マフィア
mafia[ma̠ɸʲia̠]
The English phrase "mafia" can be translated into Japanese as マフィア. Wiktionary also lists 秘密集団 (himitsu shūdan) and やくざ (yakuza).
Meaning: a crime syndicate (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| マフィア | mafia | [ma̠ɸʲia̠] (narrow) |
| 秘密集団 | himitsu shūdan | |
| やくざ | yakuza | [ja̠kɯ̟za̠] (narrow) |
| 黒手党 | kokushutō |
The term is used to refer to a crime syndicate.
Which one should you use?
The loanword マフィア is typically used to refer specifically to Western-style organized crime syndicates, such as the Italian-American Mafia, rather than domestic Japanese crime groups. In contrast, やくざ is the standard way to refer to Japanese organized crime groups, whereas マフィア sounds like a foreign entity.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is mafia.
Did you know?
- A person who leaves a やくざ group may undergo yubitsume, the ritual act of cutting off a finger joint as an apology to the boss.
- Unlike the Western マフィア, members of the やくざ historically operated semi-openly, often maintaining registered offices with one another's phone numbers listed.
- The word やくざ is derived from the numbers 8, 9 and 3. In a traditional card game, these three numbers together formed the worst possible hand.
Examples in context
- トムはマフィアと縁を切って人生をやり直す決意をした。Tom made the decision to cut ties with the mafia and start life over.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use マフィア in a sentence about cutting ties with a crime syndicate.Tatoeba #2706006 by tommy_san, translation #7766663 by metcaslix
- 彼はヤクザのボスです。He is the boss of the mafia.
- 彼は極道の一員だ。He is a member of the mafia.
- あの映画はマフィアの抗争を描いている。Ano eiga wa mafia no kousou o egaite iru.That movie depicts a conflict between the mafia.
- 彼はマフィアの組織に所属していた。Kare wa mafia no soshiki ni shozoku shite ita.He belonged to a mafia organization.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are talking about a movie they just watched.
- 結衣 Yuiあの映画のマフィアは本当に怖かったね。Ano eiga no mafia wa hontou ni kowakatta ne.The mafia in that movie were really scary, weren't they?
- 健太 Kentaそうだね。でも組織のルールは厳しそうだ。Sou da ne. Demo soshiki no ruuru wa kibishisou da.True. But the organization's rules seem strict.
- 結衣 Yuiマフィアの世界は危険すぎると思うよ。Mafia no sekai wa kiken sugiru to omou yo.I think the world of the mafia is too dangerous.
- 健太 Kenta同感だ。現実では絶対に関わりたくないな。Doukan da. Genjitsu de wa zettai ni kakawaritakunai na.I agree. I'd never want to be involved in real life.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mafia” translations and entries マフィア, やくざ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries やくざ, マフィア, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
