|
|
|
Japanese | |
| adzuki adsuki+ aduki+ azuki+ | a kind of bean. |
| aikido | a Japanese martial art. |
| akita+ | a large powerfully built breed of Japanese dog. |
| anime | a genre of Japanese film based on manga comics. |
| arame | a type of seaweed |
| aucuba | a plant, Aucuba japonica. |
| ayu | a small edible Japanese fruit. Aka SWEETFISH. |
| banzai | a Japanese warlike shout. |
| basho | in sumo wrestling, a tournament. Pl. BASHO: no -S hook! |
| bento+ obento+ | a Japanese lunchbox. |
| bonsai | the art of growing dwarf trees. |
| bonze | a Japanese or Chinese Buddhist religious teacher. |
| budo | the system or philosophy of the martial arts. |
| bukkake+ | a Japanese sexual practice. |
| bunraku | a form of Japanese puppet theatre with large puppets. |
| bushido | a Japanese code of chivalry. |
| butsudan+ | in Japanese Buddhism, a small household altar. |
| chanoyu chanoyo+ chado+ sado+ | a Japanese tea ceremony. |
| chiyogami | a hand-printed patterned Japanese paper. |
| daikon | a long white Japanese root vegetable similar to a radish. |
| daimio daimyo | a Japanese territorial noble under the old feudal system. |
| daimoku+ | a Nichiren Buddhist chant. |
| dan | a level of efficiency (in Japanese sport). |
| dashi | a clear fish stock used in Japanese cooking. |
| dohyo | a sumo wrestling ring. |
| dojo | a school for the martial arts. |
| enoki | a thin white edible mushroom native to Japan. |
| enokidake enokitake+ | a tree, the Chinese hackberry. |
| fatsia | an evergreen spreading shrub of the ivy family. [Japanese yatsuda]. |
| fugu | a toxin-containing fish |
| fuji | a silk fabric |
| fusuma+ | a Japanese sliding door. No -S. |
| futon | a Japanese mattress. |
| gagaku | a type of Japanese classical music. |
| gaijin | a Japanese term for a foreigner. Pl. GAIJIN: no -S hook. |
| gari+ | thinly sliced pickled ginger, often served with SUSHI. |
| geisha | a trained Japanese hostess who entertains men with conversation, dance etc. |
| genro | a group of Japanese elder statemen. |
| geta | a Japanese wooden sandal with a thong between the toes. |
| gi | a judo or karate costume. |
| gingko ginkgo jingko | a kind of tree. [Japanese from Chinese jinxing, silver apricot]. |
| goban | a board for the playing of go. |
| gohonzon+ | a Buddhist paper scroll. |
| gomoku gobang | a Japanese board game with the object of getting five in a row. |
| gongyo+ | a Buddhist ceremony. |
| gyoza+ | a fried dumpling. |
| habu | a poisonous snake. |
| haikai | a series of linked HAIKU. |
| haiku | a Japanese syllabic verse-form. |
| haniwa | Japanese clay sculptures. No -S hook! |
| hapkido+ | a Korean martial art: HAPKIDOS. |
| hibachi | a portable barbecue for cooking food out of doors. |
| hibakusha | a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Pl. HIBAKUSHA. |
| hiragana | one of two sets of Japanese syllabaries, having a cursive form. Cf. KATAKANA. |
| hizen | a type of richly decorated Japanese porcelain. |
| hokku | a series of HAIKU. |
| honcho | a boss; (verb) to take charge of. [Japanese honcho, from hon (squad) + cho (chief).] |
| ikebana | the Japanese art of formal flower arrangement with special regard shown to balance, harmony, and form. [Japanese: ikeru, to arrange + hana, flower.] |
| imari | a type of Japanese porcelain, richly decorated in red green and blue. |
| inro | a small Japanese container for pills and medicines. Pl. INRO: no -S hook. |
| ippon | a clean throw in judo. |
| issei | a Japanese immigrant to the USA. |
