List of English words of Japanese origin
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Words of Japanese origin, have entered many languages. Most such words are simple transliterations of Japanese language words for concepts inherent to Japanese culture and realities.
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Arts
- anime
- アニメ, Japanese animation
- bonsai
- 盆栽, "tray gardening"; the art of tending miniature trees
- Bokeh
- (from ぼけ, boke), subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of an image projected by a camera lens
- choka
- 長歌, "long poem"; a genre of Japanese poetry
- gaiden
- 外伝, "outside legend"; a side story
- haiku
- 俳句, a very short poem consisting of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 units each
- hentai
- 変態, explicit sexual or pornographic artwork
- ikebana
- 生花, flower arrangement
- kabuki
- 歌舞伎, a traditional form of Japanese theatre
- karaoke
- カラオケ, "empty orchestra"; entertainment where an amateur singer accompanies recorded music
- manga
- 漫画, comic books
- netsuke
- 根付, a toggle use to tie the sash of a kimono also to attach small items such as inro and kinchaku: sometimes beautifully carved.
- noh
- 能, a major form of classical Japanese musical drama
- origami
- 折り紙, artistic paper folding
- otaku
- オタク or おたく or ヲタク, a geeky enthusiast
- renga
- 連歌, "renged poetry"; a form of Japanese collaborative poetry
- seiyuu
- 声優, a voice actor/actress
- senryu
- 川柳, a form of short poetry similar to haiku
- sumi-e
- 墨絵, Japanese black ink painting
- taiko
- 太鼓, a big drum
- tanka
- 短歌, "short poetry"; an older form of Japanese poetry than haiku
- ukiyo-e
- 浮世絵, a type of woodblock print art or painting
- utamakura
- 歌枕, a rhetorical technique in Waka
- waka
- 和歌, a genre of Japanese poetry, often refers to tanka
Military and martial arts terminology
- aikijutsu
- 合気術 (aikijujutsu, 合気柔術), a form of self-defence developed in feudal times
- ashigaru
- 足軽, foot-soldiers of medieval Japan
- banzai
- 万歳 "ten thousand years"; a blessing for Emperors
- bo
- 棒, a long stick usually made out of wood or bamboo, used as a weapon
- bokken
- 木剣, a wooden sword used a training weapon
- budo
- 武道, Japanese martial arts
- bushi
- 武士, "war-man"
- bushido
- 武士道, "way of the warrior"
- dojo
- 道場, a training hall for the martial arts.
- Gendai Budo
- 現代 武道, "Modern martial arts"; those which were established after the 1868 Meiji Restoration
- Aikido
- 合気道, a form of self defense which does not necessitate in physical injury to the aggressor
- Iaido
- 居合道, the art of drawing a sword, cutting down the opponent, and then re-sheathing the sword in one fluid movement
- Judo
- 柔道, a martial art, a sport and a philosophy developed from Jujutsu
- Karate-do
- 空手道, "empty-hand-way": a Japanese martial art which emphasises striking techniques (i.e. punching and kicking)
- Kendo
- 剣道, the martial art of Japanese swordsmanship
- Kyudo
- 弓道, the Japanese art of archery
- Sumo
- 相撲, a form of wrestling
- hara-kiri
- 腹切り (=seppuku)
- honcho
- (from 班長, hancho)
- jujutsu
- (Jiu jitsu), 柔術, a variety of close combat fighting systems (see article)
- kamikaze
- 神風, English usage: World War II suicide pilots (Japanese usage is different)
- kata
- 型, detailed patterns of defense-and-attack movements used by many traditional martial arts
- katana
- 刀, the Japanese longsword (or Japanese swords in general)
- kenjutsu
- 剣術, teaching of efficient use of the Japanese sword in combat
- KiAi
- 気合, yells used by martial arts students to focus energy when executing a technique
- koryu
- 古流, schools of martial arts that predate the Meiji restoration
- ninja
- 忍者, a stealthy warrior and assassin
- nunchaku
- ヌンチャク, a martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or thong
- randori
- 乱取り, in martial arts, free-style practice or sparring, sometimes with multiple attackers
- ronin
- 浪人, a name given to masterless samurai during the feudal period of Japan
- sai
- a dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections attached to the handle
- samurai
- 侍, a common term for a warrior in pre-industrial Japan
- seppuku
- 切腹, ritual suicide by disembowelment
- wakizashi
- 脇差, a traditional Japanese sword, similar to but shorter than a katana, together with which it was often worn
- yojimbo
- 用心棒, a bodyguard, security person or sometimes assassin
- yumi
- 弓, a Japanese longbow used in the practice of Kyudo
- zanbato
- 斬馬刀, literally "horse-slaying sword", an especially large type of sword consisting of a large blade on a pole.
