ドラゴンスレイヤー
doragon sureiyā
The English phrase "dragon slayer" is translated into Japanese as ドラゴンスレイヤー (doragon sureiyā).
The term refers to a person or character who kills dragons, a concept common in fantasy settings. The transliterated form ドラゴンスレイヤー is used primarily in modern fantasy media, such as video games, anime and light novels.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ドラゴンスレイヤー is a transliteration of the English words "dragon" and "slayer" using the Katakana script.
Which one should you use?
While ドラゴンスレイヤー is a loanword from English, you can also use the native Japanese term 竜殺し (ryū-goroshi) to express the same meaning. The latter combines 竜 (dragon) and 殺し (killer or slayer).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ドラゴンスレイヤー is a loanword and is most appropriate when discussing modern media like games and anime.
How do you pronounce it?
doragon sureiyā
Did you know?
- The characters 竜 and 龍 both mean 'dragon', but 龍 is typically reserved for the divine, serpentine creatures of Eastern mythology.
- In Japanese pop culture, the 'Dragon Slayer' is famously the name of a massive, slab-like sword from the manga Berserk, which redefined how the weapon is visualized in Japanese media.
- The term 屠殺者 (tosatsusha) can be used for a 'slayer', but in everyday Japanese, it almost exclusively refers to a 'butcher' who slaughters livestock.
Examples in context
- 彼は伝説のドラゴンスレイヤーです。Kare wa densetsu no doragonsureiyā desu.He is a legendary dragon slayer.
- ゲームの主人公はドラゴンスレイヤーです。Gēmu no shujinkō wa doragonsureiyā desu.The game's protagonist is a dragon slayer.
- ドラゴンスレイヤーの剣を探しています。Doragonsureiyā no ken o sagashite imasu.I am looking for a dragon slayer's sword.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a fantasy RPG.
- 健太 Kentaこのゲームの職業は何がいいかな？Kono gēmu no shokugyō wa nani ga ii kana?What job should I pick in this game?
- 美咲 Misakiドラゴンスレイヤーはどう？かっこいいよ。Doragonsureiyā wa dō? Kakkoii yo.How about dragon slayer? It's cool.
- 健太 Kenta美咲の言う通り、強そうだね。Misaki no iu tōri, tsuyosō da ne.As you say, Misaki, it looks strong.
- 美咲 Misakiきっと健太なら使いこなせるよ。Kitto Kenta nara tsukaikonaseru yo.I'm sure you can master it, Kenta.
