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

Under the Plaza Accord, the U.S. and its allies combined joint intervention to push the dollar down against the West German and Japanese currencies with domestic reforms, such as a narrower U.S. budget deficit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Speaking of the intervention in the Japanese yen, “I have asymmetric information,” said Bessent.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

The grocer was founded in 1966 by Japanese immigrants Michio and Aveline Kushi — pioneers of the natural-foods macrobiotic movement who began selling imported organic goods out of their Boston home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

The Japanese giant helped popularise console discs in the 1990s after launching its first PlayStation.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 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