banzai

UK: /ˈbɑːnzaɪ/, /bɑːnˈzaɪ/, /ˈbænzaɪ/, /bæːnˈzaɪ/

US: (bän zī′, bän′-; Japn. bän′dzä′ē)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ban•zai  (bän zī′, bän′-; Japn. bän′dzä′ē), interj. 

1. (used as a Japanese patriotic cry or joyous shout.)
2. (used as a Japanese battle cry.)

adj. 

3. leading to likely or inevitable death;
   suicidal:
   a banzai attack by Japanese troops in the last days of World War II.

• Middle Chinese, akin to Chinese wàn-suì, Korean manse)
• Japanese, equivalent. to ban ten thousand + -zai, combining form of sai years of age (
• 1890–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

banzai / ˈbɑːnzaɪ bɑːnˈzaɪ/ interjection

1. a patriotic cheer, battle cry, or salutation

Etymology: Japanese, literally: (may you live for) ten thousand years