Phrase guide

banzai charge

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A human-wave suicide attack performed by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: banzai attack

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a mass attack of troops without concern for casualties; originated by Japanese who accompanied it with yells of `banzai'

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: banzai attack

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: attack, onslaught, onset, onrush

History

Etymology

From banzai + charge. "Banzai" from Japanese 天皇陛下万歳 (Tennō Heika banzai, “long live His Imperial Majesty”), a common battle cry used by Japanese soldiers.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 萬歲衝鋒 /万岁冲锋 (wànsuì chōngfēng) — WW2 Japanese suicide attack
  • Japanese: バンザイ突撃 (banzai totsugeki) — WW2 Japanese suicide attack
  • Japanese: 万歳突撃 (banzai totsugeki) — WW2 Japanese suicide attack
  • Russian: банза́й-ата́ка (banzáj-atáka) — WW2 Japanese suicide attack