sci.lang.japan FAQ / 5. Japanese and English

5.5. What English words come from Japanese?

The following table gives some English words which have origins in Japanese. In some cases, the English word has a different meaning, spelling, or pronunciation from the original Japanese.

English word	Romanized Japanese word	Kanji/kana	Notes
Adzuki	azuki	小豆	A kind of bean.
Anime	anime	アニメ	An abbreviation of "animation", now used to mean "Japanese animation". See also 8.3. What are contracted words like rimokon? for more on contracted words.
Bokeh	boke	ぼけ	A photographic term meaning out of focus. See also 6.12. What does boke* mean?*
Bonsai	bonsai	盆栽	The art of growing miniature trees.
Bukkake	bukkake	ぶっかけ	A sexual practice. In Japanese, this just means "splash on". See 6.10. What does bukkake* mean?*
Edamame	edamame	枝豆	Soy beans
Futon	futon	布団	The Japanese term means either a foldable mattress (shikibuton (敷き布団) or a duvet (kakebuton (掛け布団). The wooden framed sofa-bed called a "futon" in Western countries is not related to the Japanese futon, which is usually laid on the floor on top of tatami.
Ginkgo	ginkyō	銀杏	A kind of tree and its nut.
Go	igo	囲碁	A game played with black and white stones.
Haiku	haiku	俳句	Although "haiku" has become a kind of poetry in English consisting of seventeen English syllables, the meaning in Japanese is a seventeen-syllable poem which contains a seasonal word or phrase, kigo (季語). The meaning of "syllables" is also different from English, since the seventeen "syllables" are moras ("beats") rather than true syllables. See 7.6. What is the difference between a mora and a syllable?.
Hibachi	hibachi	火鉢	A kind of grill.
Ikebana	ikebana	生け花	Japanese flower arranging.
Karaoke	karaoke	カラオケ	The Japanese term originates from kara (空} "empty" and oke (オケ}, an abbreviation for "orchestra" (see 8.3. What are contracted words like rimokon?). It is usually written all in katakana.
Kimono	kimono	着物	A "kimono" is usually made of silk and worn with an obi. The dressing gown called a kimono in the west is closer to the Japanese yukata (浴衣) than a Japanese kimono.
Manga	manga	漫画	Manga just means "comics" in Japan but has come to mean "Japanese comics" in English.
Mirin	mirin	みりん	A flavouring.
Miso	miso	みそ	A flavouring.
Moxa	mogusa	艾	This is usually called kyū (灸) in modern Japanese.
Nashi	nashi	梨	A fruit which looks like an apple and tastes like a pear.
Noh	nō	能	A kind of Japanese drama.
Origami	origami	折紙	The art of paper-folding.
Rickshaw	jinrikisha	人力車	A taxi pulled by a human.
Sake	sake	酒	Rice wine
Sashimi	sashimi	刺身	Fish served raw. See also 1.2.1. What are the origins of the kanji* for sushi?*
Satsuma	mikan	ミカン	In English this means a kind of orange. The name "satsuma" comes from the name of the province of Japan where the oranges were grown. The province "Satsuma" no longer exists. It was located in present-day Kyushu. Japanese people associate the word "satsuma" with a kind of sweet potato, satsuma-imo (薩摩芋), rather than tangerines.
Sensei	sensei	先生	"Teacher", often used in karate classes.
Shiatsu	shiatsu	指圧	The finger massage technique.
Shiitake	shiitake	しいたけ椎茸	A kind of mushroom.
Shoji	shōji	障子	A paper and wood partition.
Sika	shika	シカ鹿	A kind of deer. Pronounced like "seeker" in English, although the Japanese word is pronounced "she-ka".
Soy	shōyu	醤油	A kind of bean, made into soy sauce.
Sudoku	sūdoku	数独	See 3.9. What is the origin of the name of the number puzzle "sudoku"?
Sushi	sushi	すし	See also 1.2.1. What are the origins of the kanji* for sushi?*
Tempura	tempura	天ぷら	See also 4.2. Which Japanese words come from Portuguese?.
Teriyaki	teriyaki	てりやき	A form of cooking with a glaze.
Tofu	tōfu	豆腐	Bean curd.
Umami	umami	うまみ	A flavour.
Yakitori	yakitori	焼き鳥	Grilled chicken.
Zori	zōri	草履	Otherwise known as "flip flops".

sci.lang.japan FAQ / 5. Japanese and English

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