ninja

«ninja» in Mova's school dictionary: A secret fighter or spy in old Japan, trained in… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a ninja, ninjas)

meaning for a pupil

1) A secret fighter or spy in old Japan, trained in fighting, sneaking and disguises. tree →

2) (informal) A person who is very skilled at something: «a spelling ninja». tree →

sense in the lessons

In stories, cartoons and games, ninjas wear black, move silently and do clever tricks; real ninjas in history were spies and scouts in Japan in the 1400s–1600s. In everyday kid talk, «ninja» praises skill or stealth. Phrases: «ninja warrior», «like a ninja», «ninja moves», «maths ninja».

examples

• The ninja crept silently across the rooftop. tree →
• I sneaked downstairs like a ninja to get a snack. tree →
• Ninjas were real spies in old Japan. tree →
• You solved that puzzle so fast — you're a maths ninja! tree →
• The cartoon about ninja turtles is very old but still popular. tree →
• My brother does ninja moves on the trampoline. tree →

note

Plural «ninjas» (sometimes «ninja» as in Japanese). Myth: real ninjas did not always wear black suits — they often disguised themselves as farmers or travellers. Do not confuse with «samurai», the warrior class who served lords openly.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «ninja» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.