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| sci.lang.japan FAQ / 5. Japanese and English |
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 7.7. 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". |
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