Japanese

noun

Jap·​a·​nese ˌja-pə-ˈnēz 

-ˈnēs

plural Japanese

1

a

: a native or inhabitant of Japan

b

: a person of Japanese descent

2

: the language of the Japanese

Japanese adjective

Examples of Japanese in a Sentence

the customs of the Japanese

He is learning to speak Japanese.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adults fired pistols into the air and burned Japanese Emperor Hirohito in effigy, keeping St. Paul police busy into the night. —Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 15 Aug. 2025

In the quarter ended June, Webtoon Entertainment had 156 million global monthly active users, with 71% of them consuming online comics in languages other than Korean and Japanese. —Zinnia Lee, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

The book will follow the 2020 oral history Rust in Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece and former lead guitarist Marty Friedman’s memoir Dreaming Japanese, released last year. —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2025

Because Japanese is not offered in any district high schools, Sudbrook Magnet Middle School’s Japanese program is beginning its sunset in the fall by not accepting new sixth-grade applications for school year 2026-2027. —Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing Japanese

• anti-Japanese
• Japanese andromeda
• Japanese beetle
• Japanese cedar
• Japanese eggplant
• Japanese giant hornet
• Japanese iris
• Japanese lacquer
• Japanese maple
• Japanese millet
• Japanese plum
• Japanese pumpkin
• Japanese quail
• Japanese quince
• Japanese spurge
• non-Japanese
• the Japanese

Rhymes for Japanese

• abcs
• absentees
• addressees
• adoptees
• allottees
• amputees
• antifreeze
• appellees
• appointees
• arrestees
• artistes
• assamese

Kids Definition

Japanese

noun

Jap·​a·​nese ˌjap-ə-ˈnēz 

-ˈnēs

plural Japanese

1

a

: a person born or living in Japan

b

: a person of Japanese ancestry

2

: the language of the Japanese

Japanese adjective