Writing system
- The four Japanese writing systems:
- hiragana
- 平仮名, a Japanese syllabary, one of the four Japanese writing systems
- katakana
- 片仮名, a Japanese syllabary, one of the four Japanese writing systems
- kanji
- 漢字, Chinese characters used in Japanese, one of the four Japanese writing systems
- romaji
- ローマ字, the Roman alphabet; the writing of the Japanese language in Roman characters
- kana
- 仮名, a general term for hiragana and katakana
- furigana
- ふりがな, kana printed next to a kanji or other character to indicate its pronunciation
- hebon-shiki
- ヘボン式, Hepburn romanization
- kunrei-shiki
- (monbusho) romanization, 訓令式, literally "Cabinet-ordered system", a system for transcribing the Japanese language into the Roman alphabet
- kunyomi
- 訓読み, the reading of a word that originates from Japanese prior to the introduction of Kanji characters (and their Chinese readings) from China
- mojibake
- 文字化け, "broken characters"; the result of trying to display text in character encodings which a piece of software is not configured to deal with
- nippon-shiki
- romanization, 日本式, a romanization system that conforms strictly to the kana writing system and is easier for Japanese speakers to use
- onyomi
- 音読み, the Japanese approximation of the original Chinese pronunciation of a Kanji character
- rosiaji
- (Cyrillization of Japanese), ロシア字 (kiriru moji, キリル文字)
Around the house
- futon
- 布団, a type of mattress that makes up a Japanese bed
- shoji
- 障子, a translucent rice paper screen with a wooden frame, used as a room divider or door
- tatami
- 畳, traditional Japanese flooring, made of woven straw
Clothing
- geta
- 下駄, a pair of Japanese raised wooden clogs worn with traditional Japanese garments, such as the kimono
- kimono
- 着物, a traditional full-length robe-like garment still worn by women, men and children
- obi
- 帯, a wide belt which is tied in the back to secure a kimono
- yukata
- 浴衣 or ゆかた, a kind of casual kimono, literally "bath clothing", consisting of one big piece of cloth with two wide sleeves
- zori
- 草履, sandals made from rice straw or lacquered wood, worn with a kimono for formal occasions
- gaku-ran
- 学ラン, Japanese school uniform for boys
- serafuku
- セーラー服, Japanese school uniform for girls
Culinary
- bento
- 弁当, a single-portion takeout meal
- edamame
- 枝豆, soybeans boiled whole in the green pod and served with salt
- fugu
- 河豚 or フグ, the meat of the toxic pufferfish, prepared by specially trained chefs
- gyokuro
- 玉露, expensive specially harvested green tea
- hibachi
- 火鉢, a small, portable charcoal grill
- matcha
- 抹茶, powdered green tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony
- miso
- 味噌, a thick paste made by fermenting soybeans with salt
- ninjin
- 人参, Carrot
- nori
- 海苔, food products created from the seaweed laver by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking.
