Glossary of Words from Japanese culture

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In this article, we will provide a Glossary of Japanese Words that are mentioned throughout the articles on this site and in Japanese culture. They may be words from the Japanese language, words related to objects, culture, tradition, religion, and others.

These are quite random words, their translations are very straightforward, they may not make any sense, but they can satisfy your curiosity if you want to know the quick meaning of each word or if you stumbled upon this from Google.

List of Japanese Words – Glossary

• -Cho – suffix used for the area in a city;
• -Chome – suffix used for the area in a city smaller than -cho;
• -Fu – urban prefecture;
• -Jo – suffix meaning “castle” as in Osakajo [Osaka Castle];
• -juku – suffix meaning postal city on one of the ancient roads of Japan, such as Tokaido and Nakasendo;
• -Ku – suffix meaning administrative district or custody as in Kita-ku
• -Sama – polite suffix;
• -San – polite suffix, meaning Mr. or Mrs.;
• -Shi – suffix meaning “city”, so Kyoto-shi is the city of Kyoto;
• Aburatorigama – “oil-removing paper”, first used by geisha and kabuki actors, now spread to women’s skincare;
• Aburidashi – ninja technique of writing in invisible ink;
• Aikido – martial arts;
• Aimai – vague;
• Ainu – indigenous peoples of northern Japan and Hokkaido;
• Akari – Japanese paper lamps and lanterns;
• Akiba – abbreviation of “Akihabara”, the famous electronics, gaming, and nerd culture district of Tokyo;
• Akiya – abandoned houses that are increasing, especially in the countryside, as Japan’s population ages and young people move to cities;
• Ama-zake – sweet love;
• Amakudari – lit. ‘descent from heaven’, the practice of former bureaucrats of the public service taking executive positions in companies they had supervised in government;
• ANA – All Nippon Airways
• Anime – a shortened form of the English word ‘animation’ referring to Japanese cartoons;
• Arigata meiwaku – when someone asks you for a favor;
• Arubaito – part-time work from the German word for work Arbeit;
• Asagao – morning glory flowers;
• Atariya – “staged accident” or another incident of that kind, where a scammer pretends injury to gain financial benefit;
• Ateji – “called characters” the kanji used phonetically to represent words with little or no consideration to the underlying meaning of the characters;
• Awamori – strong alcohol from Okinawa;
• Baka – epithet for “stupid”;
• Bakufu – lit. ‘tent administration’, the name given to the Tokugawa shogunate government during the Edo period;
• Bakumatsu – the end of the Bakufu government approximately 1853-1868;
• Bakuto – an illegal gambling gang from the underworld see Yakuza;
• Banto – archaic term for “fixer” administrative between upper management and staff;
• Banzai – traditional joy lit. “10,000 years”;
• Batto-kannon – statue of Kannon with a horse’s head to protect horses;
• Benten – popular goddess;
• Bigaku – sense of beauty;
• Biru Bochi – rooftop cemeteries;
• Biwa – traditional four-stringed lute;
• Bonenkai – lit. “forget the year’s party” year-end party at the workplace usually involving a lot to drink;
• Bonkei & Bonseki – miniature three-dimensional scenery created on a tray using gravel, sand, and moss;
• Bonsai – the art of creating miniature potted plants;
• Boryokudan – lit. ‘violence syndicate’ see Yakuza;
• Boso-zoku – motorcycle gang;
• Bugyo – Magistrate appointed by Tokugawa;
• Buke – is an architectural style associated with the samurai warrior class, characteristically simple and practical;
• Bushi – warrior class;
• Bushido – the way of the warrior, samurai spirit;
• Butsudan – Buddhist altar kept in homes;
• C-mail – the short message service provided by the au mobile operator;
• Chanoyu – the artistic and aesthetic discipline of the tea ceremony;
• Chikuwa – a tubular roll of cooked or grilled fish paste. Literally ‘bamboo ring’ from the method traditionally used to shape it;
• Chin-suru – microwave something
• Chinmoku – silence;
• Chochin – colorful paper lanterns found at temples, shops, and outdoor market stalls;
• Choju-giga – Precursor of the Heian era of modern manga;
• Chonmage – top knot used in the past by samurai and now by sumo wrestlers;
• Chozuya – water source in Shinto shrines for ritual purification of hands and mouth;
• CV -Character voice. – CV – character voice;
• Daikoku – one of the seven lucky gods of Japan.
