“自杀飞行员”，1945年，日语，字面意思是“神风”，来自kami“神，天意”（参见kami）+ kaze“风”。据说最初是民间传说中给予一个台风的名字，该台风通过摧毁忽必烈的舰队（公元1281年8月）拯救了日本免受蒙古入侵。第二次世界大战的攻击始于1944年10月，在菲律宾附近。1946年作为形容词使用。
As an aside, at war's end, the Japanese had, by actual count, a total of 16,397 aircraft still available for service, including 6,374 operational fighters and bombers, and if they had used only the fighters and bombers for kamikaze missions, they might have realized, additionally, 900 ships sunk or damaged and 22,000 sailors killed or injured. In fact, however, the Japanese had outfitted many aircraft, including trainers, as potential suicide attackers. As intelligence estimates indicated, the Japanese believed they could inflict at least 50,000 casualties to an invasion force by kamikaze attacks alone. [Richard P. Hallion, "Military Technology and the Pacific War," 1995]
顺便提一句，战争结束时，日本实际可用的飞机总数为16,397架，其中包括6,374架作战中的战斗机和轰炸机。如果他们仅使用战斗机和轰炸机执行kamikaze任务，可能还会额外造成900艘船只沉没或损坏，22,000名水手死伤。然而，实际上，日本已将许多飞机，包括教练机，装备为潜在的自杀攻击者。正如情报估计所示，日本人相信，他们可以仅通过kamikaze攻击就给入侵军队造成至少50,000人的伤亡。[理查德·P·哈利翁，《军事技术与太平洋战争》，1995年]
