Dictionary.com

Japanese

[ jap-uh-neez, -nees ]
/ ˌdʒæp əˈniz, -ˈnis /
See synonyms for Japanese on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

noun, plural Jap·a·nese.

a native or inhabitant of Japan.
a person of Japanese ancestry.
the language of Japan. Abbreviation: Japn., Japn

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.
Question 1 of 13
How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?
gato/gata
cato/cata
gatto/gatta
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Japanese

First recorded in 1580–90; Japan + -ese

OTHER WORDS FROM Japanese

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for Japanese

  • Pro-Japanese apologetics is dangerous; it obscures the realities of the situation.

    China, Japan and the U.S.A.|John Dewey

  • This party was pro-Japanese and was accepting loans from Japan.

    The Problem of China|Bertrand Russell

  • The society gives wonderful banquets and yammers away about the Brotherhood of Man and sends out pro-Japanese propaganda.

    The Pride of Palomar|Peter B. Kyne

  • Bitterly anti-Kuomintang, the author became pro-Japanese in the autumn of 1937.

    Government in Republican China|Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger

British Dictionary definitions for Japanese

Japanese
/ (ˌdʒæpəˈniːz) /

adjective

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

noun

plural -nese a native or inhabitant of Japan or a descendant of one
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012