Words of Japanese origin have entered many languages. Some words are simple transliterations of Japanese language words for concepts inherent to Japanese culture. 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.
[7] 柿右衛門, Japanese porcelain wares featuring enamel decoration (made in Arita, using the style developed in the 17th century by 酒井田 柿右衛門 Sakaida Kakiemon).
金継ぎ, the artisanry of repairing broken pottery using urushi lacquer and dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, to emphasise the damage. lit. "golden joinery". Also known as kintsukuroi 金繕い, "golden repair".[8] Also in extended use: an aesthetic or world view highlighting imperfection and healing as an essential part of human experience.[9]
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.
[3] 特撮, "special photography", term for films or television shows that feature an abundant usage of special practical effects; the term is most commonly associated with Japanese science fiction and giant monster franchises
[15] 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.
[16] 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.
[23] あずき or 小豆 listenⓘ, type of bean grown in eastern Asia and the Himalayas, used in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisines, usually served sweet. Sometimes simply referred to as red bean or red bean paste in English.
銀杏 or ぎんなん ginnan, 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)
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.[24] (English IPA : [kæt.suː])
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.
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
お好み焼き, listenⓘ is a Japanese teppanyaki, savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients (mixed, or as toppings) cooked on a teppan (flat griddle).
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.
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
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. In Japan surimi is the term for processed fish paste itself, that was traditionally ground in a suribachi mortar.
照り焼き , translating as 'shiny grill'. a cooking technique where fish or meat is being broiled/grilled with a sweet soy sauce and mirin marinade. The mirin will give the protein a luster, shine.
切腹, lit. 'cutting [the] belly', also called harakiri (腹切り, lit. 'abdomen/belly cutting', a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai to die within their code of honour, with their honour relating to themselves or their families. It was occasionally used capital punishment for serious offences or shameful activity.
[34] 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".
(馬鹿, ばか in hiragana, or バカ in katakana) means "fool", "silly", "stupid", or "foolish" and is the most frequently used pejorative term in the Japanese language.[citation needed]
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".
外人, lit. outsider/alien is a Japanese word for foreigners and non-Japanese. The word is typically used to refer to foreigners of non-Asian ethnicities.
花見, lit. "flower viewing" is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; flowers (花, hana) in this case almost always refer to those of the cherry (桜, sakura) or, less frequently, plum (梅, ume) trees.
変態 listenⓘ, Western usage: pornographic Anime, usually either Japanese in origin or drawn in a Japanese style; Japanese usage: metamorphosis, transformation, abnormality, or perversion
ひきこもり or 引き籠もり, a psychological condition where the affected individual lives an extremely socially isolated lifestyle by preference, not by default (compare NEET)
Look up hancho or honcho in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
[42] 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. Can also refer to someone committing a reckless or potentially self-destructive action.
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.
