You, who seek knowledge, heed you the Witch Hunt in this solemn hour.

If you be lost in any way, these

grimoire pages should give you light to escape from the defiling darkness that is the Witch. Ignorance is a
devouring emptiness; knowledge is all.
You who would read of the Hunt: these words shall be your weapons, these pages your shield. May you
unbind the rules, and may you, in the end, understand.
Hunt the Witch.
Welcome to the glossary of the English translation of Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Episode 1: Legend
of the Golden Witch. This accompanying document is provided to you for your convenience, as many
words, various expressions and situations might be quite troublesome to understand. Please be sure to
check this document whenever you get stuck on some words you didnt grasp fully, you will probably
find the answer here.
In order to prevent accidental spoilers and whatnot, we decided to list the terms used from all different
episodes in separated files. Please check the other Grimoire Tomes if you wish to have more details for
the terms used in Episode 2 and onwards.
Japanese Honorifics:

-san (): neutral honorific, this suffix is a generic word for Mr./Mrs./Ms.

-kun (): used on a person of lesser age, usually male, denotes affection.

-chan (): used on a person of lesser age, usually female, denotes affection/close
relationship, youth and cuteness.

-sama (): denotes high respect towards one person or used for someone of a higher status.
This is a very formal and polite suffix.

Familiar terms/suffixes:

-aniki (): older brother, yakuza-like honorific. This word can be used either as a
standalone, or as a suffix for someones name.

-aneki (): older sister, yakuza-like honorific (rarer)

-(o)nii (): older brother. This word (and the following ones) must have a proper honorific
attached to it in order to call someone with it. Similar to aniki, you dont have to include ones
first name with it. In fact, the word by itself is enough most of the time.
Note this word can also be used to call a young man, not necessarily a sibling. In such case, it
denotes some familiarity.

-(o)nee (): older sister. Female counterpart of (o)nii in every way, this word can be used to call
a young woman, not necessarily blood related.

-oba (): aunt. Note this word also means middle aged woman while its pronunciation is
pretty close to obaa which means old woman. This is the reason why in many manga and
anime series, some characters tend not to call their aunt like this, otherwise they might have
some troubles

-oji (): uncle. Pretty much like oba, this honorific can be used for middle aged man.

-(o)ka (): Mother. This is always with an honorific, generally san.

-(o)tou (): Father.

Senpai (): Often translated as senior. This word, pretty much like the previous ones, can be
used as a standalone or associated with ones name. It is used for someone that is in a particular
group or organization longer than you. (Example: an upperclassman at school, someone with an
higher rank in a sport, etc.)

Prologue:

Battler-kun, arent you still a minor?

In various countries, legal age for drinking differs a lot. In Japan, one must be 20 years old before
doing so. (In the vast majority of countries, it is 18, while it is 21 for United States. Please check
the Wikipedia article)

In any case, my name is Battler great name, as you can see. and Most people read it as
Sento-kun.
As you might probably guess with Battlers issue, his first name sounds oddly foreign, despite
him being definitely Japanese. In Japanese, most names are written in Kanji, characters which can
be read in many different ways. In Battlers case, his first name is written like this: .
The first character () can be read as either sen or ikusa. The second one () can be read as
jin or hito. However, these are only the most common readings, which is why Battler says
that most people read it as Sento-kun (since to is a common reading for in names).
In fact, it is read as Batora, which is the romaji reading for Battler. That is the reason why
Battler thinks his first name is quite weird, not only because it is hardly Japanese, but also
because the pronunciation is not the natural reading (Foreign names should be written in
Katakana, much like how it is for Beatrice: Beatorche).
This can be applied to all the western names of Ushiromiya Family. Obviously, in our English
translation, you wouldnt have trouble to know how they pronounce their names, but just imagine
for the Japanese readers who wont be able to call heads or tails with the bunch of fancy kanji
which arent usually read like this Hence why Battler explains how everyones name is read
with Hiragana in the original script.
(Example: for Ushiromiya George (Ushiromiya Joji))

"with different people he speaks differently"

Japanese has its share of regional dialects, so when Hideyoshi is with people who speak a
different dialect he tries to impress them. Why is he speaking Kansai-ben now? Much like Battler,
we dont know.

Ange-chan
The reading of wasconfirmedas(enje),Ange,whichmeansAngelin
French.ThisisactuallyoneoftheseveralreferencestosomeskillsfromRagnarokOnline.
Kyriesname()isajapanesenamethatshouldhaveKirieastheromaji,butitisassumed
thatRyukishiusedthatspelling,asaneastereggforKyrieeleison
Asumu()alsomakessuchreference,Assumptio.
Finally,Ange()isareferencetoAngelus.
ItseemsRudolfissurroundedbywomenblessedwithholyskillsofthepriestclasses(acolyte,
priest,highpriest),butdespitethis,heisironicallystruckbybadluck.

namunamunamu
Derived from Namu Amida Butsu, a buddhist prayer, literally I believe in the Amida Buddha.
Recited to get into Amidas paradise. In other words, Battler simply says something like Rest in
peace, old bastard.

up up, down down, left right, left right

Some video games veterans might already figure that reference (Hellsing Ultimate watchers as
well):
this is actually the Konami Code. As the name implies, it is a generic cheat code Konami
includes in many of their games to trigger the usual stuff such like invulnerability etc. The
original cheat code is in fact up up, down down, left right, left right, B A. Please check the
Wikipedia article)

Obon festival
Festival for the dead around August lasting three days. A vacation for all the Japanese.

