English word written in japanese

English words of Japanese origin

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Words of Japanese origin have entered many languages. Some words are simple transliterations of Japanese language words for concepts inherent to Japanese culture, but some are actually words of Chinese origin that were first exposed to English via Japan. The words on this page are words which are listed in major English dictionaries and whose etymologies include Japanese. The reverse of this list can be found at List of gairaigo and wasei-eigo terms.

Arts

anime 

アニメ, Japanese animation; refers to animation in general in Japanese (derived from either the English «animation» or French «dessin animé»)

bonsai 

盆栽, «tray gardening»; the art of tending miniature trees (see the unrelated word «banzai» below)

bokeh 

(from ぼけ, boke), subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of an image projected by a camera lens

bunraku 

文楽, a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, performed by puppeteers, chanters, and shamisen players

chanoyu 

茶の湯, Japanese tea ceremony

haiku 

俳句, a very short poem consisting of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 morae (not syllables as commonly thought) each; see also tanka below

ikebana 

生花, flower arrangement

imari 

伊万里, Japanese porcelain wares (made in the town of Arita and exported from the port of Imari, particularly around the 17th century)

kabuki 

歌舞伎, a traditional form of Japanese theatre

kakemono 

掛け物, a vertical Japanese scroll, of ink-and-brush painting or calligraphy, that hangs in a recess on a wall inside a room

kakiemon 

柿右衛門, Japanese porcelain wares featuring enamel decoration (made in Arita, using the style developed in 17th century by 酒井田 柿右衛門 Sakaida Kakiemon)

karaoke 

カラオケ, «empty orchestra»; entertainment where an amateur singer accompanies recorded music

katsuramono 

鬘物, in Noh, the 3rd Category play (三番目物 sanbanme mono) of a 5 Category play series (五番立 goban date), where the leading role (仕手 shite) is a beautiful woman

kirigami 

切り紙, similar to origami, but involves cutting in addition to folding

koto 

箏, a traditional stringed musical instrument from Japan, resembling a zither with 13 strings

kutani 

九谷, Japanese porcelain wares, made originally in the town of Kutani of the ancient Kaga Province (current day Ishikawa)

makimono 

巻物, a horizontal Japanese hand scroll, of ink-and-brush painting or calligraphy

manga 

まんが or 漫画, Japanese comics; refers to comics in general in Japanese

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 music drama

origami 

折り紙, artistic paper folding

otaku 

オタク or おたく or ヲタク, a geeky enthusiast, especially of anime and manga

renga 

連歌, «renged poetry»; a form of Japanese collaborative poetry

Satsuma 

薩摩焼 satsuma-yaki pottery from southern Kyushu

senryu 

川柳, a form of short poetry similar to haiku

shakuhachi 

尺八, Japanese bamboo flute

shamisen 

三味線, a three-stringed musical instrument, played with a plectrum

shunga 

春画, erotic pictures

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, of the form 5-7-5-7-7 morae (not syllables; see also haiku above)

ukiyo-e 

浮世絵, a type of woodblock print art or painting

waka 

和歌, a genre of Japanese poetry, often refers to tanka

Military and martial arts terminology

aikido 

合気道, a «blending» art similar to judo

banzai 

万歳 «ten thousand years»; a blessing for Emperors and in modern usage a word of congratulation (see the unrelated word «bonsai» above)

budo 

武道, Japanese martial arts (lit. «martial way»)

bushido 

武士道, «way of the warrior»

Dan 

段, a Japanese mark of level, used in several cultural activities of Japanese origin; in budo arts the dan rank distinguishes which level of black belt one has; dan is also used in go, shogi, ikebana, chanoyu, and other arts

dojo 

道場, a training hall for the martial arts

hara-kiri 

腹切り, ritual suicide (see also seppuku)

honcho 

(from 班長, hancho, team leader or class chairperson) as in «the head honcho.» The Japanese term means «squad leader»

judo 

柔道, a martial art, a sport and a philosophy developed from jujutsu (see below), lit. «soft way»

jujutsu 

柔術, a variety of close combat fighting systems (see article), lit. «soft skill» (also commonly called jiu jitsu)

kamikaze 

神風, refers to Japanese World War II suicide pilots in English; in Japanese, refers to strong winds that twice scuppered Mongol attempts to invade the archipelago in the 13th century

karate 

空手, lit. «empty hand»: a Japanese weaponless martial art which emphasises striking techniques (i.e. punching and kicking)

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)

kendo 

剣道, the martial art of Japanese swordsmanship, lit. «sword-way»

kuzushi 

崩し, in Judo, a method of unbalancing one’s opponent

ninja 

忍者, a stealthy warrior and assassin, lit. «shinobi practitioner» or people who practice ninjutsu (sometimes transliterated as ninjitsu 忍術).

