Konnichiwa,
I've been playing some World War 2 video games recently and 1 which involves combat against the japanese. In the game the player frequently gets banzai charged.
I've been told a few different translation, from google I got "I'd trade this momment for the next 1,000 years" used as an honorific battlecry. From an anime episode I got "hooray!" also a battlecry.
So I'm kinda wondering which is the more accurate of the two or if both are wrong, what do the pros think? (The pros being rocket jap ^_^)
Arigoto gozaimasu,
Derek
Banzai!?!?!

CatPanda
January 1, 2009

Matumic
January 1, 2009
Call of duty 5: World at War?
I've heard it means like "Good Luck"....

merlin2
January 6, 2009
literally means live for 1000 years. live long (king). not a war cry

CatPanda
January 16, 2009
arigoto gozaimashita!

Sayaka-Matsuura
January 20, 2009
Konnichiwa!
Yes, all of the above is correct.
Banzai is written with two Chinese characters - the first is BAN (or more commonly MAN) meaning "thousand" and ZAI (or SAI) meaning "years". Thus, Banzai literally translates as "thousand years".
However, Banzai is most generally used as a cheer to shout "Hooray!" or "Yey!"
So, for example, you've finished the Rocket Japanese Course, so
"Banzai! Hooray!" :D

CatPanda
January 28, 2009
Ah, that makes SO much more sense then! Domo arigoto gozaimashita!