デスノート
Desu Nōto
The English phrase "death note" is translated into Japanese as デスノート (Desu Nōto).
デスノート refers to the title of a Japanese manga and anime series about a notebook that kills people whose names are written in it.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a transliteration of the English words "Death" and "Note" into Katakana.
How do you pronounce it?
Desu Nōto
Did you know?
- The character 'death' in Japanese is often associated with the word 死 (shi), a sound that is also the word for the number '4', which is considered highly unlucky.
- In Japanese, the phonetic transcription of 'Death' as デス (Desu) can be easily confused with the common Japanese verb です (desu), which means 'to be'.
- Because デスノート is written in Katakana, it signals to Japanese readers that the phrase is a foreign loanword rather than a natural Japanese expression.
Examples in context
- あのさ、デスノートって面白いよね！You know, Death Note is really interesting, isn't it!
- あのさ、デスノートを見たことある？You know, have you ever seen Death Note?
- デスノートは面白い漫画です。Desunōto wa omoshiroi manga desu.Death Note is an interesting manga.
- 最近、デスノートのアニメを見ました。Saikin, Desunōto no anime o mimashita.I watched the Death Note anime recently.
- デスノートの物語はとても暗いですね。Desunōto no monogatari wa totemo kurai desu ne.The story of Death Note is very dark, isn't it?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their favorite anime in a cafe.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔くん、デスノートって知ってる？Hiroto-kun, Desunōto tte shitteru?Hiroto, do you know Death Note?
- 大翔 Hirotoもちろん、大好きだよ。Mochiron, daisuki da yo.Of course, I love it.
- 陽葵 Himari私も、あの作品のファンなの。Watashi mo, ano sakuhin no fan na no.I'm a fan of that work, too.
- 大翔 Hiroto陽葵さんも好きなんだね！Himari-san mo suki nan da ne!So you like it too, Himari!
