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

His visit Tuesday came during the community’s annual Nisei Week festival, which celebrates Japanese American culture and history.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

“The issue with the U.S. is that the size of the Treasury market dwarfs the combined size of the Japanese, U.K., E.U. and other countries in Asia.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, on a visit to Australia, supported security cooperation with key defence backer Washington and neighbour Seoul.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

Anita Yavich’s costumes were very much on point, especially the mixed Western and Japanese attire of the rich prince Yamadori.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The Japanese Armed Forces have flooded into the school, looking for contraband, and she wants to warn as many people as she can.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly