“Isekai” is now in the Oxford Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary (also known as OED) updates its repository four times a year. Like DLC for games, these quarterly patches can introduce new words, features, and definition changes. Well, the first quarter of 2024 is just around the corner and the OED has just updated its linguistic repository, adding 23 Japanese words, including the popular anime and manga genre “isekai.”

As discovered by The guardThe OED’s latest update includes Japanese words from art, cuisine, and elsewhere. The Japanese fried appetizer “Karaage

“ what I love made the list, as did “Kintsugi“, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with varnish that highlights the flaws. And also in the mix is ​​“isekaiThe OED defines it as “a Japanese science or fantasy genre with a protagonist who is transported to or reincarnated into ano ther, strange or unknown world.” Also: an anime, manga, video game, etc. in this genre.” Think You to anime and manga Sword art online (is often referred to as the harbinger of “Isekai”. though not technically one from a purist point of view) or the animated film The Super Mario Bros. movie (which can also be considered “isekai”.) and you get an overview. When a character awakens in another world, the OED basically says you can call it “Isekai.”

Although there are two subspecies of the genre – standard “Isekai” or “another world“ and “isekaitensei” or “Reincarnation into another world“– in English, “isekai” is by far the most widely used term. In certain nerd spaces, especially those revolving around anime and manga, “Isekai” is generally understood to be any story in which a character finds themselves in a world that is not their own. It seems to be an increasingly popular story format across media, which is why anime, games, and television are often described as “Isekai.”

We love expanding our vocabulary and learning something new, and we can all be happy that “isekai” and numerous other Japanese words have now been included in the OED. I mean, this is the Oxford Dictionary, the preeminent collection of the English language for over a century. Weebs, if that’s not the bottom line “we did it” then I really don’t know what is.

You can see the full list of new Japanese words added to the OED below:

Oxford Dictionary March 2024 Japanese Word Update

• donburi, n.
• Hibachi, n.
• isekai, n.
• kagome, n.
• Karaage, n.
• katsu, n.
• Katsu curry, n.
• kintsugi, n.
• Kirigami, n.
• Mangaka, n.
• okonomiyaki, n.
• omotenashi, n.
• onigiri, n.
• Santoku, n.
• Shibori, n.
• Takoyaki, n.
• tokusatsu, n.
• tonkatsu, n.
• Tonkatsu sauce, n.
• tonkotsu, n./1
• tonkotsu, n./2
• Washi tape, n.