Japanese

American  

[jap-uh-neez, -nees] / ˌdʒæp əˈniz, -ˈnis /

adjective

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

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noun

• Japanese
  plural

1. Often Offensive. a native or inhabitant of Japan or a person of Japanese descent.

2. the language of Japan. Japn., Japn

Japanese British  

/ ˌdʒæpəˈniːz /

adjective

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

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noun

1. 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

Sensitive Note

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 Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Japanese
  adjective
• non-Japanese
  adjective
• pro-Japanese
  adjective
• pseudo-Japanese
  adjective
• quasi-Japanese
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Japanese
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Japanese

First recorded in 1580–90; Japan + -ese

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Japanese

Others, like the Japanese speaker drivers, were only made in small numbers per year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Japanese officials have raided the country's biggest beer makers over allegations they worked together to raise the price of their beverages.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

DayOne Data Centers, an AI infrastructure firm backed by Japanese investment conglomerate SoftBank, is seeking to raise up to $5 billion in a U.S. initial public offering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The study involved 12 Japanese women between the ages of 35 and 60.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

The propaganda stressed that the Philippines had no hope of surviving a fight against the Japanese, and therefore should surrender immediately.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly