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CCSvsCC |  |
EPISODES | |
CHARACTERS | |
CLOW CARDS |  |
EXTRAS |
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So what is [insert word here] anyway? Otherwise known as a Glossary. Any "looks like this" link will open a new browser window with a picture of the "this". |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
anime - Japanese animation. Can be a television series of 26 to 96 20-25 minutes episodes, an OAV or OVA (original animated video or original video animation), or a 2+ hour movie. Covers a wide range of subjects and target audiences. *Not* just a cartoon, damnit.
arigatou - "thank you". Adding 'gozaimasu' is like adding 'very much' to the end of 'thank you'. And that "u" at the end is just to make sure you hold the "o" sound for 2 beats in the pronounciation.
ben - "accent", "dialect" or "way of speaking"
CardCaptor Sakura - the title of the manga, and then animated television show created by CLAMP and aired on Japanese television in 1998. The animated version is currently being released in the United States as an unedited, subtitled version by Pioneer on VHS and DVD. The manga is available in the original Japanese, a bilingual version (English in the word balloons with the Japanese text at the top and bottom of the page without furigana), and an English version.
CC - abbreviation of the title Cardcaptors
CCS - abbreviation of the title CardCaptor Sakura
-chan - suffix usually added to a girl's name, used by friends or someone older than the girl. Kind of like adding a "y" to English names, such as making Jennifer into Jenny. See also -kun and -san
Sakura says Kereberos looks more like a "Kero-chan" in CCS#2, and it sticks. This is because he is small and cute, like a stuffed animal (compared to his full magical form), *not* because he is female. Same thing for Sakura calling Touya "onii-chan" - the chan is added to show her affection for her older borther.
CLAMP - a group of women artists who have created (among others) the manga and anime titles of Tokyo Babylon, RG Veda, CLOVER, Wish, Magic Knights Rayearth, CLAMP Campus Detectives, and CardCaptor Sakura.
Clow - the name of the magician who created the cards that Sakura frees from the book. Also the name of the cards. It rhymes with "glow" in CCS. In CC (for some marketing reason known only to them) it was changed to rhyme with "cow" which just sounds plain stupid.
eyecatch - a short animated image that is shown before the commercials air. Japanese anime usually have an eyecatch about half-way through the episode, then a commerical break. After the commercials, a slightly different version of the eyecatch airs, and then the rest of the show airs.
gomen - "sorry". A more formal version is "gomenasai".
hiragana - one of the 3 writing systems used in Japan. Used to represent Japanese words and is composed of characters that represent the singe vowels (a, i, u, e, o) or a combination of consonants and a vowel (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko, sa, si, su, se, so, etc.) or the only consonant that can exist on its own, but never at the beginning of a word (n).
hoe - pronouced "ho-eh". Sakura's personal expression word, that, depending on how she says it, can express anything from being frightened, confused, happy, sad, tired, or excited. Now if only the English voice actors could express that range of emotions with their sentences, let alone one word.
ittarasshai - response to "ittekimasu", said when someone is leaving. Sakura's father says this to her after she says "Ittekimasu," on her way out the door in the morning before school.
In CCS Episode #4, it's fun to listen to the difference in Sakura's voice when she tells her father "ittarasshai" compared to when she tells her brother Touya "ittarasshai". Yes, voice acting *really* is a skill and talent that, unfortunately, is not present in most American dubs. However, B.A.D. is good!
itte kimasu - said when someone is leaving. A rough translation would be "I'm going but I'll be back". Sakura says this whenever she leave the house in the morning. Her father will respond with "Ittarasshai."
kampai - like saying "Cheers!" before drinking, a toast.
katakana - one of the 3 writing systems used in Japan. It represents the same phonetics as hiragana, but is used to represent foreign words, and is much squarer and blockier looking than hiragana.
Kero - the notation this website uses to denote the character in CC - the sacastic, belligerent, not-that-bright Guardian of the Clow Book that little resemblance to Kero-chan of CCS, other than his obsession with video games.