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, often specifically multiple-attacker freestyle, lit. «messy striking»

ronin 

浪人, a name given to masterless samurai during the feudal period of Japan, lit. «wave man» i.e. as if tossed about on a stormy sea

Sai 

釵, a dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections attached to the handle

samurai 

侍, a common term for a warrior in pre-industrial Japan (see also bushi, above)

seppuku 

切腹, ritual suicide by disembowelment (lit. «cutting the abdomen»; see also harakiri, above)

sumo 

相撲, a form of wrestling

wakizashi 

脇差, a traditional Japanese sword, similar to but shorter than a katana, together with which it was often worn

Writing system

• The 4 Japanese writing systems are comprised of: kanji, hiragana, katakana, and romaji.

hiragana 

平仮名, a Japanese syllabary, one of the four Japanese writing systems

kana 

仮名, a general term for hiragana and katakana

kanji 

漢字, Chinese characters used in Japanese, one of the four Japanese writing systems

katakana 

片仮名, a Japanese syllabary, one of the four Japanese writing systems

romaji 

ローマ字 rōmaji, the Roman alphabet; the writing of the Japanese language in Roman characters (similar to Chinese Pinyin)

Domestic items

fusuma 

襖 or ふすま, sliding vertical rectangles which redefine spaces within a room, and act as doors

futon 

布団, a type of mattress that makes up a Japanese bed (Japanese futons are thinner than the Western variety and do not use frames)

hooch 

(from うち or 家 uchi), a thatched hut

shoji 

障子 shōji, 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

tokonoma 

床の間, a small raised alcove in a washitsu (a Japanese style room with a tatami floor) where kakemono (decorative scrolls) are hung, and ikebana may be displayed

Clothing

geta 

下駄, a pair of Japanese raised wooden clogs worn with traditional Japanese garments, such as the kimono

happi (coat), Happy coat 

法被 or はっぴ a traditional Japanese workwear (uniform) overcoat.

inro 

印籠, a case for holding small objects, often worn hanging from the obi; (traditional Japanese wears didn’t have pockets)

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

tabi 

足袋, traditional Japanese socks, with a separation between the big toe and other toes

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

Culinary

adzuki, azuki bean 

あずき or 小豆, type of bean grown in eastern Asia and the Himalayas, used in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisines, usually served sweet

arame 

荒布, a type of edible seaweed

bento 

弁当, a single-portion takeout meal, box lunch

daikon 

大根, a kind of white radish

dashi 

だし or 出汁, a simple soup stock considered fundamental to Japanese cooking

edamame 

枝豆, soybeans boiled whole in the green pod and served with salt

enokitake, enoki mushroom 

えのきたけ or 榎茸, long, thin white mushrooms, used in Japanese, Korean and Chinese cuisines

fugu 

河豚 or フグ, the meat of the toxic pufferfish, must be prepared by specially trained chefs by law. Also means pufferfish itself.

ginkgo 

銀杏 or ぎんなん, a gymnospermous tree (Ginkgo biloba) of eastern China that is widely grown as an ornamental or shade tree and has fan-shaped leaves and yellow fruit (the word is derived from 17th Century Japanese 銀杏 ginkyō)

gyoza 

ギョーザ or 餃子, Japanese name for Chinese dumplings, jiaozi (jiǎozi); may also be called pot stickers in English if they are fried

hibachi 

火鉢, a small, portable charcoal grill; used in North America to refer to a teppan or a small shichirin-like aluminium or cast iron grill

hijiki 

ひじき or 鹿尾菜, a type of edible seaweed commonly found on rocky coastlines

kaki 

柿, Japanese persimmon

katsuo 

鰹, a skipjack tuna

katsuobushi 

かつおぶし or 鰹節, dried and smoked skipjack tuna (katsuo), which is shaved and then used in dashi

