Kabuki

noun

Ka·bu·ki kə-ˈbü-kē

ˈkä-bü-(ˌ)kē

: traditional Japanese popular drama performed with highly stylized singing and dancing

Word History

Etymology

Japanese

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of Kabuki was in 1899

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

kabukalli

Kabuki

Kabul

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Kabuki.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kabuki. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Kabuki

noun

Ka·bu·ki kə-ˈbü-kē

ˈkäb-u̇-(ˌ)kē

: traditional popular Japanese drama with singing and dancing

More from Merriam-Webster

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

griot

Listen to the pronunciation of griot

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

A Guide to Using Semicolons

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Birds Say the Darndest Things

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Better Ways to Say 'This Sucks'

Popular

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Our Best Historical Slang Terms