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Ninjas may seem mysterious, but the origin of their name is not. The word ninja derives from the Japanese characters nin and ja. Nin initially meant "persevere," but over time it developed the extended meanings "conceal" and "move stealthily." In Japanese, ja is the combining form of sha, meaning "person." Ninjas originated in the mountains of ancient Japan as practitioners of ninjutsu, a martial art sometimes called "the art of stealth" or "the art of invisibility." They often served as military spies and were trained in disguise, concealment, geography, meteorology, medicine, and also the arts of combat and self-defense we associate with modern martial arts. Popular legends still identify them with espionage and assassinations, but modern ninjas are most likely to study ninjutsu to improve their physical fitness and self-defense skills.
Examples of ninja in a Sentence
Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Players choose from a stable of fighters including kung-fu experts, a space ninja and a giant panda, to punch, kick, chop and throw their way to a knockout.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
In that respect, Thompson is perfect, playing Hedda as a stealth socialite ninja who’s always one step ahead of the competition.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
For some reason, 2025 has unofficially become the year of the ninja in the gaming industry, with not one but three entries in the Ninja Gaiden series launching and games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows pivoting its setting to feudal Japan.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ninja.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ninja. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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ninja
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