Japanese

[ jap-uh-neez, -nees ]

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Japan, its people, or their language.

noun,plural Jap·a·nese.
  1. Often Offensive. a native or inhabitant of Japan or a person of Japanese descent. : See Usage note at the current entry.

  2. the language of Japan. Abbreviation: Japn., Japn

Origin of Japanese

1
First recorded in 1580–90; Japan + -ese

usage note For Japanese

In the past, the word Japanese has been used as a noun to describe a person or people (the store owner is a Japanese ). This usage is dated and often considered offensive today.

Other words from Japanese

  • an·ti-Jap·a·nese, adjective, noun, plural an·ti-Jap·a·nese.
  • non-Jap·an·ese, adjective, noun, plural non-Jap·an·ese.
  • pro-Jap·a·nese, adjective, noun, plural pro-Jap·a·nese.
  • pseu·do-Jap·a·nese, adjective, noun, plural pseu·do-Jap·a·nese.
  • qua·si-Jap·a·nese, adjective

Words Nearby Japanese

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How to use Japanese in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Japanese

Japanese

/ (ˌdʒæpəˈniːz) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Japan, its people, or their language

noun
  1. plural -nese a native or inhabitant of Japan or a descendant of one

  2. the official language of Japan: the native language of approximately 100 million people: considered by some scholars to be part of the Altaic family of languages

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