Kawabata

American  

[kah-wuh-bah-tuh, kah-wah-bah-tah] / ˌkɑ wəˈbɑ tə, ˈkɑ wɑˈbɑ tɑ /

noun

1. Yasunari 1899–1972, Japanese novelist and short-story writer: Nobel Prize 1968.

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Kawabata British  

/ ˌkæwəˈbɑːtə /

noun

1. Yasunari (ˌjæsʊˈnɑːrɪ). 1899–1972, Japanese novelist, author of Yukiguni ( Snow Country , 1948) and Yama no oto ( The Sound of the Mountain , 1954): Nobel prize for literature 1968

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Example Sentences

Working with Japanese American woodworker Toshi Kawabata of Barrban Woodworks, Lizabeth Altounian realized her dream of living in a Kyoto-style dwelling, on a small scale.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025

Yasunari Kawabata leaves much unsaid and unexplained but with swift sure lines conveys Komako’s love, anger and hopelessness along with the mountains’ beauty and danger.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

"Yoon may have been impressed with the softness of Japanese-style omurice," Kawabata said.

From Reuters • Mar. 16, 2023

The academy awarded him the Nobel Prize in literature in 1994, making him the second Japanese author to receive the honor, after Yasunari Kawabata in 1968.

From Washington Post • Mar. 13, 2023

Mr. Oe was Japan’s second Nobel laureate in literature, after Yasunari Kawabata in 1968.

From New York Times • Mar. 13, 2023