Japanese

PluralJapanese, Japaneses

1. 1
   adjective

   Of, from, or characteristic of Japan, its people, language, or culture.

   The museum displayed a striking collection of Japanese woodblock prints.

   Many Japanese customs emphasize politeness and respect for elders.

   Note

   The everyday adjective, and the place where the word's history shows most clearly. Japan reached English through Portuguese, perhaps with Dutch influence, from Malay Jepang, itself from Hokkien Ji̍t-pún. The ending -ese came via Old French -eis from Latin -ēnsis. Used of style rather than origin, it becomes gradable and takes more and most: a hotel can look very Japanese. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • The Portuguese and Dutch forms derive from Malay Jepang, itself from Hokkien Ji̍t-pún. en.wiktionary.org
   • English -ese derives through Old French -eis from Latin -ēnsis. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   proper noun

   The language of Japan, spoken by nearly all of its people and used there as the national language in practice, though no law makes it official.

   Japanese is written using a mix of three different scripts.

   Many students find Japanese harder to read than to speak.

   Note

   As the name of a language, it takes no article: you study Japanese and speak Japanese. It can still be qualified, though. John Malathronas wrote in 2021 that what Japanese you speak depends on your gender, with a "rough" style for men and a more "ladylike" one for women, and that a learner must understand both. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • Wiktionary attributes the passage to John Malathronas in a CNN article dated 25 April 2021. en.wiktionary.org
   • The attributed passage says Japanese speech depends on gender, using “rough” and “ladylike”, and says learners must understand both. en.wiktionary.org
3. 3
   nouncountableplural

   A person who lives in or comes from Japan, or who is of Japanese ancestry.

   The Japanese have celebrated the cherry blossom season for many centuries.

   Thousands of Japanese gathered along the river to watch the festival.

   Note

   Mostly met in the plural, and the usual plural is unchanged: thousands of Japanese. The plural Japaneses is rare and looks wrong to most readers. The singular is possible: Ogden Nash's 1938 poem uses it, rhyming the word with please. Still, speakers chiefly reach for the plural when they mean people, and use the adjective for an individual.

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