Nakama (仲間): what it means in anime
仲間
なかま · nakama
Nakama are people in the same group, working toward the same goal. "Comrades" or "teammates" captures the idea: warmer than "colleagues", but broader than "friends".
仲間の死を嘆く時間はまだないんだよ
There's no time yet to mourn our fallen comrades.
Attack on TitanWord by word
| 仲 | なか | relationship, terms between people |
| 間 | ま | space, between |
Nakama or tomodachi?
友達 (tomodachi) is a friend whose company you enjoy. 仲間 is someone on your side, such as a crewmate or fellow club member. You don’t have to like each other much to be nakama; you just have to be in it together.
That shared loyalty explains how often the word comes up in shounen anime. Luffy’s crew in One Piece are his 仲間, and protecting them is what matters to him.
Belonging and being left out
仲間外れ (nakama-hazure) means being left out of a group. Close friends who get along are 仲良し (nakayoshi).
More examples
- 俺の仲間に手を出すな！ ore no nakama ni te o dasu na! — Keep your hands off my crew!
- 新しい仲間が増えた。 atarashii nakama ga fueta. — We've got a new member.
Hear it in real scenes
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