list of english words of japanese origin

Words of Japanese origin, have entered many languages. Most such words are simple transliterations of Japanese language words for concepts inherent to Japanese culture and realities.

Arts

anime

アニメ, Japanese animation

bonsai

盆栽, "tray gardening"; the art of tending miniature trees

Bokeh

(from ぼけ, boke), subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of an image projected by a camera lens

choka

長歌, "long poem"; a genre of Japanese poetry

gaiden

外伝, "outside legend"; a side story

haiku

俳句, a very short poem consisting of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 units each

hentai

変態, explicit sexual or pornographic artwork

ikebana

生花, flower arrangement

kabuki

歌舞伎, a traditional form of Japanese theatre

karaoke

カラオケ, "empty orchestra"; entertainment where an amateur singer accompanies recorded music

manga

漫画, comic books

netsuke

26681;付, a toggle use to tie the sash of a kimono also to attach small items such as inro and kinchaku: sometimes beautifully carved.

noh

能, a major form of classical Japanese musical drama

origami

折り紙, artistic paper folding

otaku

オタク or おたく or ヲタク, a geeky enthusiast

renga

連歌, "renged poetry"; a form of Japanese collaborative poetry

seiyuu

声優, a voice actor/actress

senryu

川柳, a form of short poetry similar to haiku

sumi-e

墨絵, Japanese black ink painting

taiko

太鼓, a big drum

tanka

短歌, "short poetry"; an older form of Japanese poetry than haiku

ukiyo-e

浮世絵, a type of woodblock print art or painting

utamakura

歌枕, a rhetorical technique in Waka

waka

和歌, a genre of Japanese poetry, often refers to tanka

Military and martial arts terminology

aikijutsu: 合気術 (aikijujutsu, 合気柔術), a form of self-defence developed in feudal times
ashigaru: 足軽, foot-soldiers of medieval Japan
banzai: 万歳 "ten thousand years"; a blessing for Emperors
bo: 棒, a long stick usually made out of wood or bamboo, used as a weapon
bokken: 木剣, a wooden sword used a training weapon
budo: 武道, Japanese martial arts
bushi: 武士, "war-man"
bushido: 武士道, "way of the warrior"
dojo: 道場, a training hall for the martial arts.
Gendai Budo: 現代武道, "Modern martial arts"; those which were established after the 1868 Meiji Restoration
Aikido: 合気道, a form of self defense which does not necessitate in physical injury to the aggressor
Iaido: 居合道, the art of drawing a sword, cutting down the opponent, and then re-sheathing the sword in one fluid movement
Judo: 柔道, a martial art, a sport and a philosophy developed from Jujutsu
Karate-do: 空手道, "empty-hand-way": a Japanese martial art which emphasises striking techniques (i.e. punching and kicking)
Kendo: 剣道, the martial art of Japanese swordsmanship
Kyudo: 弓道, the Japanese art of archery
Sumo: 相撲, a form of wrestling
hara-kiri: 腹切り (=seppuku)
honcho: (from 班長, hancho)
jujutsu: (Jiu jitsu), 柔術, a variety of close combat fighting systems (see article)
kamikaze: 神風, English usage: World War II suicide pilots (Japanese usage is different)
kata: 型, detailed patterns of defense-and-attack movements used by many traditional martial arts
katana: 刀, the Japanese longsword (or Japanese swords in general)
kenjutsu: 剣術, teaching of efficient use of the Japanese sword in combat
KiAi: 気合, yells used by martial arts students to focus energy when executing a technique
koryu: 古流, schools of martial arts that predate the Meiji restoration
ninja: 忍者, a stealthy warrior and assassin
nunchaku: ヌンチャク, a martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or thong
randori: 乱取り, in martial arts, free-style practice or sparring, sometimes with multiple attackers
ronin: 浪人, a name given to masterless samurai during the feudal period of Japan
sai: a dagger, with two long, unsharpened projections attached to the handle
samurai: 侍, a common term for a warrior in pre-industrial Japan
seppuku: 切腹, ritual suicide by disembowelment
wakizashi: 脇差, a traditional Japanese sword, similar to but shorter than a katana, together with which it was often worn
yojimbo: 用心棒, a bodyguard, security person or sometimes assassin
yumi: 弓, a Japanese longbow used in the practice of Kyudo
zanbato: 斬馬刀, literally "horse-slaying sword", an especially large type of sword consisting of a large blade on a pole.

