Ankoku Bujutsukai = Dark (really dark!) Martial Arts Contest. The first big tournament that Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama fought in. Where Yuusuke beat Toguro Otouto. Where Hiei beat Bui. Where human Kurama first took the drug 'Fruit of Past Life' and was able to briefly resume his Youko form to beat Karasu (sort of). Where Kuwabara beat Toguro Ani (sort of).

anzan bi = the days you don't get pregnant, for those future parents using the rhythm method of contraception.  

Atsuko = Yuusuke's mother. Typical mom: smokes, drinks, and lounges around in lingerie. Quit school at 14 to have Yuusuke. Probably used the anzan bi method of contraception.

baka = everyone knows this, but...idiot, fool, dummy, stupid person. What not to call Hiei. At times we've left it so you can determine the degree of contempt versus affection for yourself.

Baasan, Baachan, Obaasan = grandma, what Yuusuke calls Genkai. (Actually Yuusuke frequently calls Genkai 'baabaa,' which is +/- 'old hag.')

Botan = the girl with the blue ponytail, Yuusuke's assistant Spirit Detective, also the goddess of Death. She rides an oar because she's a parallel to Charon, the boatman of the River Styx (or so we've heard). Her name means 'peony.'

Bui = a stocky guy with a splatter-shaped mark on his forehead; Hiei's greatest challenge at the Ankoku Bujutsukai. Hiei beat him but didn't kill him, which of course was a mistake.  

chi, ch' = Various translators: "I think of it as a noise like 'tch.'" "It means 'shit.'" "I think it's better translated as 'damn' since it's about the equivalent in vulgarity." "Probably a--mm, vocal referent, would you call it?--to chikushou, another of the 'oh shit' words." You can see why we decided to leave it as ch'.  ^_^    But we personally think 'shit' is the best translation, especially if Hiei is saying it, which he usually is.

Dimension Sword = 'Jigen Tou.' The updated version of Kuwabara's rei ken.

djka, doujinshika = one who creates doujinshi. What Arina Toshimi, Fuji Shinichi, Kame, Seono Shou, and all those people listed on the Story List page are.

ecchi, etchi = the Japanese pronunciation of H, the first letter of hentai. As used in these stories, it can mean either perverted or simply 'relating to sex.' But since this is the general section, you probably won't see it. ^_^

Enma Daiou = Koenma's daddy. The Lord of Reikai, the Spirit World. He keeps track in his book of who's naughty and nice and sends you to the appropriate sort of afterlife when you die.

Fruit of Past Life, Fruit of Previous Existence = 'Zense no Mi'. A drug. Drink it or breathe in the smoke and you are reduced in age (a moderate dose takes you back 17-20 years). Kurama uses it to return to the form of Youko Kurama, either to fight or (in djs) to love. Stories in which Kurama uses Fruit of Past Life for the latter purpose include: 'Angel's Bite' and 'Present.' (see also Youko Kurama for more info on this form)

fuku = outfit, costume (see also sailor fuku)

ganbatte! ganbare! = hang in there! do your best! A cry of encouragement, as when you yell, "Go Go: Hang in There, Hiei-kun!"

Genkai = Yuusuke's teacher, master of Reikou Hadou Ken (+/-Spirit Light Wave Fightin'). A little old lady (smaller even than Hiei!) with pink wrinkly hair.

Glacier Country, Snow Country = where Yukina comes from, the home of the Ice Maidens. (see also Kourime for a little history)

H = the first letter of hentai. Frequently used as a synonym for 'sex' or 'having sex.' The subtitle of 'Dr. Shuuichi Minamino, Master of Sex' is 'H (sex) comes before I (ai, love).' Kurama can also say, "Every time Hiei and I do H..." meaning 'have sex.'

hentai = pervert, perverted, perversion. Or, in these stories, just plain sexual. Stronger than ecchi. (see also ecchi, H)

Hiei = the Lineup has a short description of him here.

Hiei X Kurama stories = stories in which Hiei is seme and Kurama is uke, contraverting the yaoi laws of nature. (see also seme, uke, yaoi, hens' teeth, snowballs in hell, black-footed ferrets, blue moon, month of Sundays, old-face Teddies)

hiruiseki = see tear gem

hora = hey, look, here

itadakimasu = what you say before you eat. No real English equivalent. MJ: "Maybe 'For what we are about to receive....' captures the spirit?"

