Keep hearing people say terms that I have no idea what they mean. Anyone have a glossary handy or care to share the main ones?

Edit: Here's what people have put so far:

GENERAL TERMS

• Ashigaru - peasant foot soldiers
• Bakemono- this just refers to small green-skinned humanoid goblins.
• Bonge - those who work (peasants, merchants, craftmen).
• Bushi - warriors of the samurai class
• Bu - Silver coins, the middle denomination of Rokugani money
• Bushido - the code of ethics followed by all members of the samurai class
• Chi - spiritual energy (usually mentioned in connection to a stat in the CCG)
• Courtier - someone who serves in the Imperial (and other) courts. A politician, essentially.
• Daisho - collective term for the long and short swords carried by members of the samurai class
• Emerald Champion - One of the highest ranks of all, in charge of the justice system.
• Eta - the untouchables, the lowest level of Rokugani society (kinda controversial, may not appear in the FFG version)
• Gozoku - A conspiracy of Crane, Phoenix and Scorpion courtiers that, back in the past, worked together to puppet the Emperor
• Hinin - non-people like geisha, criminals, entertainers
• Iaijutsu- Iaido, Rokuganized.
• Ise Zumi - Tattooed monks of the Dragon clan
• Ishiken- A shugenja who can use Void magic (kinda rare)
• Jigoku: Realm of Evil
• kami (little k): Elemental Spirits
• Kami (big K): Children on the sun and moon, founders of the clans
• Kanshi- Seppuku performed as a means of registering opposition to a lord's orders.
• Kenku - Birdman spirits that are master swordsmen
• Kenshinzen- A super amazing awesome Iaijutsu duelist.
• Kiho - monk equivalent of spells (will be a card type in the LCG)
• Maho - blood magic
• Maho-Tsukai or just "Tsukai"- Someone who uses blood magic.
• Nezumi - Ratlings
• Ningen-do: The 'real' world (where all the people normally live).
• Niten- Both a book and a style of swordsmanship, where a katana and wakizashi are employed simultaneously.
• On - someone's "face", i.e., social reputation (will hopefully be replaced with the correct term in the LCG)
• Oni: Demonic evil beasts
• Samurai - the highest social class in Rokugan. Includes many non-warriors.
• Shadowlands: A wasteland filled with terrible creatures (oni) that want to kill you
• Shiotome- In L5R, this specifically refers to the Utaku Battle Maidens of the Unicorn Clan.
• Shugenja - essentially a priest/spellcaster hybrid.
• Shourido - A twisted mirror of Bushido espoused by the Spider Clan
• "Tainted" - someone who has been infected by the evil of the Shadowlands.
• Taryu-Jiai- A form of magical duel where the shugenja involved obligingly stand still, charge up, and fry one another with raw elemental power.
• Tengoku: Celestial Heavens
• Tetsubo - A metal war club favored by the Crab
• Tensai- In L5R, a Tensai is a shugenja trained by the Isawa for a near-exclusive focus on a single Element.
• Yojimbo- Bodyguard, basically.
• Yumi - A bow. Usually, an asymmetric bow held about 1/3 of the way up rather than at the midpoint.
• aiu Wall - Occasionally called the "Carpenter Wall", despite being made of stone. It's the big wall the Crab built between the Empire and the Shadowlands.
• Koku - Gold coins, the largest denomination of Rokuani money.
• Ningyo - Basically mermaids, but come in both genders.
• Tejina - Shadow magic, practiced by the ninjiest of ninjas. Really, really bad for you.
• Yogo Curse - A curse that forces you to, once in your life, betray someone you love. It's hereditary to the very unfortunate Yogo family.
• Zeni - Copper coins, the smallest denomination of Rokugani money.
• Zokujin - Also called "copper-goblins", they're little earth-aligned guys who live underground.
• Gempukku - The coming-of-age ceremony in Rokugan. Samurai choose their own name at their gempukku.
• Sodan-senzo - A type priest that specializes in ancestor worship. Unique to the Kitsu family of the Lion.
• Yobanjin - Gaijin (foreigners) who live just north of the empire. Descended from Rokugani who refused to serve the (big-k) Kami and were expelled.

