List of English words of Japanese origin

Strictly speaking, the vast majority of these words are Japanese words borrowed into English language for concepts inherent to Japanese culture and realities.

Arts

• anime, アニメ, Japanese animation
• bonsai, 盆栽, "tray gardening"; the art of tending miniature trees
• choka, 長歌, "long poem" a genre of Japanese poetry
• gaiden, 外伝, a side story
• haiku, 俳句, a very short poem consisting of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 units each
• hentai, 変態, explicit sexual or pornographic artwork
• ikebana, 生花, flower arrangement
• kabuki, 歌舞伎, a traditional form of Japanese theatre
• karaoke, カラオケ, entertainment where an amateur singer accompanies recorded music
• manga, 漫画, comic books
• netsuke,根付 , a toggle use to tie the sash of a kimono also to attach small items such as inro and noh, 能, a major form of classical Japanese musical drama
• origami, 折り紙, artistic paper folding
• otaku, オタク or おたく or ヲタク, a geeky enthusiast
• renga, 連歌, a form of Japanese collaborative poetry
• seiyuu, 声優, a voice actor/actress
• senryu, 川柳, a form of short poetry similar to haiku
• sumi-e, 墨絵, Japanese black ink painting
• taiko, 太鼓, a big drum
• tanka, 短歌, an older form of Japanese poetry than haiku
• ukiyo-e, 浮世絵, a type of woodblock print art or painting
• utamakura, 歌枕, a rhetorical technique in Waka
• waka, 和歌, a genre of Japanese poetry, often refers to tanka

Military and martial arts terminology

• aikijutsu, 合気術 (aikijujutsu, 合気柔術), a form of self-defence developed in feudal times
• ashigaru, 足軽, foot-soldiers of medieval Japan
• banzai, 万歳 "ten thousand years" -- a blessing for Emperors
• bo, 棒, a long stick usually made out of wood or bamboo, used as a weapon
• bokken, 木剣, a wooden sword used a training weapon
• budo, 武道, Japanese martial arts
• bushi, 武士, "war-man"
• bushido, 武士道, "way of the warrior"
• dojo, 道場, a training hall for the martial arts.
• Gendai Budo, 現代 武道, "Modern martial arts"; those which were established after the 1868 Meiji Restoration
  • Aikido, 合気道, a form of self defense which does not necessitate in physical injury to the aggressor
  • Iaido, 居合道, the art of drawing a sword, cutting down the opponent, and then re-sheathing the sword in one fluid movement
  • Judo, 柔道, a martial art, a sport and a philosophy developed from Jujutsu
  • Karate-do, 空手道, a Japanese martial art which emphasises striking techniques (i.e. punching and kicking)
  • Kendo, 剣道, the martial art of Japanese swordsmanship
  • Kyudo, 弓道, the Japanese art of archery
  • Sumo, 相撲, a form of wrestling
• hara-kiri, 腹切り (=seppuku)
• honcho (from 班長, hancho)
• jujutsu (Jiu jitsu), 柔術, a variety of close combat fighting systems (see article)
• kamikaze, 神風, English usage: World War II suicide pilots (Japanese usage is different)
• kata, 型, detailed patterns of defense-and-attack movements used by many traditional martial arts
• katana, 刀, the Japanese longsword (or Japanese swords in general)
• kenjutsu, 剣術, teaching of efficient use of the Japanese sword in combat
• KiAi, 気合, yells used by martial arts students to focus energy when executing a technique
• koryu, 古流, schools of martial arts that predate the Meiji restoration
• ninja, 忍者, a stealthy warrior and assassin
• nunchaku, a martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or thong
• randori, 乱取り, in martial arts, free-style practice or sparring, sometimes with multiple attackers
• ronin, 浪人, a name given to masterless samurai during the feudal period of Japan
• sai, a dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections attached to the handle
• samurai, 侍, a common term for a warrior in pre-industrial Japan
• seppuku, 切腹, ritual suicide by disembowelment
• wakizashi, 脇差, a traditional Japanese sword, similar to but shorter than a katana, together with which it was often worn
• yojimbo, 用心棒, a bodyguard, security person or sometimes assassin
• yumi, 弓, a Japanese longbow used in the practice of Kyudo
• zanbato, 斬馬刀, literally "horse-slaying sword", an especially large type of sword consisting of a large blade on a pole.

Writing system

• The four Japanese writing systems:
  • hiragana, 平仮名, a Japanese syllabary, one of the four Japanese writing systems
  • kanji, 漢字, Chinese characters used in Japanese, one of the four Japanese writing systems
  • katakana, 片仮名, a Japanese syllabary, one of four Japanese writing systems
  • romaji, ローマ字, the Roman alphabet: the writing of the Japanese language in Roman characters

• furigana, ふりがな, kana printed next to a kanji or other character to indicate its pronunciation
• hebon-shiki (Hepburn romanization), ヘボン式
• kana, 仮名, a general term for hiragana and katakana
• kunrei-shiki (monbusho) romanization, 訓令式, literally "Cabinet-ordered system", a system for transcribing the Japanese language into the Roman alphabet
• kunyomi, 訓読み, the reading of a word that originates from Japanese prior to the introduction of Kanji characters (and their Chinese readings) from China
• mojibake, "broken characters": the result of trying to display text in character encodings which a piece of software is not configured to deal with
• nippon-shiki romanization, 日本式, a romanization system that conforms strictly to the kana writing system and is easier for Japanese speakers to use
• onyomi, 音読み, the Japanese approximation of the original Chinese pronunciation of a Kanji character
• rosiaji (Cyrillization of Japanese), ロシア字 (kiriru moji, キリル文字)