Itako Whistle = Spirit Detective Tool #4 of 7. When blown by someone with strong reiki, it can be heard by others who have spiritual or demonic power, even if they're far away. In the manga, it proves useful in summoning Hiei; in djs things are more complicated. ('Find Hiei-chan!' and 'Let's Look for Hiei-kun 1-3')

itai, ite = ouch!  

itte kimasu = What you say when you leave the house. As Arnold says, "I'll be back."

itte irasshai = What you say when somebody else leaves the house. Come back soon!

iyan! = no! No way! Often shrieked in djs.  

Jagan = There was a little guy and he had a little eye/ Right in the middle of his forehead./ And when he was good . . . well, since Hiei is never good, the parody sort of breaks down right there. But the Jagan is in fact Hiei's third eye, the one with the lovely lavender iris. With it, he can see all sorts of normally-invisible things, such as the chicken in a McNugget or other people's ki, even at a great distance.
       For one (fascinating) take on how he got it, read 'White Memories.'

jiji = old man (disrespectful), old geezer. Fuji Shinichi's Hiei routinely calls Koenma 'jiji' (despite his appearance Koenma is hundreds of years old). Even worse than jiji is 'kusojiji' which is difficult to render in English. 'Old fart' is about as close as we could get, but it's really worse than that.  

Jaganshi = Jagan master. What Hiei is, after mastering his implanted Jagan. You can call him this if you like, but don't forget to add "who smells/stinks like a mouse/rat." It's the traditional suffix, immortalized by Zeru a few minutes before his demise.  

Jaou Ensatsu Kokuryuuha = Traditionally translated 'Evil King Fire Killing Black Dragon Wave.' What Hiei yodels when releasing his ultimate attack, the Kokuryuuha. Parodied in 'Go Go: Hang in there, Hiei-kun' as Jaou . . . but that would be telling. For more info on the Black Dragon, see Kokuryuu.

kaasan, kaachan, okaasan = mother. What Shiori is to Kurama, Atsuko is to Yuusuke, Hina is to Hiei and Yukina, and . . . hm, does Koenma have a mother?

Karasu = 'Crow,' a gorgeous and extremely evil villain who fought Kurama at the Ankoku Bujutsukai. When he wasn't giving K hair-care tips, his line went something like, "You're beautiful, and I just love beautiful things, especially killing them." We know other beauticians like that. There are a couple of pictures of him in the Main Gallery; he's the one with long black hair, black coat with tails like wings, and decorator gas mask.  

kawaii = cute, sweet, adorable. The same word means poor, pathetic. Hm.

Keiko = Yuusuke's girlfriend. Brown hair, brown eyes, loves housework, has a great right hook. Almost never has a speaking part in a dj story.

kekkai = magical barrier. Can refer to something that keeps you in or out (like a fence) or something that ties you up (like a rope). Oddly enough, Hiei's injured arm was healed during the Ankoku Bujutsukai by a kekkai used to confine him.  

kisama = everyone knows this one, but... bastard, S.O.B., etc. The way Hiei would address you if he met you.

kitsune = fox. The word for a common fox, as opposed to youko, which in YYH means 'evil fox (demon).' Kurama is a kitsune and has a fox form (four legs, pointy nose) as well as his youko form (two legs, silver hair and tail, silky ears).

Koenma = the Lineup has a short description of him here.

Kokuryuu = Koku (black) ryuu (dragon). The Black Dragon that Hiei unleashes with his ultimate attack. They're not necessarily evil; they can be cute and friendly. See 'Kurokichi's Family Situation.'

Kokuryuuha = Koku (black) ryuu (dragon) ha (wave). Hiei's ultimate attack. It summons a great big scary black dragon that destroys...well, basically everything in its path. However, as we see in 'Sex with the Black Dragon,' the Kokuryuu can also be used for recreation.

Koto = announcer/referee at the Ankoku Bujutsukai. Orange hair, looks like a fox. She and her counterpart Juri-san (green hair, looks like a fish) appear in djs occasionally as narrator or during parodies of the fights.

Kourime = ice maiden, snow maiden. What Hiei's twin sister Yukina is. She comes from the Glacier Country, a society composed entirely of women. (A little history: Yukina's mother Hina broke the rules of her people by having an affair with a man, and subsequently gave birth to twins: a nice sweet gentle little girl and a nasty foul-mouthed red-eyed little boy. Understandably upset, the Ice Maidens hastily tossed the boy off their floating island, assuming he'd go splat! on the ground and that would be the end of it. They were wrong, and thus we have Hiei. Moral: next time use rat poison.)

kora! = hey!

ku = now here's a word the guys say a lot. Or is it a noise? MJ: "I took it as the equivalent of Hiei's chronic 'chi' (which see for more info). 'Ku' is definitely a sound of exasperation, vocally referring to 'kuso' but not actually being a shortened form of it, if you follow. As 'sheesh' is a vocal referent to 'shit,' but not a short form or a euphemism like 'oh sugar.'"

