Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
adzuki adsuki aduki azuki | a kind of bean. |
aikido | a Japanese martial art. |
akebia | a climbing shrub. |
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. No —S. |
bento obento | a Japanese lunchbox. |
bokken | a wooden sword used for training. |
bonsai. No —S. | 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. |
daiko taiko | a large Japanese drum. |
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. |
edamame | a preparation of baby soybeans in the pod commonly found in Japan, China and Korea. |
emoji | a standardized image with a specific meaning, used in electronic communication. |
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 > FUSUMAS. |
futon | a Japanese mattress. |
gagaku | a type of Japanese classical music. |
gaijin | a Japanese term for a foreigner. No —S. |
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 > HANIWAS. |
happi | a loose Japanese coat. |
hapkido | a Korean martial art > HAPKIDOS. |
happoshu | a Japanese drink similar to beer. |
hibachi | a portable barbecue for cooking food out of doors. |
hibakusha | a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. |
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. No —S. |
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. |
kabocha | a kind of pumpkin or squash. |
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. |
kakuro | a kind of logic puzzle, resembling a mathematical crossword. |
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. |
kawaii | in Japanese culture, the quality of being cute. |
keiren keirin | an 8-lap track cycling event in which the riders follow a motorcycle pacer for the first 5 1/2 laps, sprinting the remaining 2 1/2 laps after the motorcycle has pulled off the track. |
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. |
kogal | a teenage girl or young woman noted for her busy social life and her purchase of expensive designer clothes and accessories and the latest electronic gadgets. |
koi | a Japanese carp. |
koji | a fungus used to initiate fermentation in making soy sauce. |
koka | the lowest score awarded in judo, three points. | 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. |
mamasan | a Japanese woman in a position of authority. |
manga | a type of adult comic book popular in Japan. |
manrikigusari | a type of weapon consisting of weights on a chain. |
masu | a Japanese salmon. |
matcha | a tea made from finely ground green tea leaves > MATCHAS. |
matsuri | a Shinto festival held at a shrine. |
matsutake | a Japanese mushroom. |
medacca medaka | a small Japanese freshwater fish. |
meishi | a Japanese calling or business card. |
mibuna | a Japanese vegetable, closely related to MIZUNA. |
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. |
mochi | a concoction made with rice flour and sweetened bean paste. |
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. No —S. |
noh | a kind of Japanese classical drama. No —S. |
nori | dried seaweed pressed into sheets, eaten in Japan. |
norimon | a Japanese covered litter, carried by men. |
nunchaku numchuck nunchuk nunchuck | 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. |
ozeki | a champion sumo wrestler. |
pachinko | a Japanese arcade game. |
panko | a variety of breadcrumb from Japanese and French cuisine used to create a crunchy coating for fried foods. [Japanese pan, bread, + ko, flour]. |
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. |
renga | a kind of linked Japanese verse. |
reishi | a kind of mushroom with a shiny cap. |
rikishi | a champion sumo wrestler. No —S. |
robata | a grill used in Japanese cooking. |
roji | a form of Japanese garden design. |
rokkaku | a Japanese fighting kite. No —S. |
romaji | a system of transliterating Japanese into the Roman alphabet. |
ronin | a lordless SAMURAI. |
roshambo | the game of rock-paper-scissors. |
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. |
ryu | a school of Japanese martial arts. |
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. |
santoku | a kind of knife. |
sasanqua | a kind of camellia. |
sashimi | fish, sliced paper-thin and served raw. |
satori | the illumination of spirit sought by Zen Buddhists |
satsuma | a small citrus fruit. |
sayonara | goodbye. |
seiza | a kneeling position in Japanese martial arts. |
sen | a monetary unit of Japan. Pl. SEN or SENS. |
sensei sensi | a teacher. |
senryu | a 3-line Japanese poem. No —S. |
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. |
shochu | a Japanese liquor. |
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. |
shojo | MANGA intended primarily for girls. |
shoyu | soy sauce. |
shubunkin | a type of variegated, large-finned goldfish. |
shumai | Japanese dumplings. |
shuriken | a hand-held throwing weapon, either long and thin or flat and star-shaped, used by ninja warriors. |
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. No —S. |
soroban | a Japanese abacus. |
sudoku | a type of puzzle in which numbers must be entered into a square grid in such a way that no number is repeated in any row, column or internal square > SUDOKUS. |
sukiyaki | a dish of sliced meat, vegetables, and seasoning, fried together. |
sumi | a type of black Japanese ink. |
sumo | a Japanese form of wrestling. |
sumotori | a sumo wrestler. |
surimi | synthetic Japanese crabmeat. |
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. No —S. |
tosa | a heavily built, smooth-haired dog. |
tsuba | a metal plate at the top of a Japanese scabbard, serving as a sword-guard. |
tsubo | a Japanese unit of area. |
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. |
ume | a fleshy yellow fruit, similar to an apricot but having a sour flavour, used mainly to make drinks, preserves, and sauces > UMES. |
umeboshi | a pickled ume fruit, having a distinctive sour and salty flavour. |
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]. |
wagyu | a Japanese breed of beef cattle. |
waka | a Japanese verse-form. |
wakane | an edible seaweed that can be used as salad vegetable. |
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. No —S. |
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. No —S. |
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. |
zendo | a place where Zen Buddhists study. |
zori | a Japanese sandal. |