ninja

noun

nin·ja ˈnin-jə

-(ˌ)jä

plural ninja also ninjas

: a person trained in ancient Japanese martial arts and employed especially for espionage and assassinations

Did you know?

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.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web He’s often likened to a ninja by the NBC broadcast booth, and for good reason. —

Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Apr. 2023 The titular protagonist of Naruto is a wannabe ninja with big goals who befriends another lonely boy, Sasuke, early on in the series. —

Christian Holub, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2023 Back in the 1980s, youngsters adored the cartoon-and-toy franchise as much as today’s generation lives for Marvel movies, and among the many colorful members of the G.I. Joe counterterrorism superhero squad, Snake Eyes was Captain America and Iron Man rolled into one silent fan-favorite ninja. —

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 22 July 2021 What's a ninja's favorite type of shoes? —

Jill Gleeson, Country Living, 20 Apr. 2021 This year, be an Amazon shopping ninja. —

Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2021 But a ninja's life is never ordinary. —

Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 22 June 2022 The show, which spanned over 700 episodes and is one of the most popular in the history of the genre, told the story of the main character Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who sought recognition from his peers and dreamed of becoming Hokage, the leader of his village. —

Ryan Mcfadden, baltimoresun.com, 25 July 2021 Based upon Masashi Kishimoto's manga of the same name, the series focuses on orphan Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja-in-training who seeks to become the Hokage or leader of his village. —

William Goodman, Men's Health, 31 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ninja.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.