Kurama = the Lineup has a short description of him here.

Kurama X Hiei stories = stories in which Kurama is seme and Hiei uke, the natural order of things yaoi. (see also seme, uke, yaoi)

Kuronue = introduced in the second Yu*Yu*Hakusho movie. Looks vaguely batlike, but his name means 'Black Owl' and he does have that feather in his hat. An old...friend...of Youko Kurama's, he was killed in the aftermath of one of their heists, while the youko got away. A nice subject for human Kurama to feel angst and guilt over. See 'Silent Call.'

kuso = shit! No ambiguity about that one, although it is sometimes translated in anime as 'damn' -- less offensive to Western ears and perhaps more equivalent in vulgarity.

kusojiji = old man (very very disrespectful). Even worse than jiji, and difficult to render in English. 'Old fart' is about as close as we could get, but it's really worse than that.

Kuwabara Kazuma = the Lineup has a short description of him here.

Kuwabara Shizuru = Kuwabara's big sister. Brown hair, cigarette in mouth, has a fantastic right and left hook and is very psychic. Almost never appears in these djs, which is too bad because she's pretty cool.

Makai = the demonic world. Where Hiei and Youko Kurama come from. A very nasty place, sometimes referred to as Hell. It's not Hell, in the sense that it's not a place you go when you're dead, but it's certainly hellish.

Maya = Kitajima Maya, a psychic girl Kurama doped and dumped for her own good and not at all because he liked the bloodthirsty little gnome he'd just met better.  

Mazoku = what Yuusuke turns into, later in the series.* If you see him with long wild hair and tattoos...well, he's either gone Mazoku or had a really bad lost weekend.

Meiou Private High School = Kurama's high school. Nyan nyan.

Milky = according to Kame, one of Hiei's favorite drinks. Originally a milk-flavored candy (And not bad, actually. --Po) it was so popular the company made a liquid version. Both candy and drink are definitely for kids. (see also Mommy)

Minamino Shuuichi = Kurama's human name. He used to be Youko Kurama, a very wicked fox-spirit who robbed and pillaged and doubtless did other similarly unkind things. Then one day he was mortally wounded by a hunter, and, to escape dying, sent his soul into the womb of a human woman. He was reborn as Minamino Shuuichi and soon was able to ask "Is this the human thing you call 'love?'"
       For one take on how Youko Kurama died, read 'Kioku no Umi.'

Mommy = another of Hiei's favorite beverages, according to Kame. This one is a sweet yogurt drink for children. (see also Milky)

Mukuro = Hiei's boss, a woman with a tragic story behind her odd looks (she's the one who's half Nausicaa and half Tom Servo). Yes, we like her very much. For two nice stories about her and Hiei (and Kurama), see 'Lively Little Hiei-chan's Book' and 'Romantic.'

ne = don't you agree? hm? isn't it? right? hey! okay?

neechan, oneechan, oneesan, etc. = big sister. What Shizuru is to Kuwabara.   

niichan, oniichan, oniisan, etc. = big brother. What Hiei is to Yukina.

Ningenkai = the human world. Where Yuusuke* and Kuwabara, as well as Minamino Shuuichi (human Kurama) come from.

okaeri, okaeri nasai, okaen nasai = Welcome home. What you say when somebody comes home. Kurama only gets through part of it when Lively Little Hiei-chan returns with the pudding.   

piiii = bleep. The sound of censorship, used to replace a word the djka thinks is too naughty.

purin = Lively Little Hiei-chan's favorite food. If pronounced correctly, rolling the 'r' a bit and making the 'n' sort of 'ng,' it sounds like exactly what it is.   

Puu = Yuusuke's pet, a kind of floppy blue Pokemon. Says 'Pu.' Gets very little play in djs, maybe because Chibi Hieis are so much cuter.

See? Actually--whoa--there's a resemblance.

PWP = Not a Japanese term, not a YYH term, not even a yaoi term. Still, a useful term. From Western slash, the abbreviation of 'Plot What Plot?'. Refers to a story that doesn't bother with extraneous stuff and gets right down to the sex scene. Example: 'Paradise.'

rei gan = rei (spirit) gan (gun). Rei gun. Yuusuke's attack: he shoots bullets of reiki.

