List of English words of Japanese origin


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 an incomplete list of 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 ', hand-drawn and computer animation originating from or associated with Japan.
; bokeh :, subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of an image projected by a camera lens.
; bonsai : 盆栽 ', "tray gardening"; the art of tending miniature trees. Originated from Chinese 盆栽 penzai
; bunraku: 文楽, a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, performed by puppeteers, chanters, and shamisen players.
; haiku : 俳句 ', a very short poem consisting of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 morae each; see also tanka below.
; ikebana : 生花, flower arrangement.
; imari: 伊万里, Japanese porcelain wares.
; kabuki: 歌舞伎, a traditional form of Japanese theatre; also any form of elaborate theatre, especially metaphorically.
; 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.
; karaoke : カラオケ ', "empty orchestra"; entertainment where an amateur singer accompanies recorded music.
; kirigami : 切り紙, similar to origami, but involves cutting in addition to folding.
; koto: 琴, a traditional stringed musical instrument from Japan, resembling a zither with 13 strings.
; 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 used to tie the sash of a kimono also to attach small items such as inro and kinchaku: sometimes beautifully carved.
; noh: 能 nō, 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.
; senryu : 川柳, a form of short poetry similar to haiku.
; shamisen: 三味線, a three-stringed musical instrument, played with a plectrum.
; sumi-e : 墨絵, a general term for painting with a brush and black ink.
; tanka : 短歌, "short poetry"; an older form of Japanese poetry than haiku, of the form 5-7-5-7-7 morae.
;tankōbon :単行本, "independent/standalone book"; term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series or corpus. In modern Japan, though, it is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a single manga, as opposed to magazines.
;ukiyo-e :浮世絵, a type of woodblock print art or painting.
;waka :和歌, "Japanese poetry"; a word used primarily to describe tanka written between the 9th and 19th centuries.
;wabi-sabi :a world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.

Business

; kaizen: 改善, literally "change for the better." In practice, a Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices, personal efficiency, etc. Initially made famous by the 1986 book of same name.
; 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.
; karoshi : 過労死, "death by overwork, stress death"
; keiretsu : 系列, a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings
; Poka-yoke : "mistake-proofing" or "inadvertent error prevention".
; tycoon : 大君, "great prince" or "high commander", later applied to wealthy business leaders
; zaibatsu : 財閥, a "money clique" or conglomerate

Clothing

; geta: 下駄, a pair of Japanese raised wooden clogs worn with traditional Japanese garments, such as the kimono
; inro: 印籠 inrō, a case for holding small objects, often worn hanging from the obi;
; 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, a casual or simplified summer style of kimono
; zori: 草履 zōri, 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 bentō, 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 ginnan, a gymnospermous tree of eastern China that is widely grown as an ornamental or shade tree and has fan-shaped leaves and yellow fruit
; gyoza : ギョーザ or 餃子 gyōza, Japanese name for Chinese dumplings, jiaozi ; 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
;katsu: カツ, Japanese term for cutlets in general; in English, typically refers to the dish chicken katsu, a type of breaded chicken cutlet served with rice and sauce.
;katsuo :鰹, a skipjack tuna
;katsuobushi :かつおぶし or 鰹節, dried and smoked skipjack tuna, which is shaved and then used in dashi
;koji :麴 or 麹 kōji, a fungus that 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
;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, sticky rice cake
;napa cabbage :菜っ葉, Chinese cabbage,
;nashi :梨, a species of pear native to eastern Asia, which are juicy, round and shaped like apples. Often simply referred to as "asian pear".
;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 rāmen, the Japanese version of Chinese noodle soup, not limited to the instant variety
;sake :酒 ',nihon-shu, an alcoholic beverage, brewed from rice. In Japanese, the word commonly refers 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 :, a type of mandarin orange 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 :醬油 or 醤油shōyu, 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, consisting of thinly sliced beef, tofu, konnyaku noodles, negi, Chinese cabbage, 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 :溜まり or 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. The word may be from Portuguese tempêro/seasoning.
;teppanyaki :鉄板焼き, a type of Japanese cuisine that uses a hot iron griddle to cook food
;teriyaki :照り焼き or テリヤキ, a cooking technique where fish or meat is being broiled/grilled in a sweet soy sauce marinade; in Japanese, it is used exclusively refer to poultry cooked in this manner.
;tofu :豆腐 tōfu ' 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
;umeboshi :梅干, pickled ume
;wakame :ワカメ or 若布, a type of edible kelp, often used in miso soup, and salads
;wasabi :わさび or 山葵, a strongly flavoured green condiment also known as Japanese horseradish
;yakitori :焼き鳥 or 焼鳥, a type of chicken kebab

