Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week’s lesson will focus on some terms from The Promised Neverland. This manga has been a nonstop thrill ride since it began, with each chapter ending on a painful cliff-hanger. The children are so close to escaping from the orphanage, but it’s definitely not going to be easy…

SHOUKO (しょうこ)

SHOUKO means “evidence,” and the Sister Krone part of the plot has revolved around not giving her any SHOUKO of the planned escape. It looks like the children won’t have to worry about that any longer, but they may have bigger problems on the horizon.

HASSHINKI (はっしんき)

HASSHINKI means “transmitter” or “homing device.” It’s been translated as “tracking device” in The Promised Neverland. All the children have a tiny chip implanted in their ear that allows Mom to track their movements. They’ll need to disable the hasshinki to have any hope of escaping.

ESA (えさ)

ESA means “feed,” as in the food you give to animals. But it can also refer to bait or a lure to trap someone. Ray set some kind of trap for Sister Krone in the form of a secret note. His trap ended up not really mattering in Sister Krone’s demise, but the fact that Ray knew the information contained in the note could be an important future plot point!

Get more tips by listening to our PODCAST!