| jinricksha jinrickshaw jinrickisha ricksha rickshaw rikshaw rikishaw jinriksha+ | a small two-wheeled hooded carriage drawn by a man. [Japanese jin, man, + riki, power, + sha, carriage]. |
| jiujitsu jujutsu jujitsu jiujutsu | a Japanese combat art. |
| jomon+ | a particular era in Japanese history. |
| judo | a Japanese form of unarmed combat. |
| judoka judoist | one who practises judo. |
| judogi | jacket and trousers worn by a practitioner of judo. |
| juku+ | a Japanese school that prepares students for university entrance exams. |
| kabuki | a formal, stylized Japanese drama. |
| kago | a Japanese basketwork PALANQUIN. |
| kaizen | the Japanese principle of continuously improving work practice. |
| kaki | a kind of fruit, like a persimmon. |
| kakemono | a Japanese vertical wall-picture or inscription mounted on a roller. |
| kakiemon | a kind of Japanese porcelain. |
| kami | a Japanese divine being. |
| kamikaze | in Japanese tradition, the gale that destroyed the fleet of the invading Mongols in 1281. |
| kana | Japanese syllabic writing. |
| kanban | the manufacturing strategy of delivering parts only when needed. |
| kanji | the characters in Japanese orthography which originate from written Chinese. |
| kanten | agar-agar jelly. |
| karaoke | a Japanese instrument of torture. |
| karate | a martial art. |
| karateka | a practitioner of karate. |
| karoshi+ | death caused by overwork. |
| kata | a sequence of movements in the martial arts. |
| katana | a long single-edged samurai sword. |
| katakana | a Japanese writing system. Cf. HIRAGANA. |
| katsura+ | an Asian tree. |
| keiretsu+ | a hierarchy of supplies part-owned by a parent company. |
| kendo | a Japanese martial art, stick fighting. |
| ki+ | the Japanese martial art spirit. |
| kibei | an American Japanese educated in Japan. |
| kirimon | one of the two Japanese imperial crests. |
| kikumon | the chrysanthemum badge of the Japanese imperial family. |
| kimono | a traditional Japanese costume. |
| kirigami | the Japanese art of cutting and folding paper. |
| koan | a paradox meditated on by Buddhist monks. |
| koban kobang obang | an obsolete Japanese gold coin. |
| koi | a Japanese carp. |
| koji+ | a fungus used to initiate fermentation in making soy sauce. |
| kombu konbu+ | a kind of Japanese seaweed. |
| koto | a Japanese musical instrument. |
| kudzu | an Asian vine |
| kumite+ | freestyle fighting or sparring. |
| kuzu | a thickening agent used in a macrobiotic diet. |
| kyu | a novice grade in e.g. judo. |
| kyogen | a comic interlude between Noh plays. |
| maiko | an apprentice geisha. |
| maki+ | a small segment cut from a roll of long rice. |
| makunouchi | the highest division in sumo wrestling. |
| makimono | a Japanese scroll featuring pictures or calligraphy. Cf. KAKEMONO. |
| manga | a type of adult comic book popular in Japan. |
| masu | a Japanese salmon. |
| matsuri | a Shinto festival held at a shrine. |
| matsutake+ | a Japanese mushroom. |
| maurikigusari | a type of weapon consisting of weights on a chain. |
| medacca medaka | a small Japanese freshwater fish. |
| meishi | a Japanese calling or business card. |
| mikado | an emperor of Japan. |
| mino | a raincoat of hemp etc. Pl. MINOS. |
| minshuku | a Japanese guesthouse. |
| mirin | a sweet rice wine used in Japanese cooking. |
| miso | a type of food paste. |
| mizuna+ | a variety of lettuce with crisp green leaves. |
| mon | a Japanese family badge or crest. |
| mondo | a rapid question-and-answer technique used in Zen Buddhism. |
| mook | a magazine in book form. |
| mousme mousmee | a Japanese girl, esp. a waitress. |