Government and politics

; daimyō: 大名 daimyō, "great names"; the most powerful Japanese feudal rulers from the 12th century to the 19th century
; genro: 元老 genrō, 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 shōgun , the title of the practical ruler of Japan for most of the time from 1192 to the Meiji Era
; tenno: 天皇, a term for the Emperor of Japan

Martial arts

; aikido: 合気道 aikidō
; dojo: 道場 dōjō
; judo: 柔道 jūdō, refers to the Olympic sport.
; jujutsu: 柔術 jūjutsu, alternately spelt, through mutation, as jiu-jitsu in English.
; karate: 空手 a fighting style which includes the use of hands and feet to strike the opponent, without any weapon, and is also a popular international sports event. Literally means "empty handed".
; kendo: 剣道 kendō
; sumo: 相撲 sumō

Religion

; bonze:, a Buddhist monk
; koan: 公案 kōan, a paradoxical story or statement used during meditation in Zen Buddhism. Inspired the hacker koan tradition among computing circles.
; satori: 悟り, enlightenment in Zen Buddhism
; shinto: 神道 shintō, the native religion of Japan
; torii: 鳥居, traditional Japanese gates commonly found at the gateway to Shinto shrines
; zen : 禅, from Chinese 禪, originally from ध्यान Sanskrit Dhyāna / Pali झान Jhāna, a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism.

Other

;ahegao
;akita
;bukkake :ぶっかけ, a sex act portrayed in pornographic films, in which several men ejaculate on a woman, or another man. Note that in Japanese it has a broader meaning of "to pour" or "to splash".
;domoic acid :
;emoji :絵文字, ideograms used in electronic messages and webpages.
;futon :
;geisha :芸者, traditional Japanese artist-entertainers
;hentai :変態 ', Western usage: pornographic Anime, usually either Japanese in origin or drawn in a Japanese style; Japanese usage: metamorphosis, transformation, abnormality, or perversion
;hikikomori :ひきこもり or 引き籠もり, a psychological condition where the affected individual lives an extremely socially isolated lifestyle, a decision of preference not by default
; honcho: 班長 hanchō, head, chief
; kamikaze: 神風, the literal meaning is "divine wind"; used to refer to a Japanese soldier in World War II who crashed an airplane into a target, committing suicide; also refers to the airplane used in the suicide crash
; katana : A Japanese sword that has been forged using traditional Japanese methods. This is referred to as 日本刀 in Japanese.
; katsura : 桂, large deciduous trees, native to eastern Asia
; kawaii : 可愛い, cute and/or lovely.
; koi : 鯉, Western usage: ornamental varieties of the common carp
; kudzu : A climbing vine found as an invasive species in the south-eastern US, which is native to Japan and south-eastern China
; moxa : もぐさ or 艾 mogusa, mugwort or cotton wool or other combustible material, burned on skin during moxibustion
; moxibustion :, an oriental medicine therapy which involves the burning of moxa
; ninja : Japanese covert agent of the feudal era
; rickshaw :, a human-pulled wagon
; sayonara : 左様なら or さようなら sayōnara the Japanese term for "goodbye"
; samurai : Japanese knight
; 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.
; senpai : 先輩, the Japanese term for "upperclassman" or "senior".
; shiatsu : 指圧, a form of massage
; shiba inu : 柴犬, the smallest of the six original and distinct Japanese breeds of dog
; shinro: しんろ, a logic puzzle related to sudoku
; skosh: A small amount, from 少し or すこし sukoshi, meaning "a bit" or "a few"
; sudoku : 数独 sūdoku ', 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 Japanese raccoon dog in English
; tsunami : 津波, literally "harbor wave"; Large wave caused by earthquakes or other underwater disturbances.
; urushiol : a chemical substance found in poison-ivy, used to make lacquer-ware