All terms in this list:
adzuki: Either the plant or the seed of the azuki bean
anime: An artistic style used in Japanese animation that has also been adopted by some artists in America and other countries.
arame: A seaweed, Eisenia bicyclis, used in Japanese cuisine.
banzai: Thrill-seeking; wild.
bento: a Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
bokeh: subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of an image projected by a camera lens
bonsai: A tree or plant that has been miniaturized by restriction of its roots and by careful pruning.
bonze: A Buddhist priest in Japan.
bunraku: A traditional form of Japanese puppetry.
daikon: A white, large cultivar of radish, Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, used in the cuisines of Japan, China, and Korea.
daimyo: A lord during the Japanese feudal period.
dashi: A type of soup or cooking stock, often made from kelp.
dojo: A training facility, usually led by one or more sensei
domoic: Of or pertaining to domoic acid or its derivatives
edamame: fresh green soybeans boiled as a vegetable
fugu: Blowfisha delicacy popular in Japan served raw as sushi that may, if improperly prepared, contain deadly levels of neurotoxins.
geisha: A Japanese female entertainer skilled in various arts such as tea ceremony, dancing, singing and calligraphy.
genro: A body of elder statesmen of Japan, formerly used as informal advisors to the Emperor.
geta: a pair of Japanese raised wooden clogs worn with traditional Japanese garments, such as the kimono
ginkgo: A tree native to China with small, fan-shaped leaves and edible seeds.
gyoza: A Japanese crescent-shaped dumpling filled with a minced stuffing and steamed, boiled or fried; the Japanese equivalent of the Chinese jiaozi
haiku: A Japanese poem of a specific form, consisting of three lines, the first and last consisting of five morae, and the second consisting of seven morae, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.
hara-kiri: Ceremonial suicide by ripping open the abdomen with a dagger or knife: formerly practised in Japan by members of the warrior class when disgraced or sentenced to death.
hari-kari: An alternative spelling of hara-kiri, considered to be incorrect.
hentai: anime, manga or similar mediums containing pornographic artwork.
hibachi: A portable brazier, powered by charcoal, used for cooking.
honcho: boss, leader
ikebana: Japanese flower arrangement
imari: Japanese porcelain wares (made in the town of Arita and exported from the port of Imari, particularly around the 17th century)
inro: a small decorative box, hung from the sash of a kimono, for holding small objects
judo: A Japanese martial art and sport adapted from jujutsu.
kabuki: A form of Japanese theatre in which elaborately costumed male performers use stylized movements, dances, and songs in order to enact tragedies and comedies.
kakemono: A vertical Japanese scroll painting
kakiemon: Japanese porcelain wares featuring enamel decoration
kanban: a card containing a set of manufacturing specifications and requirements, used to regulate the supply of components
karaoke: A form of entertainment popular in clubs, at parties, etc, in which individual members of the public sing along to pre-recorded instrumental versions of popular songs, the lyrics of which are displayed for the singer on a screen in time with the music
karate: An Okinawan martial art involving primarily punching and kicking, but additionally, advanced throws, arm bars, grappling and all means of fighting.
katsura: One of two species of trees in the genus Cercidiphyllum; one of the largest trees in Asia.
keiretsu: A set of Japanese companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings.
kendo: a Japanese martial art using "swords" of split bamboo.
kimono: A form of traditional Japanese clothing that is worn in formal occasions.
kirigami: Origami, with cutting permitted.
koan: A story about a Zen master and his student, sometimes like a riddle, other times like a fable, which has become an object of Zen study, and which, when meditated upon, may unlock mechanisms in the Zen student’s mind leading to satori.
koi: Ornamental domesticated varieties of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio, of Japan and eastern Asia with red-gold or white coloring.
koji: a mold, Aspergillus oryzae, used in the manufacture of miso, amasake, sake etc.
kombu: Edible kelp used in East Asian cuisine
koto: a Japanese musical instrument having numerous strings, usually seven or thirteen, that are stretched over a convex wooden sounding board and are plucked with three plectra, worn on the thumb, index finger, and middle finger of one hand.
kudzu: An Asian vine grown as a root starch.
makimono: A type of Japanese hand scroll which unrolls vertically.
manga: A comic; a non-animated cartoon, especially one done in a Japanese style.
matsutake: a kind of mushroom, Tricholoma matsutake
mikado: A former title of the emperors of Japan during a certain period.
