Nishi

name, noun

name, noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    the left-hand (less prestigious) side of the banzuke (番付, “ranking list”)
  2. 2
    a rikishi (力士, “sumo wrestler”) listed on the left side of the banzuke
  3. 3
    the western side of the ring
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A Sino-Tibetan language of the Tani branch.
  2. 2
    A surname.

Etymology

From Japanese 西 (nishi, “west”), from the way the western or left side of the sumo ranking list is considered less prestigious, by analogy with the setting sun as opposed to the rising sun.

Related phrases

left hand

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.