Japanese Glossary

Ainu
An ethnic group indigenous to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Due to a Japanese policy of assimilation there are no longer any Ainu settlements. It is estimated that about 150,000 Ainu still exist though it is possible there maybe more as many hide their ancestry due to racial issues in Japan.

                           Ainu                                                      Bento

Bakufu 幕府
Literally 'tent government' the bakufu was the government of the Shogun.

Bento 弁当
Bento is a boxed takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. It features several items such as rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. Each item is seperate from the others by partitions within the box.

Biwa 琵琶
A traditional Japanese stringed short-neck lute-like instrument.

Bunka no Hi
Culture Day. A national holiday celebrated on November 3 for the purpose of promoting culture, the arts, and academic endeavour. Festivities typically include art exhibitions, parades, and award ceremonies for distinguished artists and scholars.

Bunraku 文楽
Traditional Japanese puppet theatre. Also known as ningyō jōruri.

Bushido 武士道
Bushido translates as 'Way of the Warrior'. Bushido represents a code of conduct and a guide for samurai living. It is loosley comparable to the concept of chivalry. Although initially unwritten, under the Tokugawa Shogunate some aspects of Bushidō became formalized into Japanese Feudal Law.

         Chonmage                         Depachika                               Donburi

Chonmage 丁髷
The traditional top-knot hair style worn by samurai and more recently by sumo wrestlers.

Daimyo 大名
The feudal lords of Japan. They were the most powerful feudal rulers in Japan after the Shogun.

Depachika
The basement level of most large department stores (depato) is the depachika. The depachika is a big food market selling a wide array of foods. The price usually isnt so cheap but the quality is excellent and speciality Japanese and foreign foods can be found.

Donburi 丼ぶり
Donburi is a large bowl of rice with a topping. This topping is most likely some kind of stewed meat but is a slo often seafood or vegetables.

Edo 江戸
The former name fro Tokyo. The period from 1603 to 1868 is known as the Edo period as the Tokugawa shogun's ruled Japan from Edo. Edo was renamed Tokyo in 1868.

Eikaiwa 英会話
Eikaiwa are English conversation schools. They are usually privately owned. Students attend to supplement their school studies, to study a second language, to improve their business skills, as a hobby, to help socialize, or to prepare for travel. Geos, Berlitz, Aeon and ECC are among the large conversation school chains.

Futon 布団
A traditional Japanese bed They are often sold in sets which include the futon mattress (shikibuton), a comforter (kakebuton) or blanket (mōfu), a summer blanket resembling a large towel, and pillow (makura).

Geta 下駄
Wooden clogs worn with a kimono

Gokon 合コン
Gokon is a group blind date, typically used to overcome shyness and form at least some friendships between a mixed sex group or two groups that are each of a single sex. Gokon is becoming increasingly popular in Japan. Gokon is often also referred to as Kompan.

Hanami 花見
Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers. The flowers enjoyed are usually always cherry blosom (sakura). Hanami mostly consists of having an outdoor party beneath the sakura during daytime or at night. A two-week period of best viewing is announced by the weather bureau each year.

                       Hanami                                                 Hanko

Hanko
In Japan people rarely sign their name but rather use a hanko stamp. The stamp is their own personal seal and is registered as being so. The characters on the stamp are usually the persons name.

Hokkaido 北海道
The most northern and second largest of Japan's four main islands. Connected to the main island of Honshu via the Seikan tunnel. The largest city is Sapporo.

Honshu 本州
Japan's largest island. Honshu comprises some 61% of the total area of apan and is home to the vast majority of Japan's major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama and Nagoya.

Izakaya 居酒屋
An izakaya is a Japanese drinking and eating establishment. They are popular, casual and relatively cheap. the style of dining is tapas-like with numerous dishes ordered which are shared.

Judo 柔道
Judo is a modern Japanese martial art. The object is to either throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent to submit by joint locking the elbow or by executing a choke.

Juku / Gakushu juku 学習塾
A juku in Japan is essentially a cram school. Students attend these private schools outside of their usual school hours.

Kabuki 歌舞伎
Japanese traditional theatre featuring spectacular costume and make up. In kabuki men play women’s roles.

Kappa 河童
A mythical water sprite creature said to live in rivers.

Karate 空手
Karate is a Japanese martial art. It is primarily a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands and ridge-hands. Grappling, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point strikes are taught in some styles.

Katana 刀
A Japanese sword, the katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single edged blade, circular or squared guard, and long grip to accommodate two hands.

Keiro no Hi
Respect for the Aged Day- A Japanese national holiday. It is held on the third Monday of September. Every year the Japanese media take the opportunity to feature the elderly, reporting on the population and highlighting the oldest people in the country.

              Karate                                 Kendo                               Kyudo

Kenkoku Kinenbi 建国記念の日
Japan’s National Foundation Day. On this day Japanese celebrate the founding of the nation and the imperial line by its legendary first emperor, Jimmu.

Kendo 剣道
Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or Kenjutsu. Kendo is seen a way to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the sword.

