{"id":106590,"date":"2023-05-03T21:17:15","date_gmt":"2023-05-04T01:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/japanese-loanwords-in-english\/"},"modified":"2025-02-26T04:03:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T09:03:52","slug":"japanese-loanwords-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/japanese-loanwords-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"32 Cool Japanese Loanwords We All Use in English"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know we use lots of Japanese words in English? If you\u2019re learning Japanese, you already have a leg up. Let me introduce you to 32 Japanese loanwords we use in English.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The original Japanese word, usually written in kanji<\/a>,\u00a0is included for each loanword\u00a0(plus hiragana<\/a> in parentheses).<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc skip=3]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nature<\/h2>\n

1. Typhoon<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u53f0\u98a8 \u00a0(\u305f\u3044\u3075\u3046)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning:<\/strong> \u53f0 (\u305f\u3044) means “table” or “pedestal,” and \u98a8 (\u3075\u3046) means “wind.”<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> A tropical cyclone occurring in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> Typhoon Surigae was the strongest tropical cyclone in 2021, but the costliest was Hurricane Ida.<\/p>\n

Typhoons are common during late summer and early autumn\u00a0in Japan, often causing minor damages\u00a0in the southern Okinawa islands and disrupting transportation in large cities.<\/p>\n

2. Tsunami<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u6d25\u6ce2 (\u3064\u306a\u307f) \u2013 In Japanese, the t<\/em>\u00a0is pronounced, unlike in English.<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning:<\/strong> \u6d25 (\u3064) is “harbor” or “port,” and \u6ce2 (\u306a\u307f) means “wave.”<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> An unusually large, destructive ocean wave.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> The town was almost wiped out when the tsunami hit.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Japan has had more than its fair share of tsunamis. We commonly use the Japanese word to describe these devastating natural disasters in English.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Koi<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u9bc9 (\u3053\u3044)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning: <\/strong>\u9bc9 (\u3053\u3044) just means “carp”\u2014no surprises there!<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> Colored varieties of carp usually kept for ornamental purposes.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> Please don’t throw pennies in the koi pond. They can make the fish sick.<\/p>\n

Food & Drink<\/h2>\n

4. Sushi<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u5bff\u53f8 (\u3059\u3057)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning:<\/strong> \u5bff (\u3059) means “congratulations”<\/a> or “longevity,” and \u53f8 (\u3057) is “official.” If you think about it, it’s quite sweet that the kanji for sushi is “official congratulations!”<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> A dish made from vinegared rice often wrapped with seaweed, and toppings such as raw fish or a type of raw or pickled vegetable.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> To celebrate your promotion, let’s go out for sushi!<\/p>\n

There was no reason to rename this famous Japanese dish. It comes in several forms, but English-speakers are most familiar with makizushi<\/em> (rolled rice and seaweed with other ingredients inside) and nigirizushi <\/em>(hand-pressed rice with one ingredient on top).<\/p>\n

5. Tofu<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u8c46\u8150 (\u3068\u3046\u3075) \u2013 In Japanese, the\u00a0“tou” sound is longer than the “fu,” which is very short.<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning:<\/strong> \u8c46 (\u3068\u3046) is “beans” and \u8150 (\u3075) means “ferment” or “rot.” It may sound a bit gross, but the Japanese have cleverly mastered several dishes involving fermenting various foods.<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> A soft, white, high-protein food made from curdled soymilk.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> I’ll have the vegetarian ramen with tofu, please!<\/p>\n

Tofu is a delicious addition to many sweet and savory Japanese dishes\u2014as well as dishes in other countries. In Japan, there are still many professional tofu makers.<\/p>\n

6. Ramen<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u3089\u30fc\u3081\u3093 , \u30e9\u30fc\u30e1\u30f3<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> A soup of noodles in seasoned broth, other toppings optional.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> Man, I practically lived on ramen when I was studying for exams.<\/p>\n

Ramen is actually a Chinese dish, but has been adapted in Japan and is a long-standing Japanese word. Instant ramen noodles were invented in Japan<\/a>, and instant or cup ramen is a cheap staple food for college students (and adults) all over the world.<\/p>\n

7. Wasabi<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u5c71\u8475 (\u308f\u3055\u3073)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning:<\/strong> \u5c71 means “mountain” and \u8475 is “hollyhock.” But \u5c71\u8475 is ateji<\/em>,\u00a0which is\u00a0kanji used semantically without regard to the readings.<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> Spicy Japanese horseradish often added to sushi and other fish-based dishes.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> I ate too much wasabi, and it sure cleared out my sinuses!<\/p>\n

Wasabi is difficult to grow outside its home ecosystem, so real wasabi is quite a treat\u2014albeit one best appreciated in small amounts! Whether you can get it in your home country or not, most people have heard of wasabi.<\/p>\n

