Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン)

月に代わって、おしおきよ!

Tsuki ni kawatte, oshioki yo!

“In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!”

— Sailor Moon (Usagi Tsukino)

Answer both practice questions correctly to complete this line.

Not yet

The scene

The finishing declaration of the magical-girl era. Transformed, posed, and pointing at the monster of the week, Sailor Moon passes sentence on behalf of the Moon itself. Heard at the climax of episode after episode since 1992, it taught a generation of fans worldwide their first Japanese catchphrase.

Word by word

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
月tsukithe Moon
に代わってni kawatte'on behalf of / in the name of' — from 代わる (kawaru, to take someone's place)
おしおきoshioki'punishment' — a slightly old-fashioned word (usually written お仕置き)
よyosentence-ending particle of declaration: 'I'm telling you!'

Grammar notes

〜に代わって: in the name of

代わる means to take someone's place or stand in for them. Xに代わって means acting in X's place, on X's behalf — the same phrase a deputy uses in a business speech: 部長に代わって、私が説明します ('On behalf of the department head, I will explain'). Sailor Moon just deputises for the Moon.

A noun can be a whole sentence

おしおきよ has no verb — just 'punishment' plus the declaring よ. The missing 'I will give you' is supplied by the pose. Japanese loves these fragment declarations; compare Light's 計画通り elsewhere on this site.

Can you say this in real life?

おしおき today belongs to scolding grandparents and period dramas — say it, especially with 月に代わって in front, and everyone hears the reference. The keeper is に代わって, real business Japanese for speaking on someone's behalf. Note: the pose is not included in the dictionary definition.

Practice

Q1. What is Sailor Moon about to deliver?

Q2. 「部長に__、私が説明します」 (On behalf of the department head, I'll explain)

Read & Watch Sailor Moon

The best way to enjoy this line in the wild is to meet it in the original work. Official places to read and watch Sailor Moon will be listed here.

Manga

Links coming soon.

Streaming

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DVD & Blu-ray

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