Reikai = Rei (spirit) kai (world). Where Koenma lives, neither Heaven nor Hell, but the place where they decide which one you go to.

Reikai Tantei = Spirit World Detectives, Spirit Detectives. A job few people seem to take on voluntarily. Yuusuke was drafted as the price of coming back to life; Hiei and Kurama have to do it or get sent back to jail. In any case, it entitles them to meddle in other peoples' business and save the world from ugly youkai.

reikan = psychic power, spiritual hunches. Both Kuwabara and his sister Shizuru have this in abundance. So does Kurama's onetime human friend Maya. (see also Maya)

rei ken = rei (spirit) ken (sword). Kuwabara's attack: he makes a sword of his reiki.

reiki = rei (spirit) ki (lifeforce, power). Spiritual power. Humans like Yuusuke* and Kuwabara have reiki. The more you have of it, the more cool magical things you can do. If you strain yourself and run low on it (as Hiei runs low on youki in 'With Me'), you're vulnerable to being attacked by nasty people.
       Demons like Hiei and Kurama have youki (evil magical power) instead of reiki.

reiryoku = rei (spiritual) ryoku (power). Spiritual power. The exact same thing as reiki.

Rose Whip = Kurama's attack. He turns a rose into a thorny green whip, suitable for tying people up, slashing people to pieces, beheading people, and other acts of violence. Oddly, he uses it on Hiei less that you'd think.

sa = I don't want to commit myself in any way gosh gee I wonder I haven't the foggiest notion have you? (definition courtesy of M.J.)

sailor fuku = what you wear if you're a Japanese schoolgirl. The association with nubile femininity is so strong that it's become a sort of national icon. It gets a lot of play in djs, too. See 'Don't Take Off My Sailor Fuku' and 'Reckless Dangerous.'

Sarayashiki Jr. High = the middle school Yuusuke, Keiko, and Kuwabara attend.  Sometimes shortened to 'Sara.'  

sasuga = displaying expected or characteristic traits. Sasuga Kurama = +/- only Kurama, as expected of Kurama, wow, Kurama, we should've known you could do that, how like you, Kurama, etc.

seiza = the way samurai and martial artists are always supposed to sit, the sort of kneeling crouch that allows you to move quickly in any direction.  

seme = 'penetrator.' The guy on top. The counterpart to uke (which see for a discussion of what they mean in YYH.) What you (usually) get to be in yaoi if you're taller than the person you're having sex with. What Kurama (usually) is to Hiei; what Hiei would be if he could only find one of the Keebler elves.

Says M.J. of one of Fuji Shinichi's stories: "Sasuga Kurama. Who else can be both giddy teenage girl and seme at the same time?" And that's what we like. I mean, this is a seme who cooks you dinner, washes your clothes, mends your socks, cleans your ears, gives you a shoulder massage, pours you sake, listens to your troubles, praises your killing technique, makes your bed, and writes you a sonnet before ravishing you. He's the Japanese Martha Stewart, with a little Byron thrown in.

-shihan = master. In YYH you most often hear it appended to Genkai's name: Genkai-shihan.

shikkarishite = what you say when somebody collapses from terrible weakness or serious wounds. Be strong! Hang on! Pull yourself together! Speak to me!  

shimatta = an expletive milder than it sounds; even ladies are allowed to use it. Darn! Yikes! Drat! Shoot!  

Shiori = Minamino Shiori, later Hatanaka Shiori. Kurama's human mother, the one who taught him about love. Appears in lots of djs because she taught him verrrrrrrrrrrry well. Hiei sums it up neatly: "Mazacon." (Mother Complex.) There are pictures of Shiori in the Lineup here, and a short about her extraordinary powers here. Yes, we like her very much. After all, this is the woman who changed Youko Kurama into the sweet Minamino Shuuichi we all know and adore, a feat which bears at least passing resemblance to changing Vlad the Impaler into Mother Teresa.

shounen-ai = boys' love (of other boys). (see also yaoi)

Shuuichi Minamino = see Minamino Shuuichi

tadaimaa = abbreviation of 'tadaima kaerimashita' (I just now returned home). What you say when you come home: "I'm baaaack!"

tear gem = 'hiruiseki.' What your tears turn into if you're an Ice Maiden, a priceless jewel that looks like a pearl. To see Yukina cry them, and to enjoy a wonderfully sweet story, read 'Snow Drop.'