mirin: a form of Japanese rice wine, less alcoholic than sake
miso: a thick paste made by fermentation of soybeans; used in making soups and sauces
mizuna: One of several tangy green used in Japanese cuisine, usually Brassica rapa var. nipposinica
moxa: Mugwort root, as used in moxibustion.
moxibustion: The burning of moxa against the skin to treat pain or illness.
netsuke: a small, often collectible, artistic carving characterized by an opening or two small holes (himotoshi), most commonly made of wood or ivory, used as a fob at the end of a cord attached to a suspended pouch containing pens, medicines, or tobacco.
noh: a form of classical Japanese music drama
nori: A type of seaweed, laver chopped and formed into sheets, used in the preparation of sushi.
obi: A sash worn with a kimono.
origami: The Japanese art of paper folding.
otaku: One with an obsessive interest for something, particularly anime or manga.
panko: Coarse, dry breadcrumbs used in Japanese cuisine
ramen: Soup noodles of wheat, with various ingredients (Japanese style)
rickshaw: A two-wheeled carriage pulled along by a person.
sai: A handheld weapon with three prongs, used in some Oriental martial arts.
sake: cause, interest or account
sashimi: Of or pertaining to the type of sushi served without sticky white rice.
satori: A sudden inexpressible feeling of inner understanding or enlightenment.
satsuma: A type of tangerine, grown in Kyushu, JapanCitrus unshiu.
sayonara: (casual) goodbye
senryu: a haiku-like poem of up to 17 syllables usually humorous or satirical.
sensei: The Japanese term for teacher. It has been adopted into English mostly for use with martial arts instructors.
shamisen: A kind of three-stringed Japanese fretless lute
shiatsu: A form of massage, using the thumbs and palms, employed as therapy
shiitake: A wide, brown variety of edible mushroom.
shogun: The supreme generalissimo of feudal Japan.
skosh: A tiny amount; a little bit; tad; smidgen; jot.
soba: A Japanese buckwheat noodle
soy: A Chinese and Japanese liquid sauce for fish, made by subjecting boiled beans to long fermentation and then long digestion in salt and water.
sudoku: A type of puzzle whose completion requires each of typically nine rows and columns and each of as many usually square subregions to contain, without duplication, 1 up to 9 or the grid dimension.
sukiyaki: A Japanese dish of thinly-sliced beef and tofu with dashi, mirin and soy sauce cooked quickly at the table.
sumo: a stylised Japanese form of wrestling in which a wrestler loses if he is forced from the ring, or if any part of his body except the soles of his feet touch the ground.
surimi: A white paste, made from ground fish, that is used to make formed and textured food products.
sushi: A Japanese dish of vinegared, short-grained, sticky white rice with various other ingredients, usually raw fish, other types of seafood, or vegetables.
tamari: A type of soy sauce made without wheat, having a rich flavor.
tanka: a form of Japanese verse in five lines of 5,7,5,7,7 syllables
tanuki: the raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides
tempura: A dish made by deep-frying vegetables, seafood, or other foods in a light batter.
teppanyaki: A Japanese style of cooking in which thin slices of meat, or fish, seafood, vegetables and noodles are quickly fried on a hotplate
teriyaki: A cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiled or grilled in a sweet soy sauce marinade.
tofu: A protein-rich food made from curdled soybean milk.
tsunami: A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.
tycoon: A wealthy and powerful business person.
udon: a Japanese wheat noodle
ukiyo-e: a Japanese woodblock print or painting depicting everyday life
umami: One of the five basic tastes, that of glutamate proteins or other similar compounds, notably monosodium glutamate.
unagi: A type of sushi. Specifically fresh-water eel.
urushiol: An oil found in plants of the family Anacardiaceae, causing an allergic skin rash on contact; consists of a variable mixture of several organic compounds.
wasabi: An imitation of this condiment made from horseradish with green dye.
yakitori: A Japanese shishkabob-type dish made with small pieces of chicken, fish, vegetables or beef which have been marinated in soy sauce and then cooked on skewers.
zaibatsu: Japanese term for ‘money clique’ or conglomerate, and sometimes used in the United States to refer to any large corporation.
zen: A denomination of Buddhism
zori: Japanese sandals made from rice straw or lacquered wood, worn with a kimono for formal occasions.
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