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Noroi (呪い): what it means in anime
呪い
のろい · noroi · curse; spell; malediction Not on JLPT lists
Noroi means "curse". In Jujutsu Kaisen curses are the monsters themselves, born from human negative emotion, and the word 呪 appears in the title.
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.
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Jujutsu Kaisen · 52 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
呪いってのは普通 見えねえんだよNormally a curse can't be seen.
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Mob Psycho 100 · 10 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 2
呪いは消せたと思いますけど まだ肩は重いですか？I believe that I was able to lift the curse,
Usage and nuance
The verb is 呪う (norou, to curse someone), and 呪われた means "cursed". Jujutsu Kaisen's 呪術 (jujutsu) is "cursed technique" or sorcery, and 呪霊 (jurei) are cursed spirits. Mob Psycho uses 呪い for a spiritual curse in the older sense.
The same kanji is read じゅ (ju) in compounds, so 呪い and 呪術 share a character but not a pronunciation. This is normal for Japanese and worth getting used to.
Outside fantasy, 呪いの言葉 ("words of a curse") is a dramatic way to describe a grudge someone cannot let go of.
Hear 呪い in Jujutsu Kaisen52 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account