The history of One Piece is rich in many concepts, ideas, and terms that are often used in-universe to explain certain principles. Some of these are original, while others are either reinterpretations or applications of already existing concepts and ideas. "Nakama" is a word that can be heard often in the series, most often coming from Luffy, and in this article, we will actually explain its meaning so that you know why it is so important to One Piece.

"Nakama" (written 仲間 in Japanese) is a relatively common Japanese word that doesn't really have a direct English translation, though it's most often translated (roughly) as "comrade," "companion," or "one of us (/them).' This is also the best definition of the term, as in the original Japanese version, it refers to someone who is very close to a person and shares their opinions, ideals, and feelings. In short, it's a term of endearment that is, in the world of One Piece, a reference to the close bonds that exist between the Straw Hat Pirates' crewmates. Luffy's crew uses this term most often, but it has been used by other crews as well.

What we're going to do in the rest of this article is explain the expression further. We'll explain the etymology of the expression, its translation, and what it actually means in the context of the story. We've gathered all the known and relevant information about this phrase and its connection to the story. Be careful, though, as there will be spoilers in this article.

"Nakama" is a fairly common word in the Japanese language, but it nevertheless has a special meaning in One Piece, which fortunately isn't too different from the original meaning.

As we usually do when we have to explain the meaning of certain Japanese words, names, or expressions, we will reduce the sentence to the essentials so that you know exactly what you are dealing with. In Japanese, the expression "Nakama" is written as follows: 仲間. As you can see, it is composed of two kanji, which mean the following:

1. 仲 ( naka ) – this kanji actually means “relationship” or “family name,” but you can see that the first meaning is the one we’ll be talking about (not to be confused with a similar kanji, 中, which also reads as naka, but means “inside” or “in the middle”);
2. 間 (ma) – this kanji means either “space” or “between,” depending on how you read it, but when read as ma, it means “space” or “room” (when read as aida, it means “between,” but is also commonly read as the suffix –kan, –ken, or –gen in many words); it can also be used to mean a “relationship” between people.

As you can see, the literal translation of the word "nakama" (仲間) would be "relational space," but that doesn't really tell us much. Why? Well, it's simply because "nakama" is a phrase rooted in the Japanese language itself, so the literal meaning of the kanji used to write it doesn't really need to convey the true meaning of the word, which isn't all that rare in the Japanese language. So, in order to actually explain the phrase and its meaning, we had to consult a dictionary here.

Several dictionaries define "nakama" as a "causal relationship" between two phenomena. This is a very simplified explanation, although it is not inherently incorrect. The problem here is that it doesn't really help us understand the meaning of the phrase in One Piece, because "causal relationship" is certainly not what Luffy means when he uses the phrase. But if you look at the Japanese language dictionary Iwanami, you will find the following explanation:

This explanation of the phrase differs from what we said about the meaning of the original kanji, but it is the best and most accurate definition that actually relates to the use of the phrase in One Piece. All other explanations do not really relate to the use of the expression in One Piece, where it is used as a term of affection. Therefore, in this context, it would be better to translate the word as 'comrade,' 'companion,' or 'one of us (/them)' or, in the context of One Piece, 'teammate' or 'ally.'

In Japanese, nakama is often used to also refer to a colleague or someone who shares the same interests or hobbies with you, which is why you will often hear the expressions "shigoto-nakama" (仕事仲間; colleague) or "sakka-nakama" (作家仲間; fellow writer). Despite the translations we have provided above, they are not literal, as Japanese have several different words for "friend" (tomo, tomodachi, yuujin) and even a different word for "comrade."

This is why it is exceptionally difficult to translate this word into English, as there is no single literal translation, as the word is simply used differently in Japanese than in English, which has several different words for these contexts. Therefore, if you want to use it, you must use it in its original Japanese form and then explain it, as any translation you use will not be accurate enough.

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Now that we've explained the meaning of the word, let's explain its significance for the story, even though it's now pretty clear what Oda means by that. Namely, "Nakama" is used by Luffy as a term of endearment for his friends and teammates, which actually means that he considers them more than just teammates. It actually signifies a close bond between them, a bond that is not only close but also very, very deep.

This is what it means to Luffy; by using this, Luffy shows his teammates how much he cares about them and how much they mean to him. This is why this phrase is so important.

And we should point out that this isn't common among other crews, as other crews have never developed as close a bond between their members as Luffy's Straw Hats. Some notable exceptions include the Arlong Pirates and the Buggy Pirates, the latter of whom used this term after coming into contact with Luffy.

Other crews simply don't have such deep bonds, and their captains don't really respect the crew members, nor do they bond with them to the point of calling them "nakama." If that were the case, the word probably wouldn't have become so special.

And that's it. That's what "nakama" means, why Luffy uses it, and why it's such a special word that you can use, but try to use it in the original language, because that's the best way to show what it means.