English▸ (the Yakuza) noun
(plural yakuza)
a powerful Japanese criminal organization. ▪ a member of the Yakuza; a Japanese gangster or racketeer:
100,000 yakuza in Japan rake in some $10 billion a year.
– ORIGIN Japanese, from ya ‘eight’ + ku ‘nine’ + za ‘three’, referring to the worst hand in a gambling game.