Koji 

麹, a fungus which is the active agent in the fermentation processes, of producing miso and soy sauce from soybeans, and of producing sake and shōchū from rice.

kombu 

昆布, dried kelp, which can be eaten or used as dashi

matcha 

抹茶, powdered green tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony

matsutake 

松茸, a type of edible mushroom, with a magnificently spicy aroma similar to cinnamon, considered to be a great delicacy and the most coveted mushroom in Japan

mirin 

味醂, an essential condiment of the Japanese cuisine, a kind of rice wine similar to sake with a slightly sweet taste

miso 

味噌, a thick paste made by fermenting soybeans with salt

mizuna 

水菜, an edible plant, with flavor akin to the mustard plant

mochi 

餅, the Japanese variant of Chinese rice cake

nappa, napa cabbage 

菜っ葉, Chinese cabbage, (in Japan, it is a generic term for leaf vegetables.)

nashi (pear) 

梨, a species of pear native to eastern Asia, which are juicy, round and shaped like apples

nori 

海苔, food products created from the seaweed laver by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking.

panko 

パン粉, Japanese white bread flakes. Panko is made from bread without crusts, thus it has a crisper, airier texture than most types of breading found in Western cuisine.

ramen 

ラーメン, the Japanese version of Chinese noodle soup, not limited to the instant variety

sake 

酒, an alcoholic beverage, brewed from rice. In Japanese, the word can also refer to alcoholic drinks in general

sashimi 

刺身, a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of the freshest raw seafoods thinly sliced and served with only a dipping sauce and wasabi.

satsuma 

(from 薩摩 Satsuma, an ancient province of Japan), a type of mandarin orange (mikan) native to Japan

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 

しいたけ or 椎茸, an edible mushroom typically cultivated on the shii tree

shoyu 

Japanese soy sauce

soba 

蕎麦 or ソバ, thin brown buckwheat noodles

soy 

from shoyu 醤油

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, negi, Chinese cabbage (bok choy), and enoki mushrooms among others

surimi 

すり身 or 擂り身, processed meat made from cheaper white-fleshed fish, to imitate the look of a more expensive meat such as crab legs

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

takoyaki

たこ焼, たこ焼き, or 章魚焼き, literally fried or baked octopus

tamari 

たまり, liquid obtained by pressing soybeans

tempura 

てんぷら or 天麩羅, classic Japanese deep fried batter-dipped seafood and vegetables

teppanyaki 

鉄板焼き, a type of Japanese cuisine that uses a hot iron griddle (teppan) to cook food

teriyaki 

照焼き or テリヤキ, a cooking technique where fish or meat is being broiled/grilled in a sweet soy sauce marinade

tofu 

豆腐 bean curd. Although the word is originally Chinese, it entered English via Japanese.

udo 

ウド or 独活, an edible plant found on the slopes of wooded embankments, also known as the Japanese Spikenard

udon 

うどん or 饂飩, a type of thick wheat-based noodle

umami 

旨味 or うま味, the taste sensation produced by some condiments such as monosodium glutamate; a basic flavor in sea weed (昆布 kobu)

umeboshi 

梅干, pickled ume

wakame 

ワカメ or 若布, a type of edible kelp, often used in miso soup (Japan), and salads

wasabi 

わさび or 山葵, a strongly flavoured green condiment commonly known as Japanese horseradish

yakitori 

焼き鳥 or 焼鳥, a type of chicken kebab

Business

karoshi 

過労死, «death from overwork»

kaizen 

改善, literally «improvement»

kanban 

看板, literally a «signal» or «sign» signals a cycle of replenishment for production and materials and maintains an orderly and efficient flow of materials throughout the entire manufacturing process. Part of Six Sigma

keiretsu 

系列, a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings

salaryman 

サラリーマン (derived from English salary + man), a Japanese term for a white-collar worker

tycoon 

(from 大君 «taikun»), «great prince» or «high commander», later applied to wealthy business leaders

zaibatsu 

財閥, a «money clique» or conglomerate

zaikai 

財界, the grand combination of the business circle (jitsugyōkai 実業界), the economic circle (keizaikai 経済界), and the financial circle (kin’yūkai 金融界) of Japan; controlled by Tycoons with large capitals, who have big influence on the political circle (seikai 政界) and the society as well