Writing system

The four Japanese writing systems:

hiragana: 平仮名, a Japanese syllabary, one of the four Japanese writing systems
katakana: 片仮名, a Japanese syllabary, one of the four Japanese writing systems
kanji: 漢字, Chinese characters used in Japanese, one of the four Japanese writing systems
romaji: ローマ字, the Roman alphabet; the writing of the Japanese language in Roman characters
kana: 仮名, a general term for hiragana and katakana
furigana: ふりがな, kana printed next to a kanji or other character to indicate its pronunciation
hebon-shiki: ヘボン式, Hepburn romanization
kunrei-shiki: (monbusho) romanization, 訓令式, literally "Cabinet-ordered system", a system for transcribing the Japanese language into the Roman alphabet
kunyomi: 訓読み, the reading of a word that originates from Japanese prior to the introduction of Kanji characters (and their Chinese readings) from China
mojibake: 文字化け, "broken characters"; the result of trying to display text in character encodings which a piece of software is not configured to deal with
nippon-shiki: romanization, 日本式, a romanization system that conforms strictly to the kana writing system and is easier for Japanese speakers to use
onyomi: 音読み, the Japanese approximation of the original Chinese pronunciation of a Kanji character
rosiaji: (Cyrillization of Japanese), ロシア字 (kiriru moji, キリル文字)

Around the house

futon: 布団, a type of mattress that makes up a Japanese bed
shoji: 障子, a translucent rice paper screen with a wooden frame, used as a room divider or door
tatami: 畳, traditional Japanese flooring, made of woven straw

Clothing

geta: 下駄, a pair of Japanese raised wooden clogs worn with traditional Japanese garments, such as the kimono
kimono: 着物, a traditional full-length robe-like garment still worn by women, men and children
obi: 帯, a wide belt which is tied in the back to secure a kimono
yukata: 浴衣 or ゆかた, a kind of casual kimono, literally "bath clothing", consisting of one big piece of cloth with two wide sleeves
zori: 草履, sandals made from rice straw or lacquered wood, worn with a kimono for formal occasions
gaku-ran: 学ラン, Japanese school uniform for boys
serafuku: セーラー服, Japanese school uniform for girls

Culinary

bento: 弁当, a single-portion takeout meal
edamame: 枝豆, soybeans boiled whole in the green pod and served with salt
fugu: 河豚 or フグ, the meat of the toxic pufferfish, prepared by specially trained chefs
gyokuro: 玉露, expensive specially harvested green tea
hibachi: 火鉢, a small, portable charcoal grill
matcha: 抹茶, powdered green tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony
miso: 味噌, a thick paste made by fermenting soybeans with salt
ninjin: 人参, Carrot
nori: 海苔, "sea moss"; food products created from edible varieties of seaweed by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking.
ramen: ラーメン, the Japanese version of Chinese noodle soup
sake: 酒, an alcoholic beverage, brewed from rice
sashimi: 刺身, a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of the freshest raw seafoods thinly sliced served with only a dipping sauce
shabu shabu: しゃぶしゃぶ, a meal where each person cooks their own food in their own cooking pot from an assortment of raw ingredients
shiitake mushroom: 椎茸, an edible mushroom typically cultivated on the shii tree
soy: from shoyu 醤油
shoyu: Japanese soy sauce
soba: 蕎麦, thin brown buckwheat noodles
sukiyaki: すき焼き or スキヤキ, a dish in the nabemono-style (one-pot), consisting of thinly sliced beef, tofu, konnyaku noodles, leeks, onions, Chinese cabbage, and enoki mushrooms among others
sushi: 鮨 or 鮓 or 寿司, a dish consisting of vinegared rice combined with other ingredients such as raw fish, raw or cooked shellfish, or vegetables
tabemono: 食べ物, a term for Japanese food in general
tamari: たまり, liquid obtained by pressing soybeans
tempura: 天麩羅, classic Japanese deep fried batter-dipped seafood and vegetables
teriyaki: 照焼き or テリヤキ, a cooking technique where fish or meat is being broiled in a sweet soy sauce marinade
tofu: 豆腐, bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk with calcium sulfate, nigari, or other agents, and then pressing into blocks, similar to the way cheese is made from milk
udon: 饂飩, a type of thick wheat-based noodle
umami: 旨味 or うま味, the taste sensation produced by some proteins such as monosodium glutamate; a basic flavor in Japanese and Chinese cuisine
unagi: 鰻 or 鰍, eel
wasabi: 山葵 or わさび, a strongly flavoured green condiment commonly known as Japanese horseradish
yakitori: 焼き鳥, a type of chicken kebab

