# Japanese

Pronunciation: say "ja-puh-NEEZ" /ˌd͡ʒæpəˈniːz/

## Adjective

1. Of, from, or characteristic of Japan, its people, language, or culture.
   - Simple: From or connected with 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._

## Proper noun

2. 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.
   - Simple: The language spoken by almost everyone in Japan.
   - _Japanese is written using a mix of three different scripts._
   - _Many students find Japanese harder to read than to speak._

## Noun

3. A person who lives in or comes from Japan, or who is of Japanese ancestry.
   - Simple: A person who lives in Japan, comes from there, or has family roots in Japan.
   - _The Japanese have celebrated the cherry blossom season for many centuries._
   - _Thousands of Japanese gathered along the river to watch the festival._
4. Short for Japanese food, especially as a choice of meal or restaurant. — Ellipsis of Japanese food.
   - Simple: Short for Japanese food: food cooked in the Japanese style, often from a restaurant.
   - _We ordered Japanese and ate it on a bench in the park._
   - _There's excellent Japanese at the little place near the office._

## Origin

Formed from Japan plus the suffix -ese, following the model of earlier forms like Portuguese japonês, New Latin japonensis, and French japonais. The name Japan itself comes from Portuguese, possibly influenced by Dutch; both forms trace back through Malay to Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/japanese (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).