Kero-chan - the name of the golden-eyed Guardian Beast of the Clow Book, who truly cares about Sakura as a person. He gets angry at her at times, and is focused on catching the Clow Cards (when he's not eating or playing video games), but he also teaches Sakura, and doesn't belittle her or discount her feelings about things.
ki - the Japanese word for tree, or wood.
konbanwa - "good-bye", "good evening", "good night". 'Kon' is a prefix denoting 'today', and 'ban' is 'evening' or 'night' and 'wa' is a particle.
konnana - "good-bye" or "good evening", equivalent to "konbanwa". Again, this is Kero-chan's Osaka accent version of a common Japanese word.
konyanyachiwa - equivalent to "konnichiwa" or "good afternoon". This is Kero-chan's Osaka accent showing.
konnichiwa - "good afternoon", used as a daily greeting. If said with an Osaka accent, it's "konnanichiwa".
-kun - suffix usually added to a boy's name, used by friends or someone older than the boy. Kind of like adding a "y" to English names, such as making Bob into Bobby. See also -chan and -san
Li-kun - the family name of Shaoran (and Meilin). This is also how this website referrs to the CCS character. He is not impressed with Sakura, and initially comes off as very stuck-up. He does, however, mature over the episodes and becomes a great companion for Sakura. Li-kun is different from the boastful, degrading little snot of a character in CC, who (for some marketing reason known only to them) decided to use "Li" as his first name, which sounds considerably less stupid than some of their other changes.
mata ne - "see you later", very informal
Madison - the notation this website uses to denote the character in CC - SaKUra's best friend who has as much attitude as the rest of them, and is nowhere as sweet, considerate, and intuitive as Tomoyo of CCS.
nai-ya - Kero-chan's Osaka-ben version of "nani"
ne - Japanese word added to the end of a sentence when the speaker is saying something they think the listener will agree with. Kind of like adding "you know?" or "right?" at the end of a sentence in English.
okaerinasai - rough translation would be "Glad for your return." Said after someone returns home, and says "tadaima." Sometimes shortened to "okaeri".
omakase - an extra, short piece that usually explains some aspect of the anime. Here's a real explanation from a native Japanese:
"Omakase" means "Entrust to me" in English. "Makaseru" means "entrust", and formal "Entrust to me" is "Omakase Kudasai" in Japanese. Therefore, its easy style is "Omakase". In works of CardCapter Sakura, main story and ending song was came to an end, Kero-chan say "Now it's my turn. Entrust to me". Thanks to Horio for this information!
onii-chan - "older brother" - what Sakura calls Touya. The "-chan" is added to show affection.
otou-san - "father" - what Sakura calls Fujitaka. The "o" in front is an honorific. "Father" can also be just "tou-san".
oyasumi - short version of "oyasuminasai" which is "good night". Just 'oyasumi' is like just saying " 'night" instead of the full "good night".
SaKUra - the notation this website uses to denote the character in CC - the attitude-filled, snotty monstrocity that bears no resemblance to Sakura of CCS.
-sama - suffix added to the name as an honorific, showing you greatly respect that person, or hold them in very high regard. If Kero-chan calls Sakura "Sakura-sama" he really wants something and is sucking up. They translate it on the CCS DVD's as "Lady Sakura".
-san - suffix commonly added to an adult's last name as a sign of respect. Serves the same function as Mr./Mrs./Ms. in English. It is also used as an expression of courtesy and politeness by anyone of any age. See also -chan and -kun
Fujitaka calls his daughter "Sakura-san" and his son "Touya-kun".
sealing rod - what Sakura uses to seal the cards back into their physical card form. Kero-chan gave Sakura the key to the Clow book, and it transforms into the Sealing Rod when Sakura calls upon its powers. In episodes 1-46, it looks like this. In episodes 47-70, it looks like this and is called the Star Rod.
sensei - an honorific suffix that is added to the end of a person's last name if they are a teacher.
spoiler - a piece of information that should NOT be revealed until a certain point in time
Tomoyo - the name of the Sakura's best friend in CCS. She is in love with Sakura, and does everything she can to make sure Sakura is happy, or at least, well dressed for battle. In CC (for some marketing reason known only to them) it was changed to Madison, which isn't as bad as some of their other changes.
Tori - SaKUra's brother, and the notation this website uses to denote the character in CC - the overly mean teenager that bears little resemblance to Touya of CCS.
Touya - the name of the Sakura's older brother in CCS. He teases Sakura, calling her a kaijuu, but he does care a great deal about her, and looks out for her at every opportunity. In CC (for some marketing reason known only to them) it was changed to Tori, which isn't as bad as some of their other changes.
yosh - expressive word, translated in CCS as "All right!". Usually said as an expression of determination, as now things are going to get done or things are going to happen.