Japanese

[jap-uh-neez, -nees]

adjective

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

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

/ ˌdʒæpəˈniːz /

adjective

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Japanese¹

First recorded in 1580–90; Japan + -ese

Example Sentences

Vietnam Airlines, clothing giant Gap and Japanese multinational Fujifilm also had data leaked, it said.

Read more on Barron's

“I was a little shackled by the Japanese custom that you are only a mom if you go through natural birth, so I had my first child without an epidural,” Nishimura said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“It was pretty difficult for left-handed hitters,” Ohtani said in Japanese amid the Dodgers’ clubhouse celebration following their Game 4 victory.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He was a fan of Naruto, a Japanese comic series, and was planning a trip to Japan after teaching himself its language.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Earlier this year, the Japanese government passed a landmark law giving it more powers in the event of cyber-attacks.

Read more on BBC