How Do You Spell KAMIKAZES?

Pronunciation: [kˈamɪkˌe͡ɪzɪz] (IPA)

The word "Kamikazes" is used to refer to Japanese pilots who conducted suicide attacks during World War II. The spelling of the word is derived from the Japanese language, where "kamikaze" means "divine wind". The phonetic transcription of "kamikaze" is /kʌmɪˈkɑːziː/, with the stress on the second syllable. The plural form of the word is spelled with an "-es" suffix, which is pronounced as /-ɪz/, as in /kʌmɪˈkɑːzɪz/. The spelling and pronunciation of this word have become well-known due to its historical significance.

KAMIKAZES Meaning and Definition

1. Kamikazes refers to a military strategy or tactic employed by the Imperial Japanese forces during World War II. It originated from the Japanese term "kamikaze," which translates to "divine wind" in English. In this context, Kamikazes were a group of Japanese pilots who willingly carried out suicidal attacks against enemy vessels, specifically targeting Allied ships, in order to cause maximum destruction.

   These attacks were typically executed by pilots guiding aircraft filled with explosives, deliberately crashing them into enemy ships at high speeds. The primary objective of the kamikaze pilots was to inflict severe damage on enemy vessels by detonating their planes upon impact, often resulting in the sinking or incapacitation of the targeted ship. The kamikaze pilots were generally expected to meet their deaths during these missions.

   The kamikaze tactic was employed by the Japanese military during the later stages of World War II, predominantly from 1944 until Japan's surrender in 1945. Kamikaze attacks were seen as a desperate measure by Japan in the face of overwhelming Allied forces, aiming to hold off their advance and deal significant blows to their naval power.

   The use of kamikazes was not limited to airplanes alone; in some instances, motorboats and submarines were also utilized as suicide attack platforms. The kamikaze strategy, while contributing to considerable material and human losses, ultimately proved ineffective in altering the outcome of the war.

   Outside the military context, the term "kamikaze" has also been adopted into popular culture to describe extremely reckless or self-destructive behavior, stemming from the notion of giving up one's life for a cause.

Top Common Misspellings for KAMIKAZES *

• kamakazis 100%

* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.

Other Common Misspellings for KAMIKAZES

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Etymology of KAMIKAZES

The word "Kamikazes" refers to a specific group of Japanese pilots during World War II who performed suicide attacks by deliberately crashing their aircraft into enemy targets, typically ships. The term "Kamikaze" itself is of Japanese origin and is made up of two kanji characters: "神" (kami), meaning "god" or "divine", and "風" (kaze), meaning "wind". Therefore, "Kamikaze" roughly translates to "divine wind".

The roots of this term can be traced back to Japanese history and the 13th century. In 1274 and 1281, Japan was threatened by two Mongol invasions led by Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China. On both occasions, the Mongol fleets were destroyed by powerful typhoons, believed by the Japanese to be a divine intervention or a kamikaze.