8. Teriyaki<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u7167\u308a\u713c\u304d \u00a0(\u3066\u308a\u3084\u304d)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning:<\/strong> \u7167\u308a (\u3066\u308a) means “shine” and \u713c\u304d (\u3084\u304d) means “grilled.” Perhaps this kanji was given to it because the sauce glaze makes the chicken look like it’s “shining.”<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> A preparation of meat, especially chicken, broiled or grilled with a particular sweet-savory glaze.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> Want to try that new teriyaki place tonight?<\/p>\n

Japanese teriyaki sauce<\/a> is made from soy sauce, sugar and rice wine, giving it its unique flavor. Western versions sometimes use other ingredients, such as garlic or pineapple juice. Teriyaki chicken is often served outside Japanese restaurants, meaning that some people may be surprised the word is of Japanese origin.<\/p>\n

9. Sake<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u9152 (\u3055\u3051)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning:<\/strong> \u9152 (\u3055\u3051) literally means “alcohol.” Add \u304a at the beginning of the kanji (\u304a\u9152) to describe any alcoholic drink.<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> The negotiations went smoothly after a couple rounds of sake.<\/p>\n

Aah, sake. The businessman’s best friend and an essential addition to your “new experiences” to try in Japan. Though often referred to as “rice wine,” sake is made with a brewing process more akin to that of beer.<\/p>\n

Arts<\/h2>\n

10. Origami<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u6298\u308a\u7d19 (\u304a\u308a\u304c\u307f)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning: <\/strong>\u6298 (\u304a\u308a) means “to fold,” and \u7d19 (\u304c\u307f) is “paper.”<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> The art of folding paper into fanciful shapes.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> We learned how to make origami cranes in Arts and Crafts today.
\n<\/strong>
\nThis old Japanese art literally means “paper folding” and is hugely important in July’s Star Festival<\/a> in Japan.\u00a0 English-speakers may have heard the story of Sadako Sasaki and the 1,000 paper cranes<\/a>, which inspired an international children’s peace movement.<\/p>\n

11. Shamisen<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u4e09\u5473\u7dda \u00a0(\u3057\u3083\u307f\u305b\u3093)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning: <\/strong>\u4e09 (\u3057\u3083) is “three,” \u5473 (\u307f) is “flavor” and \u7dda (\u305b\u3093) means “line” or, in this case, “string.”<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> A\u00a0stringed musical instrument often featured in traditional Japanese theater.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> I love the unique sound of the shamisen.<\/p>\n

As you might guess from the \u4e09 in its name, the shamisen has three strings. It is played with a special pick called a bachi<\/em>.<\/p>\n

12. Haiku<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u4ff3\u53e5 \u00a0(\u306f\u3044\u304f)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning:<\/strong> \u4ff3 (\u306f\u3044) means “poem” or “actor,” and \u53e5 (\u304f) means “clause” or “passage.”<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> A traditional Japanese poem with 17 syllables arranged in three lines, usually 5\/7\/5.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> A handful of words, both concise and evocative: I am a haiku.<\/p>\n

You may have studied haiku in school, but you may not know that in Japanese, the syllable rules work differently<\/a> than they do in English.<\/p>\n

13. Manga<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u6f2b\u753b (\u307e\u3093\u304c)<\/p>\n

Kanji meaning:<\/strong> \u6f2b (\u307e\u3093) means “random” or “uncontrolled,” and \u753b (\u304c) is “picture.”<\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> Japanese comic books.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> Have you seen Tyler’s collection of manga? It’s enormous!<\/p>\n

Manga\u00a0are extremely popular in Japan and beyond. Shelves of these visual stories can be seen not only in libraries and bookshops, but also in restaurants and convenience stores.<\/p>\n

14. Anime<\/h3>\n

Japanese:<\/strong> \u30a2\u30cb\u30e1 <\/p>\n

English meaning:<\/strong> Japanese-style animation.<\/p>\n

Example usage:<\/strong> The first anime I saw was “Spirited Away,” but my favorite is “Attack on Titan.”<\/p>\n

Okay, this one might be cheating a little, since the word “anime” technically comes from the English word “animation”\u2014that’s why it appears in katakana, the writing system of choice for foreign words in Japanese\u2014but it wouldn’t have felt right not to include it. “Anime” is the Japanese word for “cartoon,” and more specifically, Japanese-style animation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Anime has been the inspiration for many an English-speaker to start learning Japanese. If that describes you, you can take learning from Japanese media to the next level with an immersive learning program like FluentU<\/a>.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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In English, we sometimes say “koi carp,” but in Japanese, it’s just “koi.” They are largely featured in Japanese decorations as a symbol of love, friendship, or good fortune, and koi-shaped streamers are used in Japanese festivals such as Children’s Day<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n