- ramen
- ラーメン, the Japanese version of Chinese noodle soup
- sake
- 酒, an alcoholic beverage, brewed from rice
- sashimi
- 刺身, a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of the freshest raw seafoods thinly sliced served with only a dipping sauce
- shabu shabu
- しゃぶしゃぶ, a meal where each person cooks their own food in their own cooking pot from an assortment of raw ingredients
- shiitake mushroom
- 椎茸, an edible mushroom typically cultivated on the shii tree
- soy
- from shoyu 醤油
- shoyu
- Japanese soy sauce
- soba
- 蕎麦, thin brown buckwheat noodles
- sukiyaki
- すき焼き or スキヤキ, a dish in the nabemono-style (one-pot), consisting of thinly sliced beef, tofu, konnyaku noodles, leeks, onions, Chinese cabbage, and enoki mushrooms among others
- sushi
- 鮨 or 鮓 or 寿司, a dish consisting of vinegared rice combined with other ingredients such as raw fish, raw or cooked shellfish, or vegetables
- tabemono
- 食べ物, a term for Japanese food in general
- tamari
- たまり, liquid obtained by pressing soybeans
- tempura
- 天麩羅, classic Japanese deep fried batter-dipped seafood and vegetables
- teriyaki
- 照焼き or テリヤキ, a cooking technique where fish or meat is being broiled in a sweet soy sauce marinade
- tofu
- 豆腐, bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk with calcium sulfate, nigari, or other agents, and then pressing into blocks, similar to the way cheese is made from milk
- udon
- 饂飩, a type of thick wheat-based noodle
- umami
- 旨味 or うま味, the taste sensation produced by some proteins such as monosodium glutamate; a basic flavor in Japanese and Chinese cuisine
- unagi
- 鰻 or 鰍, eel
- wasabi
- 山葵 or わさび, a strongly flavoured green condiment commonly known as Japanese horseradish
- yakitori
- 焼き鳥, a type of chicken kebab
Government and politics
- bakufu
- 幕府, the administration of a Shogun; a shogunate
- daimyo
- 大名, "great names"; the most powerful Japanese feudal rulers from the 12th century to the 19th century
- Kimigayo
- 君が代", the Japanese national anthem
- Mikado
- 帝, a dated term for "emperor"; specifically for the Emperor of Japan
- Sessho
- 摂政, a title given to a regent who is named to assist an emperor when the emperor is still a child, before the coming of age, or female
- Shogun
- 将軍, the title of the practical ruler of Japan for most of the time from 1192 to the Meiji Era
- Taikō
- 太閤, a title given to a retired Sessho and Kampaku regent in Japan
- Tennō
- 天皇, the Emperor of Japan
- tycoon
- 大君, "great prince", a title of the Shogun, later applied to wealthy business leaders
- zaibatsu
- 財閥, a "money clique" or conglomerate
Religion
- kami
- 神, the Japanese word for any sort of god or spirit
- Shinto
- 神道, the native religion of Japan
- torii
- 鳥居, traditional Japanese gates commonly found at the gateway to Shinto shrines
- zazen
- 座禅, sitting meditation; literally "seated concentration"
- Zen
- 禅, a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism
Other
- Akita
- 秋田 (from 秋田犬, akitainu or akitaken), the Akita Inu, a breed of huge Japanese dog
- geisha
- 芸者, traditional Japanese artist-entertainers
- ginkgo
- 銀杏, a plant
- gisu
- go
- 碁,a strategic, two-player board game based on capturing territory
- hanko
- 判子 or ハンコ (or inkan : 印鑑), a name seal customarily used in Japan instead of signatures
- ichiban
- 一番, "number one"; the first or the best
- Kampaku
- 関白, the title of a regent who assists an adult emperor
- koi
- 鯉, Western usage: ornamental varieties of the common carp (but in Japan this just means "carp" -- the ornamental variety are called "nishikigoi" 錦鯉)
- kokyo
- 皇居, the Japanese Imperial palace
- kudzu
- 葛 or クズ, a type of Japanese vine; cultivated in Japan, viewed as a weed in the West
- nijubashi
- 二重橋, bridge to the Japanese Imperial palace
- rickshaw
- (from 人力車, jinrikisha), a human-pulled wagon
- sayonara
- さようなら the Japanese term for "goodbye"
- sensei
- 先生, the Japanese term for "master", "teacher" or "doctor". It can be used to refer to any authority figure, such as a schoolteacher, professor, priest, or politician.
- shakuhachi
- 尺八, Japanese bamboo flute
- shiatsu
- 指圧, a form of massage
- Shiba Inu
- 柴犬, the smallest of the six original and distinct Japanese breeds of dog
- skosh
- (from 少し, sukoshi), a small amount
- shinkansen
- 新幹線, high speed rail in Japan
- sudoku
- 数独, a number placement puzzle, also known as Number Place in the United States.
- tanuki
- 狸, the Japanese name for the animal, Nyctereutes procyonoides, known as a raccoon dog in English
- tsunami
- 津波, literally "wave in port"; a tidal wave
- tsutsugamushi
- ("insect disease" = scrub typhus)
- yakuza
- やくざ, Japanese organized crime groups
See also
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