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A well-known Japanese anime director recently discovered that a popular Japanese word has made its way into one of the world’s most respected English dictionaries. Nobuyoshi Habara, who has worked on famous anime series like Rurouni Kenshin and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, attended the 2025 Animethon convention in Edmonton, Canada. He was there to promote his upcoming anime My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s.
During his visit, Habara was surprised to learn how widely the Japanese word isekai is now understood by English speakers. He shared his surprise on social media, writing that he was amazed to find that foreigners not only understand isekai but that the word is also listed in the 2024 Oxford English Dictionary.
カナダのエドモントンで開催されている”ANIMETHON”というイベントに参加しています。
そこで驚いたのですが、「異世界」という日本語はすでに「Isekai」として通じるだけでなく、オックスフォード英語辞書の2024年版にも記載されていた事でした。— 羽原信義 Nobuyoshi HABARA (@NobuyoshiHabara) August 10, 2025
The word isekai literally means another world in Japanese and refers to different or parallel universes. However, the Oxford English Dictionary defines isekai differently. Instead of the original meaning, the dictionary describes isekai as a Japanese genre of science or fantasy fiction featuring a protagonist who is transported to or reincarnated in a different, strange, or unfamiliar world.
This genre has become very popular in anime, manga, and video games. Stories in this category typically follow characters who find themselves in completely new worlds, often with special powers or abilities.
Interestingly, English speakers have started using isekai”as a verb in casual conversation online, though this usage has not yet appeared in English dictionaries. For example, fans might say “Truck-kun isekai’d the main character into a fantasy world.” This verb form does not exist in Japanese, which Japanese people find amusing when they see how English speakers use their language.