• Daikon – giant white oriental radish;
• Daimyo – provincial feudal lords during the Edo period.
• Danchi – blocks of public housing;
• Dango – Mochi balls served on bamboo skewers or slang for fraudulent offer;
• Dojin – refers to a group with shared interests;
• Dojinshi – are works, often anime, manga, hentai etc., published by dojin groups;
• Dojo – practice room;
• Dokyosei – classmates;
• Dokyun – term for urban collection similar to “chavs” in the UK;
• Donabe – ceramic pots with lids;
• Doro – street;
• Doryo – colleagues;
• Ebisu – one of the seven lucky gods of Japan.
• Edokko – lit. ‘Edo child’ a person born in the center of Tokyo;
• Ema – an ema is a wooden plaque or board with a wish or prayer written on it hung at Shinto shrines;
• Engawa – a smooth strip of wood like a small porch around a traditional Japanese house;
• Engimono – lucky charms;
• Enjo kosai – compensated dating ‘; a euphemistic term for student prostitution with older men;
• Enka – folk songs;
• Enryo – restraint;
• Entaigo – WWII stalls;
• Ero-kawaii – erotic kawaii, a mix of sexy and cute;
• Fude – calligraphy brush;
• Fufu – husband and wife;
• Fugu – a pufferfish; poisonous fish eaten as a delicacy in Japan;
• Fuhai – corruption;
• Fujisan – Mount Fuji, the highest peak in Japan, at 3776 meters;
• Fukushin – reliable friends;
• Fundoshi – loincloth;
• Fureta- – “more free” part-time worker drifting between jobs;
• Furigana – hiragana script to help with the pronunciation of kanji characters;
• Furin – wind chime;
• Furo – bath;
• Fusuma – sliding paper doors found in traditional homes and temples; sliding paper and wooden screen;
• Futoko – the growing phenomenon of students refusing to go to school;
• Futon – traditional mattress laid on the floor for sleeping;
• Futsugo – common speech;
• Gagaku – ancient court music;
• Gaisensha – sound trucks, equipped with public address systems, used for advertising or by the right to broadcast their propaganda;
• Gals – urban fashion tribe;
• Gaman – endurance;
• Ganguro – fashion tribe that favors a tanned look;
• Garakei – a compound word from Galapagos Syndrome and keitaidenwa referring to old mobile phones;
• Gei-no-jin – TV “talent” or star;
• Gengo – name of the era such as Taisho, Showa, Heisei, Reiwa etc;
• Genkan – the genkan is the entrance area of a Japanese house where people take off their shoes;
• Geta – wooden sandals;
• Giri – duties or social obligations, hence the duty giri-ninjo and humanity;
• Go – board game with black and white counters;
• Gokaido – the five main highways of the Edo period;
• Gokudo – gangsterism;
• Gomagi – piece of wood on which Shinto prayers are written;
• Green Car – The Green Car is equivalent to First Class on European trains or Business Class on airlines in Japanese trains;
• Gundam – legendary animated Japanese science fiction phenomenon;
• Hachimaki – hairband;
• Hagoita – battledore associated
• Haiku – Japanese poem consisting of three lines arranged in a syllable count of 5-7-5;
• Hakimono – footwear: tabi, sandals, slippers, geta, setta, zori;
• Hakko Ichiu – “the eight corners of the world under one roof” military slogan from the early Showa period;
• Han – name for feudal territories during the Edo period;
• Hanami – flower viewing;
• Hanko – personal seal/stamp;
• Hanten – a padded cotton coat;
• Hanto – Peninsula;
• Haori – short kimono jacket;
• Haragei – “art of the belly” or mutual understanding;
• Haramaki – are traditional Japanese cotton belly warmers;
• Hashi – chopsticks;
• Hashi – bridge;
• Hihokan – a Japanese sex museum;
• Hikari – shinkansen express train;
• Hikikomori – a term for young people who become reclusive and refuse to leave their homes to interact with society at large;
• Hoji – Buddhist memorial service;
