barbarian

About this kanji

The kanji 蛮, pronounced 'ban', primarily means 'barbarian' and is often used in a negative context. This character typically appears in nouns rather than verbs. Some common compounds include 野蛮 (やばん), meaning 'savage', which describes a lack of civilization or refinement; 南蛮 (なんばん), referring to 'southern barbarians', a term used historically for non-Chinese peoples to the south; and 蛮行 (ばんこう), which means 'act of barbarity'. A usage note to keep in mind is that while 蛮 can describe individuals or actions, it's generally considered derogatory, so it's used cautiously in conversation.

Example sentences

• その町に蛮行が横行している。

  Barbaric acts are rampant in that town.

Meanings across languages

English

barbarian

Tiếng Việt

man rợ

日本語

蛮, ばん

한국어

야만인

中文

野蛮

id

biadab

th

เผด็จการ

es

bárbaro

fr

barbare

de

Barbar

pt

bárbaro

Common compounds

• 野蛮やばんsavage, barbarous, barbaric
• 南蛮なんばんsouthern barbarians (name used in ancient China for non-Chinese ethnic groups to the south), South-East Asian countries (in the late-Muromachi and Edo periods), Western Europe (esp. Spain and Portugal and their South-East Asian colonies; late-Muromachi and Edo periods)
• 蛮行ばんこうact of barbarity, barbarism, brutality
• 蛮勇ばんゆうfoolhardiness, recklessness, savage valour
• 蛮夷ばんいsavages, barbarians
• 蛮語ばんごlanguage spoken by the Emishi, languages spoken by the nanban during the Edo Period (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch), foreign language
• 蛮骨ばんこつbrute courage, recklessness
• 蛮習ばんしゅうbarbarous custom