| moxa | a soft woolly mass prepared from the young leaves of Artemisia chinensis, and used as a cautery by burning it on the skin; hence, any substance used in a like manner, as cotton impregnated with niter, amadou. [Japanese mogusa]. |
| mura | a Japanese village. |
| nandin nandina | an evergreen Asiatic shrub of the barberry family. [Japanese nanten]. |
| nashi+ | an Asian pear. |
| netsuke | a small Japanese toggle, decorated with inlays or carving, used to fasten purse to kimono. |
| nigiri+ | a small oval block of wasabi, cold rice and fish. |
| nihonga | a Japanese style of painting, using bright colours and traditional images. |
| ninja | a Japanese martial arts expert. |
| ninjitsu ninjutsu | a Japanese martial art, teaching stealth and camouflage. |
| niramiai | in sumo wrestling, a period of stamping and glaring to cow the opponent. |
| nisei | a second-generation Japanese immigrant. |
| nogaku | = NO, the traditional Japanese style of drama. Pl. NOGAKU: no -S hook. |
| noh | a kind of Japanese classical drama. No -S hook! |
| nori | dried seaweed pressed into sheets, eaten in Japan. |
| norimon | a Japanese covered litter, carried by men. |
| nunchaku numchuck+ | a martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks joined by a length of chain. |
| obi | a broad Japanese sash. {N.B. this is also a West Indian word, meaning witchcraft, and as such can be conjugated as a verb). |
| ojime | a carved bead through which to pass the two cords attached to a Japanese INRO and which when slid down keeps the cords fastened. |
| okimono | a Japanese ornament or figurine. |
| origami | the Japanese art of paper-folding. |
| otaku | young computer nerds. N.B. this is a plural: no -S hook! |
| ozeki | a champion sumo wrestler. |
| pachinko | a Japanese arcade game. |
| ponzu+ | a type of Japanese sauce. |
| raku | a kind of earthenware made in Japan, resembling Satsuma ware, but having a paler color. |
| ramen | a Japanese dish of clear broth with noodles. |
| reiki | a form of Japanese massage therapy. |
| rikishi | a champion sumo wrestler. Pl. RIKISHI: no -S hook! |
| roji | a form of Japanese garden design. |
| rokkaku | a Japanese fighting kite. Pl. ROKKAKU: no -S hook! |
| romaji+ | a system of transliterating Japanese into the Roman alphabet. |
| ronin+ | a lordless SAMURAI. |
| roshi+ | a teacher of Zen Buddhism. |
| rumaki | a Japanese appetizer: marinated chicken liver and a water chestnut grilled in a rasher of bacon. |
| ryokan | a traditional Japanese inn. |
| saikei | a Japanese miniature landscape of bonsai trees etc. |
| saki sake | a Japanese rice wine. |
| sama | a Japanese title given to an exalted person. |
| samisen shamisen | a banjo-like Japanese 3-stringed instrument. |
| samurai | a Japanese warrior. |
| san | a Japanese title or form of address equivalent to Mr or Mrs, placed after the name. |
| sansei | a resident of the Americas born of the offspring of Japanese immigrants. |
| sashimi | fish, sliced paper-thin and served raw. |
| satori | the illumination of spirit sought by Zen Buddhists |
| satsuma | a small citrus fruit. |
| sayonara | goodbye. |
| sen | a monetary unit of Japan. Pl. SEN or SENS. |
| sensei+ sensi+ | a teacher. |
| senryu | a 3-line Japanese poem. N.B. no -S hook. |
| seppuku | Japanese ritual suicide by cutting open the stomach. |
| shakudo | an alloy of copper and a small percentage of gold, used in Japanese decorative art, esp. in sword fittings. |
| shakuhachi | a Japanese bamboo flute. |
| shiai+ | a judo contest. |
| shiatsu shiatzu | a form of massage given with the fingers. |