Government and politics

daimyo 

大名, «great names»; the most powerful Japanese feudal rulers from the 12th century to the 19th century

genro 

元老, retired elder Japanese statesmen, who served as informal advisors to the emperor, during the Meiji and Taisho eras

mikado 

帝, a dated term for «emperor»; specifically for the Emperor of Japan

shogun 

将軍, the title of the practical ruler of Japan for most of the time from 1192 to the Meiji Era

tenno 

天皇, the Emperor of Japan

Religion

bonze 

(from 凡僧 bonsō), a Buddhist monk

kami 

神, the Japanese word for any sort of god or spirit

koan 

公案, a paradoxial story or statement used during meditation in Zen Buddhism

roshi 

老師, lit. elder master; an elder master or spiritual leader who leads a school of Zen Buddhism

satori 

悟り, enlightenment in Zen Buddhism

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 large breed of Japanese dog

aucuba 

(from 青木葉 aokiba, lit. «blue tree leaf»), a genus of flowering plants, (in Japanese aucuba translates to aoki-zoku アオキ属)

domoic acid 

(from ドウモイ doumoi in the Tokunoshima dialect of Japanese: a type of red algae)

gaijin 

外人, a foreigner (Gaikokujin 外国人 is a more polite form)

geisha 

芸者, traditional Japanese artist-entertainers

go 

碁, a strategic, two-player board game based on capturing territory

hanami 

花見, lit. «flower viewing»

hentai 

変態, Western usage: pornographic cartoons, usually either Japanese in origin or drawn in a Japanese style; Japanese usage: metamorphosis, transformation, abnormality, or perversion

juku 

塾, cram schools

katsura (tree) 

桂, large deciduous trees, native to eastern Asia

keirin 

競輪, a type of track cycling competition which originated and continues in Japan; keirin has also become a Summer olympics event and a world championships event sanctioned by the UCI

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)

kudzu 

葛 or クズ, a type of Japanese vine; cultivated in Japan, viewed as a weed in the West

matsu 

松, pine tree

matsuri 

祭り, a local festival, typically sponsored by a local shrine or temple in Japan

medaka 

めだか or 目高, a small fish found in fresh waters of Japan

moxa 

もぐさ or 艾, mugwort or cotton wool or other combustible material, burned on skin during moxibustion

moxibustion 

(from moxa + (com)bustion), an oriental medicine therapy which involves the burning of moxa (see above)

pachinko 

パチンコ, a device used for gambling and is related to pinball machines

rickshaw 

(from 人力車, jinrikisha), a human-pulled wagon

sakura 

桜 or サクラ, cherry blossom

sayonara 

さようなら the Japanese term for «goodbye» (note, though, that in Japanese, it has formal and final connotations: you wouldn’t say it if you expect to meet again soon)

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.

shiatsu 

指圧, a form of massage

shiba Inu 

柴犬, the smallest of the six original and distinct Japanese breeds of dog

shinkansen 

新幹線, high speed rail in Japan

shogi 

将棋, a Japanese strategic board game similar to chess, sometimes called Japanese chess

Shōjo 

少女, girl(s).

sika (deer) 

(from 鹿 shika), a type of deer native to East Asia, which are widespread in Japan, and at one time regarded as sacred in Japan

skosh 

(from 少し, sukoshi), a small amount

soroban 

そろばん or 算盤, the Japanese abacus

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 «harbour wave»; Large wave caused by earthquakes or other underwater disturbances.

tsutsugamushi 

(«insect disease» = scrub typhus)

urushiol 

(from うるし, a plant that gives a skin rash on contact) a chemical substance found in poison-ivy, used to make «Japanned» lacquer ware

yagi (antenna) 

八木, a type of directional antenna, often mounted on the rooftop to be used for TV reception; its official name is the Yagi-Uda Antenna, named after Yagi Hidetsugu (八木 秀次) and Uda Shintaro (宇田 新太郎) who were its coinventors in 1926

yakuza 

やくざ, Japanese organized crime groups

See also

• Anime and manga terminology
• Cuisine of Japan
  • Category:Japanese cooking tools
• Japanese translation note

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Published — January 2009

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