FAMILIES (MAJOR CLANS)

• Crab: Hida, Hiruma, Kaiu, Kuni, Yasuki, (Toritaka)
• Crane: Asahina, Daidoji, Doji, Kakita
• Dragon: Togashi, Kitsuki, Mirumoto, Agashi, (Tamori)
• Lion: Matsu, Akodo, Ikoma, Kitsu
• (Mantis: Tsuruchi, Yoritomo, Moshi, Kitsune)
• Phoenix: Isawa, Shiba, Asako, (Agasha)
• Scorpion: Bayushi, Yogo, Shosuro, Soshi
• (Spider: Daigotsu, Susumu, Goju, Ninube)
• Unicorn: Shinjo, Utaku, Ide, Moto, Horiuchi, Iuchi

FAMILIES (MINOR CLANS)

• Badger - Ichiro
• (Bat - Komori)
• Boar - Heichi
• Centipede - Moshi
• Dragonfly - Tonbo
• Falcon - Toritaka
• Fox - Kitsune
• Hare - Ujina, Usagi
• Mantis - Yoritomo (previously Gusai)
• (Monkey - Toku, Fuzake)
• Oriole - Tsi
• (Ox - Morito)
• Snake - Chuda
• Sparrow - Suzume
• Tortoise - Kasuga
• Wasp - (Tsuruchi)
• Bee Clan - Hachi (Art Critics in Imperial court)
• Crow Clan - Karasu
• Firefly Clan - Hotaru
• Salamander Clan - Hitokage (Nomadic Shugenja researchers on riverboats)
• Shark Clan - Jurozame (Unacknowledged Imperial bastard and his bully-boys)
• Tanuki Clan - Tanuki (Researchers into spirit realms - or a bunch of Tanuki just having a laugh)
• Imperial Family - Nasu (A family of bureaucrats formed by the Gozoku)
• Kaeru - A family of Ronin running a town in an important trading spot
• Yotsu - A family of Ronin living in the Capital.

It might help if you provide a few examples (lore terms, game terms, deck types?) of what you are confused about.

Sorry, I mean the Japanese-like terms. Things like shugenja.

Shugenja are essentially a priest/spellcaster hybrid. In theory, they cast spells by communicating with the kami (spirits that exist everywhere in nature) and convincing them to act. In practice, this is rarely given more than lip service and they can just be considered wizards.

(Shugenja are actually a real thing in Japanese religion but completely different)

Shugenja are the priest class/role of Rokugan. I'm not sure the source of the word. However, they are the spell casters and do so by praying to the kami to invoke a particular effect. It is a trait you are born with, and are fairly rare, so they are considered very valuable to their clan. They also perform many other religious roles within the society as well, so they are often looked at on a vaguely monk-ish sort. However, they are not monks, and don't have the same sorts of vows of celibacy, etc.

http://l5r.wikia.com probably can answer a lot of your questions.

A few more to help:

Samurai, you should be familiar with. Bushi are trained soldiers who serve in the samurai armies. Ashigaru are peasant militias.

Other Rokugani terms that I've seen mentioned in discussions here:

• Ashigaru - peasant foot soldiers
• Bushi - warriors of the samurai class
• Bushido - the code of ethics followed by all members of the samurai class
• Chi - spiritual energy (usually mentioned in connection to a stat in the CCG)
• Daisho - collective term for the long and short swords carried by members of the samurai class
• Eta - the untouchables, the lowest level of Rokugani society (kinda controversial, may not appear in the FFG version)
• Kenku - Birdman spirits that are master swordsmen
• Kiho - monk equivalent of spells (will be a card type in the LCG)
• Maho - blood magic
• On - someone's "face", i.e., social reputation (will hopefully be replaced with the correct term in the LCG)
• Samurai - the highest social class in Rokugan. Includes many non-warriors.

19 minutes ago, Yoritomo Reiu said:

Shugenja are essentially a priest/spellcaster hybrid. In theory, they cast spells by communicating with the kami (spirits that exist everywhere in nature) and convincing them to act. In practice, this is rarely given more than lip service and they can just be considered wizards.

(Shugenja are actually a real thing in Japanese religion but completely different)

The hilarious/tortuous thing about this is that the term m ahō literally means "magic," and is also treated quite differently in this setting than in its common usage. A mahō shōjo is *usually* someone you can trust to help you. In L5R...not so much.

Ishiken- A shugenja who can use Void magic (kinda rare)

Yojimbo- Bodyguard, basically.

Bakemono- In the L5R context, this just refers to small green-skinned humanoid goblins. In Japanese tales, it's a much, much broader term.

Maho-Tsukai or just "Tsukai"- Someone who uses blood magic.

Don't forget "Tainted", which implies someone who has been infected by the evil of the Shadowlands. This can either be willing or unwilling. Performing Maho will do this to you. It used to be in the story prizes, if you used any Shadowlands cards in your deck, your deck was considered tainted, and the win was considered tainted as well.

Kolat: Hidden faction within the empire trying to overthrow the Celestial Order (Note, the Emperor is considered Divine and part of the Celestial Order). They also tend to be a major force of of the criminal element within Rokugan society. (This may or may not be a thing in this story line, but is one of the reasonably common enemies of the empire in the old storyline.)

Ninja is a made up word for something that doesn't exist.