| shibuichi | an alloy of three parts copper to one part silver, used in Japanese decorative art to give a silver-grey patina. |
| shinju+ | a ritual double suicide of lovers. |
| shitake shiitake | a large dark brown mushroom used in Japanese cookery. |
| shippo | Japanese cloisonne ware. Nice hook for HIPPO! |
| shiso+ | a plant with aromatic leaves used in Japanese cooking. |
| shogi | a Japanese board game. |
| shogun | a hereditary military governor of Japan. |
| shoji | a translucent paper screen forming a sliding door or partition in a Japanese house. |
| shoyu | soy sauce. |
| shubunkin | a type of variegated, large-finned goldfish. |
| sika | a kind of small deer. [Japanese shika]. |
| skimmia | a kind of plant. |
| skosh | a small amount. [Japanese sukoshi, a little bit]. |
| soba+ | noodles made from buckwheat flour. |
| sokaiya | a Japanese corporate racketeer. Pl. SOKAIYA: no -S hook. |
| soroban | a Japanese abacus. |
| sukiyaki | a dish of sliced meat, vegetables, and seasoning, fried together. |
| sumo | a Japanese form of wrestling. |
| sumotori | a sumo wrestler. |
| surimi | synthetic Japanese crabmeat. Pl. SURIMI: no -S hook. |
| sushi | a Japanese dish of raw fish sliced. |
| tabi | a kind of sock worn with Japanese sandals. |
| tai | a Japanese sea bream. |
| tamari | a concentrated sauce made of soya beans and salt. |
| tanka | a 5-line Japanese verse form, its 1st and 3rd lines comprised of 5 syllables, the rest of 7. |
| tanuki | the fur of the raccoon dog. |
| tatami | a Japanese straw floor mat. |
| tempura | a Japanese dish of vegetables and shrimp dipped in batter and deep-fried. |
| tenno | the formal title of an Emperor of Japan. |
| teriyaki | a Japanese dish of meat or shellfish. |
| tofu | a soft Oriental cheese made from soybean milk |
| tokonoma | a small alcove in a Japanese house. |
| torii | a Japanese Shinto temple gateway. N.B. No -S hook! |
| tosa | a heavily built, smooth-haired dog. |
| tsuba | a metal plate at the top of a Japanese scabbard, serving as a sword-guard. |
| tsunami | a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption. |
| tsutsugamushi | any of various rickettsial disease, including scrub typhus. [Japanese tsutsuga, disease + mushi, insect). |
| tsutsumu | the Japanese art of wrapping articles in a harmonious way. |
| udo | a Japanese plant with edible shoots. |
| umami+ | a savoury flavour, the taste of monosodium glutamate. |
| urushiol | an oily phenolic liquid causing skin irritation, which is the toxic principle of poison ivy and other plants, and the main constituent of Japanese lacquer. [Japanese urushi, the plant]. |
| waka | a Japanese verse-form. |
| wakane | an edible seaweed. |
| waribashi | A pair of chopsticks. |
| wasabi | Japanese horse-radish, much used in Japanese cooking as a condiment. |
| yagi | a type of shortwave antenna, named after a Japanese engineer. |
| yakimono | cooking grilled food. |
| yakitori | marinated chicken pieces on skewers. |
| yakuza | a Japanese gangster. Pl. YAKUZA: no -S hook. |
| yen | a Japanese monetary unit. |
| yokozuna | a champion sumo wrestler. |
| yukata | a light kimono. |
| yuko | in judo, a points penalty. |
| yuzu+ | a type of citrus fruit. |
| zaibatsu | a powerful, family-controlled Japanese combine. Pl. ZAIBATSU: no -S hook. |
| zaikai | the business community of Japan. |
| zaitech | the commercial practice of investing in financial markets to augment a company's normal earnings. |
| zazen | Zen meditation |
| zelkova | a Japanese tree. |
| zori | a Japanese sandal. |