Sections
Fuuin (封印): what it means in anime
封印
ふういん · fuuin · to seal; to affix a seal; to seal up Not on JLPT lists
Fuuin means "seal", in the magical sense: to lock away a demon, a power or a memory. 封印する is "to seal", 封印を解く is "to break the seal".
Where you hear it 2 of 42 series
Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.
-
Naruto · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
封印の書ですって!?The Scroll of Sealing?!
-
Frieren · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 3
封印を解くよI'm dispelling the seal.
Usage and nuance
Naruto has the Nine-Tails sealed inside him by a 封印術 (fuuinjutsu, sealing technique). Frieren's mages 封印 demons they cannot kill. The word is so standard in fantasy that it appears in nearly every isekai.
The literal meaning is a wax or paper seal on a document, and 封 alone is the seal on an envelope. The jump from "sealed letter" to "sealed demon" is a short one in Japanese.
Fans use it jokingly: a character who stops using a technique has 封印 it.
Hear 封印 in Naruto7 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account