In which I list all the Japanese words I am using and my very opinionated definitions.
| ROMANIZATION | IN JAPANESE | DEFINITION |
|---|---|---|
| A | ||
| achichi | あちち | This is how you say “hot” to a baby or child. It’s baby talk. See atsui |
| aisatsu | 挨拶 | greeting(s) |
| aisu kōhi | アイスコーヒー | iced coffee |
| aji | アジ | a type of fish, mackerel |
| Ajia | アジア | Asia |
| akanbō | 赤ん坊 | baby |
| aki | 秋 | autumn |
| Amerikajin | アメリカ人 | American (person or persons) |
| amerikan kōhī | アメリカンコーヒー | American coffee. In the late seventies when I worked at a restaurant if someone ordered American coffee we made it by pouring half a normal cup of coffee and half hot water into a cup. European coffee is strong, American coffee means a weaker coffee. Don’t order it. |
| anko | あんこ | red bean paste |
| aonori | 青のり | green seaweed flakes. Often used on okonomiyaki. What does it taste like? Nothing really. But it looks pretty. |
| apāto | アパート | apartment |
| arerugī | アレルギー | allergy. I bet it took you a minute to get that one! |
| arigatō | ありがとう | casual way of saying thank you. There are many levels of politeness in greetings. One general rule of thumb is the longer they are, the politer and the shorter they are, the more casual. |
| asaburo | 朝風呂 | a bath taken in the morning. Traditionally, baths are always in the evening. With the advent of shower heads, the idea of a morning shower was introduced… and at first seemed a little bold. Like, why would you need a morning shower if you had bathed at night? So, when the public bath had asaburo during the week of New Year’s it was very special and different. |
| asadora | 朝ドラ | literally morning drama and refers to dramas that are broadcast in the morning (duh) |
| asagohan | 朝ご飯 | asa means morning and gohan is meal, so together it means breakfast. |
| ase | 汗 | sweat (noun) |
| aspara | アスパラ | asparagus |
| atama | 頭 | head (part of body) |
| Atama ga itai! | 頭が痛い | Literally, “my head hurts.” Also used for “What a headache!” |
| atsui | 熱い | hot, holding heat |
| B | バカ | stupid or stupidity. This is the word that my five year old son taught to his kindergarten classmates in New Jersey so that they could understand Japanese. He refused to learn English for awhile and had a language crusade going on. American mothers would come up to me and ask, “Oh, is baka a word in Japanese?” What does it mean?” |
| baikin | バイキン | germs |
| baka | ||
| banana juusu | バナナジュース | banana-flavored milk served on ice. It’s good! |
| bangohan | 晩ご飯 | dinner |
| basu | バス | bus |
| bebīkā | ベビーカー | stroller (for a baby). Notice that it is literally “baby car.” |
| benri | 便利 | convenient |
| beranda | ベランダ | veranda. There is no equivalent to the “v” sound in Japanese, so when they borrow an English word like this, v usually changes to b. Usually…. |
| binbō | 貧乏 | poor. What did you think it would mean?! |
| bīru | ビール | beer. If you don’t draw out that i sound you’ll be saying building instead of beer! |
| bonchi dakara | 盆地だから | Bonchi means valley and dakara means because. This expression is used fondly by the people of Kyoto to justify anything about the weather. |
| bukimi | 不気味 | eerie, weird |
| Bukkyō | 仏教 | Buddhism |
| būmu | ブーム | boom, like a baby boom |
| bunka | 文化 | culture |
| bunpō | 文法 | grammar |
| bulogu | ブログ | blog |
| bushu | 部首 | radical. Not that kind of radical, though. It indicates a part of the kanji (Chinese character) that you use to find it in a dictionary. |
| byōin | 病院 | hospital. Byō is illness and the in denotes an institution |
| byōki | 病気 | sickness |
| byōshitsu | 病室 | hospital room. Byō is illness and shitsu is room, so…. |
| C | ||
| chadō | 茶道 | tea ceremony. The Art of Tea, or the way of tea, or the study of the tea ceremony |
| chikuwa | 竹輪 | a tube shaped fish paste product. It’s cheap and easily found in Japan. And it tastes better than it sounds. |