• Hori-kotatsu – sunken place in a tatami room covered with a kotatsu table;
• Hosutesu – “hostess”, a woman who entertains men in a club for that purpose;
• Hosuto – “host”, a man who entertains women in a club for that purpose;
• Hotei – god of happiness, derived from China;
• Hotto – “hot”, meaning “hot coffee”, a staple of kissaten;
• i-mode – wireless internet developed by NTT for its mobile phones and based on a compact version of HTML, not compatible with WAP;
• Ichirizuka – mounds of earth that indicate the distance of 1 ri
• Ijime – bullying;
• Ikebana – the art of arranging cut flowers;
• Ikigai – the concept of “a reason for being” or the pursuit of self-fulfillment;
• Ikki – to drink a drink in one go;
• Ikuji – early childhood education;
• Inemuri – “sleeping while present” napping in public places, such as on trains,
• Irezumi – tattoo;
• Irori – traditional hearth or fireplace;
• Ishidatami – that paved the roads of the Edo period;
• J-League – the Japanese professional football league formed in 1993, now consisting of 2 divisions: J1 and J2;
• J-pop – Japanese pop music often featuring young idol singers, boy bands, and girl bands, such as Morning Musume;
• JAF – Japan Automobile Federation;
• JAL – Japan Airlines;
• japan – in lowercase means lacquer or urushi
• Jidai geki – samurai dramas on TV;
• Jika-tabi – rubber boots with toes;
• Jimmu – mythical first emperor of Japan;
• Jinja – shrine;
• Jitensha – bicycle;
• Jizai Kagi – fireplace hook;
• Jizo – Bodhisattva and protector of travelers;
• JNTO – Japan National Tourism Organization
• Joshi kosei – high school girls;
• Joshi-buka – boss-subordinate relationship in Japanese companies;
• Joyato – The stone lantern from the Edo era lit after dark to guide travelers;
• JR – Japan Railways;
• JTB – Japan Travel Agency;
• Juku – cram school;
• Kagura – kagura is a type of traditional music and dance approaching pantomime associated with the myths and founding gods and goddesses of Japan;
• Kaisha – company, business;
• Kaishaku – a second who delivered the mercy stroke to a samurai committing seppuku;
• Kaisoku – rapid train;
• Kaitenzushi – Japanese sushi restaurants where sushi rotates on a small conveyor belt;
• Kami – ‘Gods’ or Shinto spirits that can reside in animals, rocks, trees, and other natural phenomena;
• Kampo – Chinese herbal medicine;
• Kanzashi – ornate Japanese hairpins used in traditional Japanese hairstyles, usually representing flowers or animals;
• Kappa – mythical evil sprite resembling a frog;
• Karakuri – automated and mechanized dolls, automatons;
• Karoshi – death from overwork;
• Kashiwade – ringing the bell and clapping three times to awaken the gods in a Shinto shrine;
• Kashu – singer;
• Katorisenko – incense coils repelling mosquitoes;
• Kayokyoku – popular songs;
• Keigo – honorific language;
• Keiretsu – conglomerate, cartel;
• Keitai – the Japanese term for mobile phones or cell phones;
• Kempeitai – The Japanese military police founded during the Meiji period;
• Ken – means “prefecture” used as a suffix in 43 of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
• Kendama – Japanese “cup and ball” game;
• Kendo – martial art using a sword;
• Ki – vital force;
• Kiku – chrysanthemum the imperial flower;
• Kimo-kawaii – gross-cute typified by the character Dark Bear;
• Kimono – traditional Japanese dress worn by men and women;
• Kisha – reporter clubs;
• Kissaten – a small neighborhood café, of Japanese style, now being surpassed by coffee chains;
• Kiyome no shio – salt piled in a cone to purify an entrance;
• Koan – Zen riddle or fable;
• Kodo – the cultivation of mental composure by burning incense;
• Kodomo – child;
• Kogal – Fashionistas based in Shibuya;
• Kokki – national flag;
• Kombu – seaweed or sea tangle used as a basic ingredient for stock.
• Kone – abbreviation of “connection”, that is, being in favor of an insider;
• Koshu-Kaido – historic road from Shimo-suwa to Edo;
• Kostatsuba – Notice board from the Edo period;
• Kotatsu – kotatsu are low heated tables covered with a futon;
• Kote-e – plaster relief art, colored reliefs most commonly found in warehouses, although also found in homes and temples;
• Koto – 13-string musical instrument;
• Kudokushi – the so-called “lonely deaths” people dying alone;
• Kunaicho – Imperial Household Agency;
• Kura – warehouse with thick walls;
• Kusari-doi – rain chains in traditional Japanese buildings;
• Kuyakusho – ward office;
• Kyogen – short traditional plays associated with Noh;
• Kyoiku mama – “mother of education.”
• Kyoshitsu – a private room, usually in a restaurant or izakaya, that must be reserved for a group;
• Kyudo – Japanese archery. A martial art that emphasizes the balance between action and tranquility;
• Kyuko – common express train;
• Kyusu – Japanese ceramic teapots with a handle at a 90-degree angle on the side.
• LDP – Liberal Democratic Party, the dominant political party in Japan for much of the post-war period;
• Live house – live music venue;
• Lost Decade – the so-called period of economic stagnation in the 1990s, after the burst of the “Bubble Economy”;
• Love hotel – a short-stay hotel paid by the hour for couples;
• Machiya – traditional residence;
• Majime – serious;
• Mama-san – bar or club owner female;
• Mamba – aka sub-tribe yamamba of ganguro;
• Mamushi – venomous snake;
• Maneki Neko – waving cats in ceramics thought to bring good luck.
• Manga – Japanese comic magazines, as popular among adults as they are with children.
• Manji – symbol of the swastika;
• Manzai – A form of Japanese comic storytelling, performed by a duo, widely associated with Osaka;
• Matcha – powdered green tea;
• Matsukazari – branches of pine and bamboo wrapped in rice straw as New Year decoration;
• Meido kissa – maid café;
• Namiki – trees planted to provide shade on the old road system;
• Naruto – popular manga and anime created by Kishimoto Masashi. Also a port city in northeastern Shikoku, famous for its hot tubs;
• Natsubate – summer heat exhaustion;
• Neko – a bottom, in gay language;
• Nemawashi – prior consultation in the business world;
• Nengajo – New Year card;
• Netsuke – carved wood or ivory fastener;
• NHK – Japan’s state TV and radio broadcaster;
• Nihonjinron – theory of Japanese “uniqueness” developed in the 1960s;
• Nikko-kaido – historic road from Edo to Nikko;
• Ningyo – doll;
• Noh – a masked and highly stylized form of classical Japanese theater, developed in the 14th century and later refined to its current minimalism.
• Noren – a short curtain often hung at store doors, indicating that the store is open for business;
• NTT – Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation;
• Nyushi – entrance exam;
• O-chugen – gifts given in July for favors or services rendered;
• O-josan – lit. “princess” young of conservative taste;
• O-miyage – souvenir;
• O-seibo – gifts given in December for favors or services rendered;
• O-shibori – hot towels provided in cafés and restaurants;
• O-tsumami – snacks served in bars;
• Obi – an embroidered sash for a kimono;
• Ohaguro – custom of Japanese women blackening their teeth in the Edo period;
• Oibara – practice of seppuku after the death of one’s lord;
• Ojigi – bowing;
• OL – abbreviation of ‘Office Lady’, a female worker;
• Omakase – “depends on you” or “leave it to you”, often used in restaurants for chef or waiter recommendations;
• Omikuji – fortune-telling by divination;
• Omizuko or mizuko – aborted, stillborn, or miscarried children;
• Omotenashi – Japanese hospitality. The welcoming relationship between host and guest with politeness but without servility;
• Oni – demon or ogre;
• Onigiri – a ball of sticky rice wrapped in seaweed that usually contains fish or pickled plum filling: umeboshi;
• Onnagata – man playing the role of a woman in kabuki;
• Oshu-kaido – northern road in the Edo period to Shirakawa in present-day Fukushima;
• Otaku – nerd hobby obsessed with manga, anime, games, or other subcultures;
• Owan – soup bowl with lid;
• Ozen – footed tray;
• Ozoni – soup with mochi eaten on New Year;
• Paris Syndrome – The term for cultural shock experienced by Japanese expatriates when encountering reality differs from prejudice;
• Pasu – a “pass”, as in a bus or train pass;
• Pocchiri – the buckle on a maiko’s obi often decorated with gemstones;
• Puchipura – low affordable price;
• Q-chan – the nickname of popular marathon runner and Olympic marathon champion from Sydney in 2000, Naoko Takahashi;
• Rakugo – traditional storytelling, often comedic;
• Remocon – Japanese abbreviation for “remote control”;
• Retoro – “retro”;
• Risutora – “restructuring” usually means downsizing financially troubled companies;
• Robatayaki – rustic style izakaya;
• Ronin – wandering masterless samurai; now used as a term for students retaking university entrance exams;
• Rotemburo – outdoor bath;
• Ryoshusho – a receipt from a bill: for example, from a taxi, hotel, or restaurant;
• Ryotei – luxury Japanese restaurant with private dining rooms;
• Sado – tea ceremony;
• Saikeirei – 90-degree bow as a final sign of respect;
• Sakoku – isolation policy adopted during the Edo period, which limited foreign trade and sexual relations;
• Sakura – cherry blossom;
• Salaryman – the Japanese term for a male office worker;
• Samue – casual Japanese clothing consisting of a matching loose jacket and pants;
• Samurai – The hereditary class of Japan of feudal warriors, banned in 1876 as part of Japan’s modernization campaign. The word derives from saburau, which means “to serve”;
• San-pee – that is, “three P”, a Japanese gay term for a homosexual trio, the “P” refers to “penis”;
• SDF – Self-Defense Forces. De facto armed forces of Japan;
• Seichi junrei – pilgrimage to a sacred place, now often seen in Japanese mangas;
• Seku-hara – sexual harassment;
• Sempai – elder and thus superior in school or work;
• Senryu – humorous poem of haiku;
• Sensei – teacher, master;
• Sensu – a folding fan, often intricately carved and decorated. sensu ‘folding fan’
• Seppuku – or ritual suicide ‘harakiri’ performed by disembowelment with a sword. A form of penance undertaken by samurai warriors;
• Seza – kneeling position;
• Shachihoko – mythical creature shachi with a tiger’s head and carp body used to protect Japanese castles;
• Shaku – symbol of authority of smooth wood, similar to a scepter, carried by Shinto priests;
• Shakuhachi – a traditional Japanese bamboo flute, with colloquial meaning, especially among gay Japanese, of a blowjob;
• Shamisen – lit. “three-stringed instrument”;
• Shibari – bondage by rope;
• Shibui – austere sense of beauty;
• Shichifukujin – the seven lucky gods of Japan;
• Shiken – exam, hence shiken-jigoku is “hell of exams”;
• Shin-jinrui – lit. term “new human species” from the media for empty-headed and consumer-oriented youth;
• Shina – insulting and taboo word for China;
• Shinbutsu bunri – nationalist policy of the early Meiji period, of separating “imported” Buddhism from “native” Shinto;
• Shinnenkai – New Year kick-off party at the workplace;
• Shinto – native animist religion of Japan;
• Shitagi dorobo – thief of underwear who snatches women’s panties from laundry lines;
• Shitamachi – downtown Tokyo;
• Shodo – calligraphy, lit. “way of writing.”
