Japanese

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Kanji in this term
ぼう
Grade: 5
goon
 
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Etymology

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Compound of マル (maru, circle symbol; used to form police jargon) +‎ (, short for 暴力団).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ma̠ɾɯ̟ᵝbo̞ː]

Noun

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マル(ぼう) (marubō

  1. (law enforcement jargon)
    1. organized crime groups, especially the yakuza
    2. a member of such organized crime group
    3. a police officer assigned to gang unit