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Japanese

[ jap-uh-neez, -nees ]
/ ˌdʒæp əˈniz, -ˈnis /
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adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of Japan, its people, or their language.
noun, plural Jap·a·nese.
Often Offensive. a native or inhabitant of Japan or a person of Japanese descent. See Usage note at the current entry.
the language of Japan. Abbreviation: Japn., Japn
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Origin of Japanese

First recorded in 1580–90; Japan + -ese

usage note for Japanese

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 WORDS FROM Japanese

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Japanese in a sentence

  • 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

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

    The Problem of China|Bertrand Russell

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

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

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
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