| chikyū ondanka | 地球温暖化 | Global warming. I had to look this one up because it is a totally new word for me. There may be a better and more popular word…. |
| chinpira | チンピラ | low ranking criminals in Japan |
| chizu | 地図 | a map |
| chō kibishii | 超厳しい | In this case, chō means really. It’s a bit slangy, but young people use it for emphasis. Kibishii means strict. |
| chōnan | 長男 | oldest son |
| chūgakkō | 中学校 | junior high school or middle school |
| Chūgokugo | 中国語 | the Chinese language |
| Conbini | コンビニ | convenience store such as 7-11 |
| D | ||
| daigaku | 大学 | university or college |
| daigaku imo | 大学芋 | sweet potatoes deep fried with either sugar or honey. A favorite treat of students |
| daigakuin | 大学院 | graduate school |
| Daitokuji | 大徳寺 | a major temple in Kyoto that doesn’t get as many visitors as others. It’s really a temple complex and also has a restaurant on premises. If you’ve done the major sites in Kyoto and have time, it’s quite nice. Also, at times they have had foreign monks and some of their monks speak English quite well. |
| dango | だんご | round dumpling. Often small white mochi-like dumplings found in traditional Japanese sweets |
| dashi | だし | a Japanese broth used for miso soup and other cooking. You can buy instant or make your own. If you walk through the streets early in the morning or right before dinner time, you can sometimes smell it cooking. There are so many kinds, but the smell evokes pure deliciousness for me. |
| dashimaki | だし巻き | a Japanese rolled omelette made with dashi |
| densha | 電車 | train |
| depāto | デパート | department store |
| depachika | デパ地下 | refers to the basement of a department store. There you will find what amounts to both a supermarket and a food hall. Not to be missed. |
| deru kugi wa utareru | 出る釘は打たれる | The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Every single Japanese person knows this one. There is also a version of this where the thing getting hammered down is a kui. |
| dō deshō ka | どうでしょうか | “Hmm, I wonder….” “That might be.” A nice ambiguous phrase to respond without actually voicing an opinion. The meaning can change based on your intonation and facial expression. |
| Dō omoimasuka | どう思いますか？ | “What do you think?” A question hardly ever asked in Japan. |
| dokyumentorī | ドキュメンタリー | documentary (the kind you see on tv) |
| donguri | どんぐり | acorn |
| E | ||
| Edo Jidai | 江戸時代 | The Edo Era (1603-1868) |
| ehon | 絵本 | picture book |
| eigo | 英語 | English (language) |
| eikaiwa | 英会話 | English conversation. Note that there is a complete difference between studying English and studying English conversation in Japan. Somebody needs to write a book about that. |
| eki | 駅 | train station |
| erebētā | エレベーター | elevator |
| F | ||
| fukinotō | ふきのとう | butterbur shoots. A spring mountain vegetable. |
| fukkatsu | 復活 | revival, or comeback |
| Fukui | 福井 | Fukui is the name of a prefecture in Western Japan in what is called the Hokuriku Region |
| fukuzatsu | 複雑 | complicated, complex |
| Furansugo | フランス語 | French language |
| furin | 不倫 | adultery. See below for word confusion |
| fūrin | 風鈴 | wind chime. See above for word confusion. You do not want to shorten that long ‘u’ sound! |
| futsū | 普通 | average, usual |
| Futsū de ii desu | 普通で良いです。 | Maybe, “don’t fuss.”An expression I’d often use when my mother-in-law asked me what she could treat she should cook or order. I didn’t like some of the more expensive delicacies she wanted to offer me and I’d just say that she shouldn’t fuss and the usual meal was fine. Truthfully, when I visited their small town, the fried tofu was the most delicious thing there! |
| futsū no obasan | 普通のおばさん | “an average woman” This phrase was made popular by Miyako Harumi, a singer who retired because she just wanted a normal or average life. |
| fuyu | 冬 | winter |
| G | ||
