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

plural

Japanese

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

• anti-Japanese adjectiveanti-Japanese
• non-Japanese adjectivenon-Japanese
• pro-Japanese adjectivepro-Japanese
• pseudo-Japanese adjectivepseudo-Japanese
• quasi-Japanese adjective

Etymology

Origin of Japanese

First recorded in 1580–90; Japan + -ese

Example Sentences

A Japanese sushi entrepreneur paid a record $3.2 million for a giant bluefin tuna Monday at an annual prestigious new year auction in Tokyo's main fish market, smashing the previous all-time high.

From Barron's

The domestic sovereign debt market is likely weighed by gains among Japanese equities, which may have spurred risk-on sentiment.

From The Wall Street Journal

Takaichi's comments triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash from China, which has urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan and suspended Japanese seafood imports.

From Barron's

China is no longer the biggest overseas buyer as its own brands erode the dominance once enjoyed by Japanese and Korean imports.

From BBC

Tierney understands the book’s intense enthusiasts and the modern men-loving-men genre, which evolved from the Boys Love fandom that originated in 1970s Japanese culture and has persisted in contemporary media with fanfiction and romance writing.

From Salon