カメハメハ
Kamehameha
カメハメハ (Kamehameha) is the Japanese name for the powerful energy attack used by characters in the Dragon Ball series.
In Japanese pop culture, this phrase is almost exclusively used as a noun referring to the specific energy attack from the Dragon Ball franchise.
How do you pronounce it?
Kamehameha
Did you know?
- The word カメ means 'turtle' in Japanese, which is why the attack was created by Master Roshi, the 'Turtle Hermit'. This creates a linguistic coincidence where the Hawaiian name aligns perfectly with the character's theme.
- The word カメハメハ is a loanword from the name of King Kamehameha I, who unified the Hawaiian Islands in the early 19th century.
- Despite being written in katakana カメハメハ, the word is often written in kanji by fans as a stylistic choice or joke. This 'ateji' practice assigns Japanese characters based on sound rather than meaning to give the phrase a traditional look.
Examples in context
- ドラゴンボールのキャラクターたちの一番有名な必殺技は「カメハメハ」だ。The most famous special attack of the Dragon Ball characters is "Kamehameha."
- カメハメハを放つ！Kamehameha o hanatsu!I'll fire a Kamehameha!
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are talking about an anime they watched.
- 健太 Kentaあのシーンのカメハメハは凄かったね！Ano shiin no Kamehameha wa sugokatta ne!The Kamehameha in that scene was amazing!
- 美咲 Misaki本当に！迫力があったよね。Hontou ni! Hakuryoku ga atta yo ne.Really! It was so powerful.
- 健太 Kenta僕もカメハメハを使いたいな。Boku mo Kamehameha o tsukaitai na.I want to use the Kamehameha too.
- 美咲 Misaki無理だと思うけど、頑張ってね。Muri da to omou kedo, ganbatte ne.I think it's impossible, but good luck.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries カメハメハ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
