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

At Wimbledon, she walked out in a Japanese kimono which I thought was so elegant.

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2026

Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said the government is considering ways to encourage investors to buy more domestic securities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026

After slamming into the Japanese islands and sweeping past Taiwan's northern tip, Bavi is expected to make landfall in eastern China over the weekend.

From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026

First identified by Japanese geologists in 2006, petit-spot volcanoes are small submarine volcanoes that provide evidence for pockets of magma already present near the top of Earth's mantle, an idea originally proposed in the 1960s.

From Science Daily • Jul. 10, 2026

It’s true—the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor, severely crippling US naval and air strength in the Pacific.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly