japanese
japanese Lexical Profile
• adjective
Relating to Japan, its people, its culture, or its language.
"The museum is hosting a special exhibition of traditional Japanese woodblock prints."
• noun
The Japonic language spoken primarily in Japan, written using a combination of logographic kanji and syllabic kana scripts.
"She studied Japanese for four years at university before moving to Tokyo."
A native or inhabitant of Japan, or a person of Japanese descent (usually used collectively in the plural).
"The Japanese are renowned worldwide for their culinary artistry and technological innovation."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the people of Japan, 'Japanese' is most commonly used as a plural collective noun ('the Japanese') or as an adjective ('a Japanese citizen'); using 'a Japanese' as a singular countable noun is dated and generally avoided in modern standard English.
• Rhymes for japanese
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the late 16th century from 'Japan' (derived via Portuguese 'Japão' and Malay 'Jepang' from Middle Chinese 'Rìběn', literally 'sun-origin') combined with the suffix '-ese'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.