ギルド

• Reading: ギルド
• Romaji: girudo
• Pronunciation: /gi.ɾɯ.do/

Meaning

Guild — an organised in-game group or clan of players who team up for cooperative content in online games.

Borrowed from English 'guild,' the term became central to MMORPG culture in Japan during the 2000s. A ギルド provides social structure, coordinated play, and a sense of belonging in online worlds. ギルド activities include group raids, territory wars, and community events. The ギルドマスター (guild master) holds social authority, and ギルド drama is a well-known phenomenon in MMO communities.

Examples

1. うちのギルドに入らない？人数増やしたいんだよね。 Want to join our guild? We're trying to grow our numbers.
2. ギルドのメンバーと毎日一緒にレイド回してる。 I run raids with my guild members every day.
3. そのギルド、トップランカーばっかりで有名だよ。 That guild is famous — it's packed with top-ranked players.

Usage Guide

Context: MMORPGs, online games, gaming communities

Tone: social, community-oriented

Do Say

• ギルド入ったらゲームが10倍楽しくなった (Joining a guild made the game ten times more fun)
• ギルドイベント楽しみにしてるから絶対参加するわ (I'm looking forward to the guild event, I'll definitely be there)

Don't Say

• ゲームによって「クラン」「チーム」「FC（フリーカンパニー）」など呼び名が違うので注意 (Different games use different names — clan, team, FC (Free Company) — so match the game's terminology)

Common Mistakes

• Using ギルド in games that call their groups something else — for example, Final Fantasy XIV uses フリーカンパニー (FC) instead

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'guild,' referring to medieval trade associations. Adopted into Japanese gaming vocabulary through MMORPGs like Ultima Online, EverQuest, and later Final Fantasy XI in the early 2000s.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s MMORPG era

Generation: Online gamers (teens-40s)

Social background: Gaming community

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan in online gaming contexts. One of the foundational social structures of MMO gaming.