Around the house

• futon, 布団, a type of mattress that makes up a Japanese bed
• shoji, 障子, a translucent rice paper screen with a wooden frame, used as a room divider or door
• tatami, 畳, traditional Japanese flooring, made of woven straw

Clothing

• geta, 下駄, a pair of Japanese raised wooden clogs worn with traditional Japanese garments, such as the kimono
• 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 or ゆかた, a kind of casual kimono, literally "bath clothing", consisting of one big piece of cloth with two wide sleeves
• zori, 草履, sandals made from rice straw or lacquered wood, worn with a kimono for formal occasions

Culinary

• bento, 弁当, a single-portion takeout meal
• edamame, 枝豆, soybeans boiled whole in the green pod and served with salt
• fugu, 河豚 or フグ, the meat of the toxic pufferfish, prepared by specially trained chefs
• gyokuro, 玉露, expensive specially harvested green tea
• matcha, 抹茶, powdered green tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony
• miso, 味噌, a thick paste made by fermenting soybeans with salt
• nori, 海苔, food products created from edible varieties of seaweed by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking.
• ramen, ラーメン, the Japanese version of Chinese noodle soup
• sake, 酒, an alcoholic beverage, brewed from rice
• sashimi, 刺身, a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of the freshest raw seafoods thinly sliced served with only a dipping sauce
• 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, 椎茸, an edible mushroom typically cultivated on the shii tree
• shoyu, Japanese soy sauce
• soba, 蕎麦, thin brown buckwheat noodles
• sukiyaki, 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, leeks, onions, Chinese cabbage, and enoki mushrooms among others
• 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
• tamari, liquid obtained by pressing soybeans
• tempura, 天麩羅, classic Japanese deep fried batter-dipped seafood and vegetables
• teriyaki, 照焼き or テリヤキ, a cooking technique where fish or meat is being broiled in a sweet soy sauce marinade
• tofu, 豆腐, bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk with calcium sulfate, nigari, or other agents, and then pressing into blocks, similar to the way cheese is made from milk
• udon, 饂飩, a type of thick wheat-based noodle
• umami, 旨味, the taste sensation produced by some proteins such as monosodium glutamate; a basic flavor in Japanese and Chinese cuisine
• unagi, 鰻 or 鰍, eel
• wasabi, 山葵 or わさび, a strongly flavoured green condiment commonly known as Japanese horseradish
• yakitori, 焼き鳥, a type of chicken kebab

Government and Politics

• bakufu, 幕府, the administration of a Shogun; a shogunate
• daimyo, 大名, "great names"; the most powerful Japanese feudal rulers from the 12th century to the 19th century
• Mikado, 帝, a dated term for "emperor"; specifically for the Emperor of Japan
• Sessho, 摂政, a title given to a regent who is named to assist an emperor when the emperor is still a child, before the coming of age, or female
• Shogun, 将軍, the title of the practical ruler of Japan for most of the time from 1192 to the Meiji Era
• Taikō, 太閤 a title given to a retired Sessho and Kampaku regent in Japan
• Tennō, 天皇, the Emperor of Japan
• tycoon, 大君, "great prince", a title of the Shogun, later applied to wealthy business leaders
• zaibatsu, 財閥, a "money clique" or conglomerate

Religion

• kami, 神, the Japanese word for any sort of god or spirit
• Shinto, 神道, the native religion of Japan
• torii, 鳥居, traditional Japanese gates commonly found at the gateway to Shinto shrines
• zazen, 座禅, sitting meditation; literally "seated concentration"
• Zen, 禅, a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism

Other

• Akita, 秋田 (akitainu, 秋田犬), the Akita Inu, a breed of huge Japanese dog
• geisha, 芸者, traditional Japanese artist-entertainers
• gisu
• go, 碁,a strategic, two-player board game based on capturing territory
• hanko, 印鑑 (or inkan, 印鑑), a name seal customarily used in Japan instead of signatures
• ichiban, , number one - the first or the best
• Kampaku, 関白, the title of a regent who assists an adult emperor
• koi, 鯉, Western usage: ornamental varieties of the common carp (but in Japan this just means "carp" -- the ornamental variety are called "nishikigoi" 錦鯉)
• kokyo, 皇居, the Japanese Imperial palace
• kudzu, 葛 or クズ, a type of Japanese vine; cultivated in Japan, viewed as a weed in the West
• rickshaw (from 人力車, jinrikisha), a human-pulled wagon
• sayonara, さようなら or さよなら the Japanese for "goodbye"
• 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.
• Shiba Inu, 柴犬, the smallest of the six original and distinct Japanese breeds of dog
• skosh (from 少し, sukoshi), a small amount
• shinkansen, 新幹線, high speed rail in Japan
• tanuki, the Japanese name for the animal, Nyctereutes procyonoides, known as a raccoon dog in English
• tsunami, 津波, literally "wave in port"; a tidal wave
• tsutsugamushi, ("insect disease" = scrub typhus)
• yakuza, やくざ, Japanese organized crime groups

Related articles

• Cuisine of Japan
  • List of Japanese cooking utensils
• Lists of English words of international origin