Toguro Otouto = Yuusuke's nemesis at the Ankoku Bujutsukai. Born human, he chose to become a demon so he would never grow old and weak. Genkai, his former partner, stayed human, and...well, you decide which of them was right. As you can tell by his name, he's the younger of the Toguro Bros.; Toguro Ani is less important and so short we can't understand why Hiei isn't after him.

tousan, touchan, otousan = father. What Enma Daiou is to Koenma.

uchi no chibi = my little one. An endearment for children. What not to call Hiei.

uke = 'receiver.' Not a football term. The guy who, in yaoi djs, gets to be coy and cross and cute and run away and shriek 'iya!' and not want to have sex for a variety of interesting reasons. In short <deep breath> the guy who is playing the 'feminine' part.

Which brings us to an interesting culture clash, especially in YYH, because most Westerners take one look at Kurama with his ruby locks flowing halfway down his back and his great jewel-like green eyes and his lithe, slender figure and his love of flowers and books and his exquisite manners and the rose petals swirling around him, and sort of naturally assume that if anybody's going to be the girl, for god's sake, he is. And they look at Hiei and see his chiseled washboard stomach and his hard biceps and triceps and deltoids and his deep voice and his rough masculine manner and his long phallic sword and his love of killing things and his taciturnity and his complete insensitivity to anybody else's feelings and they instinctively recognize all their past boyfriends (except maybe for the musculature).

But in yaoi, none of that matters because Hiei is short and Kurama is tall, and whoever's taller gets to be on top. There are exceptions. We're trying to find more of them. But meanwhile what you'll see is rough masculine Hiei turned into a dear little pixie whose Kokuryuuha is roundly thrashed by Kurama's rose petals. (Oh, look, it probably makes as much sense as ex-youko Kurama playing the bewildered virgin, which we've seen in some more recent djs. "Oh, Hiei....don't touch me there!") We've tried to find stories where Hiei is at least a very bad-tempered pixie. And, truly, it does make sense for Kurama to be the pursuer and for Hiei to run like crazy. Less understandable is why Kurama doesn't always end up a Rice Crispie, but you can't have everything.

(See also seme for more on Kurama.)

There are better discussions of all this in Aesthe. Go there. ^_^;;;;   

ya, yaa, yahoi = hi! heya!

yaoi = the counterpart to Western slash, with certain traditions and strictures of its own. Male/male love, more explicit than shounen ai. The stuff you're reading here. Stories written almost exclusively by girls about guys doing it with guys. A great mystery to guys themselves until they suddenly remember how much they enjoy Utena or Xena or female mud wrestling.

yare-yare = What you say when you're frustrated, exasperated, or giving up. Oh, well. What the heck. Good grief.  

Yomi = ruler of a third of the Makai, an old...friend...of Youko Kurama's. Looks vaguely like a rubber plant with its eyes shut.

youkai = evil spirit, demon. In YYH, basically, somebody who isn't human. Hiei and Kurama are youkai. So is sweet Yukina. It doesn't mean you're evil, it just means you're a demon.

youki = you (evil) ryoku (power). Evil magical power. Youkai (demons) like Kurama and Hiei have youki. The more you have of it, the more cool magical things you can do. If you strain yourself and run low on it (as Hiei does in 'With Me'), you're vulnerable to being attacked by nasty people.
       Humans like Yuusuke and Kuwabara have reiki (spiritual power) instead of youki.

youko = (you) evil (ko) fox. A demonic fox spirit. What Kurama is, underneath his sweet human exterior. The platinum-haired beauty (as Jeanne puts it) with the fluffy tail and silky ears is Youko Kurama, what Kurama used to look like before being reincarnated as a human.
       For one take on how he came to be human, read 'Kioku no Umi.'

Youko Kurama = the Lineup has a short description of him here.

youryoku = you (evil) ryoku (power). Evil magical power. The exact same thing as youki.

Yukina = an Ice Maiden, and Hiei's twin sister. She doesn't know she's his twin, because he won't (can't, really) tell her. As gentle, sweet, compassionate and innocent as Hiei is nasty, surly, suspicious and bloody-minded -- and that's saying a lot, isn't it? Kuwabara is in love with her. You can see pics of her in the Lineup here.

Yuusuke = the Lineup has a short description of him here.

Zeru = a master of flame who fought Hiei at the Ankoku Bujutsukai. He and Hiei exchanged insider tips about arson and then Hiei toasted him.

Zense no Mi = see Fruit of Past Life.

* Well, okay, Yuusuke isn't exactly human, but we're trying to keep this simple. And to avoid spoilers, at least in our own documents.  ^_^