Government and politics

bakufu: 幕府, the administration of a Shogun; a shogunate
daimyo: 大名, "great names"; the most powerful Japanese feudal rulers from the 12th century to the 19th century
Kimigayo: 君が代", the Japanese national anthem
Mikado: 帝, a dated term for "emperor"; specifically for the Emperor of Japan
Sessho: 摂政, a title given to a regent who is named to assist an emperor when the emperor is still a child, before the coming of age, or female
Shogun: 将軍, the title of the practical ruler of Japan for most of the time from 1192 to the Meiji Era
Taikō: 太閤, a title given to a retired Sessho and Kampaku regent in Japan
Tennō: 天皇, the Emperor of Japan
tycoon: 大君, "great prince", a title of the Shogun, later applied to wealthy business leaders
zaibatsu: 財閥, a "money clique" or conglomerate

Religion

kami: 神, the Japanese word for any sort of god or spirit
Shinto: 神道, the native religion of Japan
torii: 鳥居, traditional Japanese gates commonly found at the gateway to Shinto shrines
zazen: 座禅, sitting meditation; literally "seated concentration"
Zen: 禅, a branch of Buddhism

Other

Akita: 秋田 (from 秋田犬, akitainu or akitaken), the Akita Inu, a breed of huge Japanese dog
geisha: 芸者, traditional Japanese artist-entertainers
ginkgo: 銀杏, a plant
gisu
go: 碁,a strategic, two-player board game based on capturing territory
hanko: 判子 or ハンコ (or inkan : 印鑑), a name seal customarily used in Japan instead of signatures
ichiban: 一番, "number one"; the first or the best
Kampaku: 関白, the title of a regent who assists an adult emperor
koi: 鯉, Western usage: ornamental varieties of the common carp (but in Japan this just means "carp" -- the ornamental variety are called "nishikigoi" 錦鯉)
kokyo: 皇居, the Japanese Imperial palace
kudzu: 葛 or クズ, a type of Japanese vine; cultivated in Japan, viewed as a weed in the West
nijubashi: 二重橋, bridge to the Japanese Imperial palace
rickshaw: (from 人力車, jinrikisha), a human-pulled wagon
sayonara or sayounara: さよなら or さようなら the Japanese term for "goodbye"
sensei: 先生, the Japanese term for "master", "teacher" or "doctor". It can be used to refer to any authority figure, such as a schoolteacher, professor, priest, or politician.
shakuhachi: 尺八, Japanese bamboo flute
shiatsu: 指圧, a form of massage
Shiba Inu: 柴犬, the smallest of the six original and distinct Japanese breeds of dog
skosh: (from 少し, sukoshi), a small amount
shinkansen: 新幹線, high speed rail in Japan
tanuki: 狸, the Japanese name for the animal, Nyctereutes procyonoides, known as a raccoon dog in English
tsunami: 津波, literally "wave in port"; a tidal wave
tsutsugamushi: ("insect disease" = scrub typhus)
yakuza: やくざ, Japanese organized crime groups