Kobe

See also: kobe, Kóbe, kôbe, købe, kōbe, Kōbe, kobé, Kobé, and kobë

English

Etymology 1

From Japanese 神(こう)戸(べ) (Kōbe).

Alternative forms

• Kōbe

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkəʊˌbiː/, /ˈkəʊˌbeɪ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkoʊˌbi/, /ˈkoʊˌbeɪ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊbi

Proper noun

Kobe

1. The capital and largest city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
2. A male given name.
   • 2013, Matthew T. Bell, “Earth Drum”, in The Elderly Kids: Short Stories, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 21:

     One had a halfro and a Kobe Bryant Jersey that appeared to be unaccompanied by pants, toddler-sized Nikes peaked out from the bottom.

   • 2024 June 25, Sam Joseph, “Snoop Dogg delivers mic drop moments at US trials as 52-year-old runs 200m in 34.44 seconds”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     Donning a tracksuit in the colors of the American flag and a Team USA shirt that paid respect to the late NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, Snoop Dogg laced up for a 200-meter exhibition race against Trinidadian former Olympic medalist Ato Boldon and two-time NCAA outdoor 200m champion Wallace Spearmon.

Derived terms

• Kobe beef

Translations

a city in Honshū, Japan

• Arabic: كُوبِه m (kūbih)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 神戶 / 神户 (san⁴ wu⁶)

  Mandarin: 神戶 / 神户 (zh) (Shénhù)

• Czech: Kóbe
• Hebrew: קובה (he)
• Hindi: कोबे (kobe)
• Hungarian: Kóbe (hu)
• Japanese: 神戸 (ja) (こうべ, Kōbe)
• Korean: 고베 (Gobe)
• Marathi: कोबे (kobe)
• Russian: Ко́бе (ru) m (Kóbɛ), Ко́бэ m (Kóbɛ) (sometimes)
• Thai: โคเบะ (koo-bè)
• Vietnamese: Thần Hộ (神戶 (vi))

Etymology 2

After NBA player Kobe Bryant, emulating an earlier use of the name of Michael Jordan. Popularized by Dave Chappelle in a 2004 sketch. Kobe Bryant's parent named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu.

Interjection

Kobe

1. (slang, US) Exclaimed, while throwing something at a target, as a prediction or acknowledgement of accuracy.
   • 2012 January 18, “Archived copy”, in The Black Sheep‎^[2], volume 6, number 2, Michigan State University, published 17 January 2012, archived from the original on 5 November 2021, page 7:

     (throws aforementioned paper cup at Russell Byrd– hits Byrd in the head) KOBE!
     […]
     Derrick Nix: Are you serious? You threw a crumpled paper cup at his head, hit him, and then yelled “Kobe!”

   • 2016 April 20, The Signal‎^[3], volume XLIV, number 2, The College of New Jersey, published 19 April 2016, page 27:

     Miguel: When you write a bad draft of your Signal article, there’s only one thing to do to it — smash it up into a ball, throw it to the nearest recycle bin and scream “KOBE!”

   • 2019 March 22, OC Weekly‎^[4], volume 24, number 30, Orange County, California: Duncan McIntosh Company, published 20 March 2019, page 20:

     As I spend 10 minutes debating what to order, a kid nearby entertains himself by squirting free edamame beans across the restaurant. I try the same, saying “Kobe!” as I shoot one in my mouth at arm’s length on the first try.

Related terms

• Jordan

Anagrams

• boke

Cebuano

Etymology

After Kobe Bryant.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: Ko‧be

Proper noun

Kobe

1. a male given name

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Japanese 神戸.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²kuːbə/

Proper noun

Kobe ?

1. the capital and largest city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.

Derived terms

• kobebiff
• kobekjøt

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Proper noun

Kobe

1. (astronomy) Corona Australis