Kenpo Kinebi 憲法記念日
A Japanese national holiday, it takes place on May third in celebration of the promulgation of the 1947 Constitution of Japan. It is a part of the collection of holidays known as Golden Week.

Kinro Kansha no Hi
Labour Day. A national holiday, it takes place annually on November 23. The law establishing the holiday cites it as an occasion for commemorating labor and production and giving one another thanks.

Kodomo no Hi こどもの日
Childrens Day- Japanese national holiday. May 5. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. Childrens Day is part of Golden Week.

Konpan
Please see Gokon

Koto 琴
A traditional Japanese stringed instrument. They have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the length of the instrument.

Kyudo 弓道
Kyudo is the art of Japanese archery. Kyudo is widely practiced with some 150,000 graded members. Kyudo is taught at many Japanese schools. Kyudo features traditional garb and extremely large bows called yumi.

Kyushu 九州
The third largest and most southern of Japan's four main islands. The largest city is Fukuoka.

Manga 漫画
Manga are comics and print cartoons. In Japan, manga are widely read by people of all ages, and include a broad range of subjects: action-adventure, romance, sports and games, historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, horror, sexuality, and business and commerce, among others.

Midori no Hi みどりの日
Greenery Day- a Japanese national holiday. In 2007 Greenery Day was moved to May 4 from April 29. It is a day to commune with nature and to be thankful for blessings.

                Manga                                  Mochi                             Ninja

Mochi 餅
Rice cakes specially made for New Year. Rice is cooked and beaten with a mallet until it makes a sticky dough. It is then made into small cakes which are topped with a variety of toppings.

Nabe/ Nabemono 鍋物
Most nabemono are stews and soups served during the colder seasons. In modern Japan, nabemono are kept hot at the dining table by portable stoves. The dish is frequently cooked at the table, and the diners can pick the cooked ingredients they want from the pot. Further ingredients can also be successively added to the pot.

Ninja 忍者
Ninja were warriors specially trained in the unorthodox arts of war such as assassination, sabotage, espionage and the martial arts. Ninja's were often employed by daimyo as a way to wage guerilla war as the code of the samurai, bushido, forbade their own troops for using such methods.

Noh 能
A form of traditional Japanese musical theatre where the actors wear masks.

Nori 海苔
Seaweed paper commonly used in sushi creation. Extremely rich in nutrients.

Okinawa
Okinawa prefecture off the south-western coast of Japan is made up of hundreds of small islands. Okinawa island is home to Naha, the prefectures capital, and is located half way between Kyushu and Taiwan.

Okonomiyaki お好み焼き
Okonomi means "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki means "grilled". Okonomiyaki is sometimes compared to an omelette or a pancake and may be referred to as "a Japanese pancake". The ingredients vary greatly with seafood, vegetables, kimchi and meats all used. Special okonomiyaki restaurants have hotplates built into the tables. Here you cook at the table the okonomiyaki of your choice.

             Okinomiyaki                               Onsen                       Otoshidama

Omiyage
Omiyage are basically souvenirs- most commonly gifts of food related to the area visited. They are customary gifts typically given by someone upon returning from a trip to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, business associates, teachers, classmates and any other person socially related to the returning vacationer. Omiyage is big business in Japan.

Onsen 温泉
Onsen are hot springs though articifical bath houses have been increasingly included within the term also. A volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth. Patrons must shower before entering the onsen and make sure any tattoos are covered.

Osechi-ryōri 御節料理
Traditional Japanese New Year food. Osechi are easily recognizable by their special boxes called jūbako, which resemble bentō boxes.

Oshibori
A wet hand towel offered to customers in restaurant and bars.

Otoshidama お年玉
A New Year's gift of money given to children. The money is given in decorative envelopes.
Rikishi 力士
The more common Japanese term for a sumo wrestler.

Ronin 浪人
A samurai with no lord or master during the feudal period (1185–1868) of Japan.

Ryokan 旅館
A ryokan is a type of traditional Japanese inn. They typically feature tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner.

Sake 酒
In English sake refers to Japanese rice wine though in Japan sake or o-sake means alcoholic beverages in general. The Japanese term for rice wine itslef is nihonshu 日本酒 which translate as Japanese sake.

Samurai 侍
Samurai is the term for the nobility in feudal Japan. Samurai had the right to wear two swords and were loyal to their lord from whom they received a stipend. They followed a series of unwritted rules called Bushido.

                Sake                               Samurai                            Sashimi

Sashimi 刺身
Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces. It is usually accompanied with soy sauce and wasabi.

Seijin no Hi 成人式
The Japanese coming-of-age ceremony. It is held annually the second Monday in January.

Sento 銭湯
A public bath house. A sento can be called an onsen if it derives its bath water from naturally heated hot springs.

Seppuku 切腹
Ritual suicide by self disembowelment and beheading by a nominated second. Also known as hari-kari or hari-kiri.

Shabushabu しゃぶしゃぶ
Shabushabu is a Japanese style The dish is related to sukiyaki in style, where both use thinly sliced meat and vegetables, and usually served with dipping sauces. However, it is starkly different in taste; shabu-shabu is more savory and less sweet than sukiyaki.

Shakuhachi 尺八
A traditional Japanese end blown flute made of bamboo. Its name means "1.8 feet", referring to its size.

Shamisen 三味線
A three-stringed musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The shamisen is similar in length to a guitar, but its neck is much slimmer and without frets.

Shikoku 四国
The smallest of Japan's main four islands. Located to the south of the main island, Honshu, Shikoku is connected to the main land by road and rail, most famously by the Seto bridge. The largest city is Matsuyama.

Shinkansen 新幹線
The shinkansen is Japan's superb high speed rail system also known as the bullet train. The system connects most large cities on Honshu and Kyushu. There are three types of service offered. The kodama service stops at most shinkansen stations on the line. The hikari service misses out the smaller shinkansen stations. The nozomi service has very limited stops and will only stop at the major cities/ stations- for example a nozomi shinkansen service from Tokyo to Fukuoka may only stop at Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima.

Shinto 神道
The native religion of Japan that was once its state religion. It is a polytheistic and animistic faith, and involves the worship of kami 神, or spirits.

Shogatsu 正月
Japanese New Year. Japanese people eat a special selection of dishes during the New Year celebration called Osechi-ryōri.

Showa no Hi 昭和の日
A national holiday on April 29. It is the birthday of former Emperor Showa, who died in the year 1989.

Shunbun no Hi 春分の日
Japanese National Holiday. March 20th- Spring Eqinox Day . Also 23rd September Autumnal Equinox Day.

Shuriken 手裏剣
Shuriken, meaning 'sword hidden in the hand' are a traditonal Japanese concealed weapon. They were mostly employed as supplemental weapons to the more commonly used sword (katana) or spear (yari).

Sumo 相撲
Sumo is a competitive contact sport where a wrestler (rikishi) attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet.

Sushi 寿司
Sushi refers to any dish made with vinegared rice, and while raw fish is one traditional sushi ingredient, many sushi dishes contain seafood that has been cooked, while others have no seafood at all.

Tabi 足袋
Tabi are traditional Japanese socks. They are ankle high with the a seperation between the big toe and the other toes. The are a required item when wearing traditional Japanese clothing such as kimono. A heavy duty variety of tabi are in common use today among farmers, gardners and other workmen.

Taiiku no Hi
Health-Sports Day or Sports Day, is a national holiday in Japan held annually on the second Monday in October.

Tatami 畳
Tatami mats are a type of traditional Japanese flooring made of woven soft rush straw and traditionally packed with rice straw. Tatami are made in individual mats of uniform size and shape, bordered by brocade or plain cloth.

Tenno no Tanjobi
A national holiday for the Emperor's birthday on December 23.

                Tabi                                  Tatami                           Yakuza

Torii 鳥居
A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine, although it can be found at Buddhist temples as well. It marks the boundary of the normal world and the spiritual world.

Tsunami
Essentially a tidal wave though the cause of a tsunami is more to do with tectonic shifts than tidal patterns . Tsunami has now been incorporated into the English language.

Ukiyo-e 浮世絵
A genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre and pleasure quarters. It is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan.

Umi no Hi 海の日
Marine Day / Ocean Day. A Japanese national holiday celebrated on the third Monday in July. Many people take advantage of the holiday and summer weather to take a beach trip.

Wakizashi 脇差
The smaller of the two swords worn by the samurai. The katana was the main or long sword and the wakizashi was the companion sword. Wakizashi were used as backup weapons and as tools to decapitate defeated enemies, and sometimes to commit ritual suicide.

Wasabi
Known as "Japanese horseradish", its root is used as a spice and has an extremely strong flavour. Its hotness is more akin to that of a hot mustard. Wasabi is most commonly used to accompany sushi and sashimi.

Washi 和紙
Handmade Japanese paper traditionally used to make crafts such as dolls, masks and kites. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry, but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat.

Yakiniku 焼肉
A Japanese style barbeque featuring bitesize pieces of meat, seafood and vegetables. Yakiniku can be enjoyed at yakiniku restaurants where food is cooked at your table or at home on table top grills/ hotplates.

Yakisoba 焼きそば
Literally "fried noodles", yakisoba is a dish often sold at festivals in Japan. It is prepared by stir-frying ramen-style noodles with bite-sized pork, vegetables (usually cabbage, onions or carrots) and flavoured with yakisoba sauce, salt and pepper.

Yakitori 焼き鳥
Quite simply these are seasoned grilled chicken skewers. Yakitori stalls are a common sight at festivals.

Yakuza
Yakuza are members of traditional organised crime groups in Japan. They are involved heavily in the sex trade, blackmail and protection rings. Recently the yakuza have become increasingly involved in legitimate business. Yakuza members can be intentified by their colourful tattoo's which usually cover most of the back and other parts of their body.

Yokozuna
Yokozuna is the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling.

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