• Shogi – chess game;
• Shogun – military ruler;
• Shogunate – military government associated with the Tokugawa regime from 1603-1867;
• Shoji – paper-covered screens;
• Shugendo – syncretic Shinto-Buddhist sect;
• Shuji – calligraphy, lit. “practice of letters”;
• Shukubo – temple accommodations;
• Smapho – abbreviation of “smart phone”;
• Soapland – bathhouses that offer sexual services;
• Sonno joi – “Revere the Emperor; expel the barbarian” Bakumatsu;
• Soroban – abacus;
• Soto – outside, public space;
• Soubetsukai – farewell to a colleague;
• Sumi-e – ink paintings;
• Sumiyaki – charcoal burners;
• Suribachi & Surikogi – mortar and pestle;
• Tabako – that is, “tobacco”, meaning “cigarette”;
• Tabi – split-toe socks;
• Tachi – a top, in gay language,
• Taiko – traditional drum;
• Taketombo – traditional flying toy made of bamboo that flies like a helicopter when spun from the hands;
• Tako – kite;
• Tanka – traditional form of poetry;
• Tanshinfunin – job transfer without the family;
• Tansu – traditional chest of drawers;
• Tanuki – raccoon dog often represented in ceramics;
• Tawashi – cleaning sponge, like kamenoko tawashi or hechima tawashi;
• Teiki-ken – train pass;
• Teineigo – polite language;
• Teishoku – a fixed meal served in restaurants, usually including rice, pickles, and miso soup;
• Tekireiki – the right age for marriage;
• Tengu – long-nosed demi-god, red face and mischievous, derived from Hindu Garuda; often represented in statues and masks;
• Tenugui – bath towel in onsen or sento;
• Terakoya – The primary schools of the Edo period usually located in Buddhist temples;
• Teshoku – hand-held candle holder;
• Togyu – The bull sumo is still seen in Okinawa and the Oki islands, among other places;
• Tokaido – ancient coastal road between Kyoto and Edo;
• Tokkuri – sake flask;
• Toko kyohi – school evasion;
• Tosa – Province of the Edo period in Shikoku now known as Kochi.
• Tsuba – sword guard;
• Tsukiai – salaried after work drinking, company;
• Tsukubai – stone water basin found in traditional Japanese gardens;
• Tsumagawa – rain cover for geta;
• Tsuru – symbol of the crane of long life;
• Tsuya – waking up at a funeral;
• Ubasute – the legendary practice of taking the elderly to the top of a mountain or remote place to die;
• Uchi – belonging to one’s own house; compare soto;
• Uchikake – white wedding kimono with a white headdress.
• Uchimizu – spraying water outside a house or shopping often in summer to cool the local area;
• Udon – thick Japanese buckwheat noodles;
• Ukiyo-e – lit. ‘images of the floating world’; traditional Japanese woodblock prints dating from the Edo period;
• Ume – plum;
• Umeboshi – pickled sour plums, eaten with rice;
• Unten-menkyo – driver’s license;
• Usu – a mortar for pounding rice to make mochi;
• Utai – Noh chant;
• Wa – harmony also a prefix to denote Japanese;
• Wabi Sabi – a fundamental concept of Japanese aesthetics, emphasizing unpretentiousness, simplicity, earthiness, and satisfaction with imperfection;
• Wabori – Japanese style tattoo and its retainers;
• Waraji – straw fabric sandals;
• Warikan – splitting the bill;
• Wasabi – green horseradish, often consumed with sushi;
• Washi – Japanese rice paper;
• Washo – encouragement chant at Shinto festivals;
• Yabai – can be translated as dangerous or risky;
• Yabusame – Japanese mounted archery, riders dressed in medieval attire shoot arrows at three fixed targets;
• Yaki-imo – baked sweet potato often sold by mini-van vendors with a distinctive call;
• Yakitori – grilled chicken on a skewer;
• Yakyu – Japanese baseball often associated with ideals of teamwork and intense physical practice;
• Yamato-damashii – Japanese spirit; word with militaristic associations;
• Yamato – historical word for Japan;
• Yatagarasu – three-legged crow and helper of Jimmu;
• Yatai – stall;
• Yatate – ink well for traditional Japanese brush;
• Yofu – Western style, as opposed to wafu, Japanese style;
• Yokozuna – Grand Champion is the highest rank in sumo wrestling;
• Yosakoi – Yosakoi is a group formation that dances to the rhythm of modern electronic music;
• Yoshokuya – Western-style restaurants;
• Yuino – gifts from the potential husband to the potential bride;
• Yukan – preparation for burial;
• Yukata – fine cotton dress;
• Zabuton – floor cushions, ‘za’ meaning ‘sitting’ and ‘buton’ being Futon;
• Zaibatsu – conglomerates;
• Zazen – Zen meditation;
• Zen – a branch of Mahayana Buddhism;
• Zenekon – contractors;
• Zentai – full-body Cosplay suits;
• Zoni – rice cake soup;
• Zori – flat fabric sandals made of straw worn by men and women;
• Zoto – gift donation;