Japan's traditional organized-crime syndicates.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · 1800s ya-ku-za "a losing hand; by extension, a good-for-nothing", named after 8-9-3, the worst possible hand in a card game, symbolizing worthlessness.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1950s-1960s yakuza "a member of a Japanese organized-crime syndicate", picked up by English-language journalism covering Japanese organized crime.