Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
interjection
- (used as a Japanese patriotic cry or joyous shout.)
- (used as a Japanese battle cry.)
adjective
- leading to likely or inevitable death; suicidal: a banzai attack by Japanese troops in the last days of World War II.
interjection
- a patriotic cheer, battle cry, or salutation
Japanese war-cry, 1893, literally “(may you live) ten thousand years,” originally a greeting addressed to the emperor, from ban “ten thousand” + sai “year.”