2 minutes ago, Yoritomo Reiu said:

Other Rokugani terms that I've seen mentioned in discussions here:

• Ashigaru - peasant foot soldiers
• Bushi - warriors of the samurai class
• Bushido - the code of ethics followed by all members of the samurai class
• Chi - spiritual energy (usually mentioned in connection to a stat in the CCG)
• Daisho - collective term for the long and short swords carried by members of the samurai class
• Eta - the untouchables, the lowest level of Rokugani society (kinda controversial, may not appear in the FFG version)
• Kenku - Birdman spirits that are master swordsmen
• Kiho - monk equivalent of spells (will be a card type in the LCG)
• Maho - blood magic
• On - someone's "face", i.e., social reputation (will hopefully be replaced with the correct term in the LCG)
• Samurai - the highest social class in Rokugan. Includes many non-warriors.

Do not shugenja only carry the wakizashi? I thought that a shugenja carrying also a katana was like a sign saying "I can defend myself".

The Eta touch dead flesh, which is tabboo in rokugani tradition.

5 minutes ago, Yoritomo Reiu said:

Samurai - the highest social class in Rokugan. Includes many non-warriors.

I get the warrior side of this, but what is a non-warrior samurai? Do you mean high political social class are called samurai as well?

Just now, Wintersong said:

Do not shugenja only carry the wakizashi? I thought that a shugenja carrying also a katana was like a sign saying "I can defend myself".

The Eta touch dead flesh, which is tabboo in rokugani tradition.

They didn't even have to carry it, but I think traditionally you did. But yes, carrying a Katana was considered a sign that you could defend yourself in a duel.

1 minute ago, slowreflex said:

I get the warrior side of this, but what is a non-warrior samurai? Do you mean high political social class are called samurai as well?

Yes, all members of the highest social class are samurai even if they're, say, a poet or something.

Just now, slowreflex said:

I get the warrior side of this, but what is a non-warrior samurai? Do you mean high political social class are called samurai as well?

Yep.

What pop culture calls "samurai" are called"bushi." Shugenja are also members of the samurai caste, as are a couple of types of monk (because why do things rationally?) and a broad subset that get called things like Courtier, Artisan, etc. And ninja, which officially do not exist, and unofficially form about 45% of the Scorpion Clan's appeal.

1 minute ago, slowreflex said:

I get the warrior side of this, but what is a non-warrior samurai? Do you mean high political social class are called samurai as well?

Samurai is technically considered the caste, as contrasted by commoner. Most courtiers and shugenja would have been from that caste, so bushi is just a way to emphasize that they mean the stabby ones.

Just now, slowreflex said:

I get the warrior side of this, but what is a non-warrior samurai? Do you mean high political social class are called samurai as well?

Samurai were the aristocracy. Usually broken down traditionally into roles of Bushi Samurai, Shugenja, and Courtiers. However, Bushi doesn't mean samurai, and samurai doesn't always mean bushi, but usually does. In the CCG, the "Samurai" keyword meant the Bushi sort.

Note, Monks are not samurai in any sense, and a samurai that didn't die early usually ended up as one.

3 minutes ago, Wintersong said:

Do not shugenja only carry the wakizashi? I thought that a shugenja carrying also a katana was like a sign saying "I can defend myself".

The Eta touch dead flesh, which is tabboo in rokugani tradition.

Yeah, " collective term for the long and short swords members of the samurai class are entitled to carry" would by more accurate for Rokugan.

Wow, quadruple answered.

What's a courtier?

1 minute ago, slowreflex said:

Wow, quadruple answered.

What's a courtier?

Person who does things in Court.

Think all of the hangers-on around a king or lord in various feudal societies.

Person who wrote politician below me has a better answer.

Just now, slowreflex said:

Wow, quadruple answered.

What's a courtier?

Someone who serves in the Imperial (and other) courts. A politician, essentially. Argues for their clan, slanders their opponents, etc.

Sometimes the whole "samurai" thing is used to poke fun at the awful caste system- for example, "there are no peasant shugenja."

Peasants can, in fact, speak to the elemental kami (which is how L5R's shugenja do their thing), but they're immediately declared to have actually been misplaced samurai or the like all along.

10 minutes ago, slowreflex said:

Wow, quadruple answered.

What's a courtier?

A courtier is someone who handles court (wow! INSIGHTFUL!) by knowing little things like how to blackmail someone, how to write a poem that insults someone's entire ancestry while not giving grounds for a challenge to a duel, that kind of deal.

Note, my answers derive from the RPG books, where there are 4 basic school types, Bushi, Shugenja, Courtier and Monk. Members of the Samurai caste are supposed to be useful to their lord and clan, and train to be one of the first 3, generally.

5 minutes ago, slowreflex said:

Wow, quadruple answered.

What's a courtier?

Hahaha, we were all typing at the same time it seems.

We are all probably doing this instead of something useful.