Chapter 1

Knot (kn/kt)
Unit of speed used for sea travel, equal to one nautical mile per hour.
1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour = 1.852 kilometers per hour = 1.1507794 miles per hour.
Basically, 40 knots roughly equal to 74km/h or 46 mph, which is pretty fast for a boat.

...I don't remember that kind of figure on her, but I definitely remember her crazy way of talking.
In Japanese, men and women speak slightly differently. This difference is much larger than what
you find in English.
Simply put, Jessica speaks like a guy, which makes her sound bolder and more rude than you'd
expect from a girl her age, regardless of what she's actually saying.
This doesn't translate too well in all situations, so bear in mind that Jessica's speech is almost
always casual and not particularly polite.

Torii
Ceremonial entry gate to a Shinto shrine, painted red.

Tutelary God
The original here is Chinju-sama ,whichliterallymeansTutelarygod,godofaregionor
aplace.

Chapter 2

Yakitori
Japanese type of skewered chicken dish. Battler mentions it, as the literal meaning of that word is
grilled bird, which obviously deceived Maria.

Chapter 3

We gotta start picking up tips!

The original line in Japanese was .
"Tsume no aka wo nomu", "to drink the dirt under someone's nails", is a Japanese expression
stemming from the belief that if you make a potion with someone's nail scrapings, you'll steal
their talents by magic. Considering its unintuitive meaning, we adapted this way. Obviously not
conveying completely the expression, but any extravagant analogy would have more risk of a
very different meaning.

Kotatsu
A table frame covered by either a futon or a blanket, which is itself covered by a table top. This
peculiar table has a heat source beneath, often built into the table itself. Kotatsu is a trustworthy
way to keep one warm, as heat is expensive in Japan, due the poor insulation of the housing in
general. The heat source and the blanket/futon can be removed, so the kotatsu can be used like a
regular table.

Strangely, when the transparent water was poured, the dark green liquid turned a cloudy white.:
This is actually an existing alcoholic beverage, the absinthe. This liquor, extremely strong, must
be diluted in a very specific ritual: placing a cube of sugar on a slotted spoon above the glass
with the liquor and pouring ice water on it. The mention of wormwood is related to it: it is the
other name for Artemisia absinthium, the herb used for the beverage. Also, the green fairy is
actually the nickname of the absinthe.

Chapter 4

But he let us call him 'Goldsmith' or something. :

Originally, Battler used which is Goldsmith in katakana. This is actually a
reference to the literal meaning of Kinzos name, . Literally, it means Gold Warehouse. We
can conclude it is either a mistranslation by Ryukishi07, or it is a more stylish approximate
translation. You can tell Battler wanted his grandfather to share their happy western name
custom.

kikurage:
Literally tree-jellyfish, this mushroom is rather known as Auricularia auricula-judae, or
Judas ear fungus. This species is often used in Asian cooking.

Have you gone to Delsney Land, which opened just a few years ago? Isn't that an excellent
theme park!
This is an obvious reference to Tokyo Disney Resort. The theme park incidentally opened on
1983, matching Krauss comment.

Chapter 5

Sweetfish river:
This was a tough translating decision. In Beatrice's epitaph, part of the first line is translated as
"the sweetfish river" (sweetfish=ayu). However, this is an expression that means bountiful, but
seeing as this is a puzzle, it is important to know both meanings.

Chapter 6

Shore and Sogakishi:

The word shore is composed of one kanji, . Considering the epitaph is a riddle, Battler
assumed that the kanji might relate to something else than its literal meaning.
In this case, it matches Sogakishi ().

Doramon:
This is of course a reference to Doraemon, the famous robotic cat, created by Fujiko F. Fujio.
Doraemon was featured with a fourth-dimensional pocket from which he could pull out many
futuristic items. This is what Battler likened Maria to when she was looking for a specific item in
her bag full of many occult belongings.

Chapter 11

That's the one Steam McQueen fired off in Wanted: Alive or Dead!!
Another parody reference. Hideyoshi is actually referring to Steve McQueen, a famous actor for
his anti hero roles, especially as Josh Randall, the protagonist of the very same parodied show
in this sentence, Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958-1961). For this latter reference, the game
actually mentioned . This is in fact the original title for the Japanese version of the
series, except the fact that Ryukishi inversed the last 2 kanji (it should be ).
Conveniently, the meaning of the parody is still effective. Hence, we simply reversed the 2 words
to keep the structure of the parody.
As a trivia, the reference is made even more obvious as in Wanted: Dead or Alive, Josh Randall
was indeed wielding a sawed off Winchester rifle, except that it is a 1892 model, not 1894 as
stated in the game TIPS.

Chapter 12

Inari Shrine and Kitsune-sama

Inari () is the shinto god of fertility, rice and foxes. She is one of the most revered Shinto
gods in Japan. This is noticeable with the sheer amount of shrines dedicated to her, along with
torii and lots of statues of kitsune (foxes).
The kitsune are white foxes that are her benevolent messengers. However, they can be malicious
and generate grave disasters.

Shady escorts
Originally, Eva says Okuriookami () which is a revenant beast that follows travelers in a

persistent way and attacks them once isolated. This can be considered as an escort with ulterior
motives.
Tea Party

Kakera
Literally fragment or piece. This word has quite a certain meaning due to the use of it and its
direct link with Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.
This word represents the worlds in the Naku Koro ni series: the kakera are the dimensions or
worlds, numerous and scattered in an alternative universe, where fate and probabilities can be
visualized.