Hmm, I asked a native Japanese speaker what the word shinobi meant, after reading this thread and here is the answer I received, which is really what Sonoko said in short form-
"It basically means “to hide/to endure/to do something discreetly.”
There are many words that use this particular character. For example, “Shinobaseru” can mean lacing a drink with some sort of chemical or secret component. “Oshinobi” means to go on a trip secretly (such as celebrities on a secret vacation). “Shinobi komu” means to enter some place (usually illegally) discreetly. Some people confuse this an dthink “shinobi” means to steal, but the “shinobi” section only refers to discreet activity. If you’re spying on someone discreetly, youre doing a “shinobigoto” (discreet action).
The whole idea of Ninjas was originally created based on the art of hiding, but the character “shinobi” (nor the word “ninja”) was never used in Japan until the modern ages (after the edo era). Beofre then, they were either totally unknown by the common people, or were called “rap-pa” or “zap-pa.” "
That’s basically what I said, not what Sonoko said. She said it means to steal or spy, which we both disagreed with.
Every word you mentioned is derived from “shino,” which apparently means stealth, so I hear. Like we both said, words (or in your case, even individual characters) have many meanings.
In one of your earlier posts, you said that it means endurance…although Sonoko seems to have been wrong in saying that it meant something along the lines of “to steal”, those words still imply a discreet action.
One of my half-dozen explanations did involve discretion and stealth. Her definition seemed to be a modern understanding of the word. Much like my dictionary says ninja means “secret agent,” the word shinobi in modern times probably does effectively mean something along the lines of what she said.
I’m going to say this one time. If ANYONE continues this conversation in this negitive manner there’s going to be some serious fucking hellfire raining down. From this point on, I don’t care if you’ve been incited, flamed, or insulted, just drop it or take it to a PM. This is your one and only warning, don’t expect another one.