| gaikokujin | 外国人 | foreigners. This is the polite form. In Japan, the shorter the phrase gets the ore casual or even rude it is. Because of that, it isn’t exactly polite when this gets shortened to gaijin. But it very often is shortened to the dismay of some. |
| gaikokujin sensei | 外国人先生 | foreign teacher. If you’re a Western foreigner you get a special status as a teacher, i.e. higher salary than your Japanese counterpart. We call this privilege. |
| gakudō kurabu | 学童クラブ | after school care center for kids with working parents |
| gasorin sutando | ガソリンスタンド | gas station, or gasoline stand |
| gasu | ガス | gas. Used primarily for the utility, not passing gas or gasoline |
| gekkyū | 月給 | monthly salary |
| genjitsu | 現実 | reality, actualities |
| genkan | 玄関 | the entrance of a home. It’s where you take off your shoes before you enter the home and traditionally it is a step up from there to enter the home, proper. |
| genshiryokuhatsuden | 原子力発電 | nuclear power. It’s quite a mouthful, isn’t it? Kind of fun to just casually reel off… 😉 |
| geshuku | 下宿 | boarding house. Rare, these days, but poor students usually lived in these. It would usually be one room, a shared toilet area and a nearby public bath. |
| gimu kyōiku | 義務教育 | mandatory education. In the USA, it is until age 16. In Japan it is until the end of junior high school. This makes a lot more sense, right? Think about it. |
| Gion Matsuri | 祇園祭 | Gion Festival. One of the three big festivals that happens in Kyoto. This is a summer festival. Google it. |
| giri okāsan | 義理お母さん | mother-in-law. If you put giri before mother, father, sister, brother etc. it turns it into an in-law. |
| giri onēsan | 義理お姉さん | (older) sister-in-law |
| giri otōsan | 義理お父さん | father-in-law |
| gochisō | ごちそう | a feast. Used to praise food not just for a real feast |
| gofun | 五分 | five minutes. Go is five and fun is minutes. However, fun changes in combination depending on which number it is used with. (You need either a teacher or a textbook to understand why this is.) |
| gokiburi | ゴキブリ | cockroach. There are both brown and black ones. Some of them fly. They are huge. |
| gokiburi hoi hoi | ゴキブリホイホイ | what we in the West call cockroach hotels. Hoi hoi is something like “come hither.” |
| gokko | ごっこ | pretend. A suffix used to indicate playing at something |
| gōruden uīku | ゴールデンウィーク | Golden Week or these days abbreviated down to “GW”. Three national holidays fall between the span of a week and when you add a weekend in, you get a nice period of vacation at the end of April through the beginning of May. Avoid visiting Japan from abroad during this time because trains between cities can be very crowded. |
| gyōza | 餃子 | Fried dumplings.You should know this since they are pretty mainstream outside Japan now. |
| H | ||
| hachigatsu | 8月 | the month of August, i.e. 8th month |
| hagu | ハグ | hug |
| Haha no Hi | 母の日 | Mother’s Day. Celebrated similarly in Japan. Note that Haha is how you refer to your own mother. Someone else’s mother is okāsan. |
| haiyū | 俳優 | actor |
| hamubāgu | ハムバーグ | hamburger. There are a few words for hamburger depending on how it is served. |
| hana | 鼻 | nose. With a different character, it also means flower. Ponder that. |
| hanadokei | 花時計 | flower clock. Maybe I dreamed it because all the Googling in the world isn’t yielding a photo. It used to be the place where you’d meet up with people downtown. It was in the lobby of Takashimaya and was a clock surrounded by flowers. Maybe it was known my a different name, but I always called it the hanadokei. |
| hanayome shūgyō | 花嫁修業 | the kind of training a young woman does before marrying. It used to be flower arranging, tea ceremony, possibly cooking school or calligraphy. Depends on the family. |
| hangenpatsu | 反原発 | “against nuclear power” It’s the name of the movement. |
| hankachi | ハンカチ | handkerchief. Very popular in Japan. I wonder why we Americans don’t use them as much. |
| haru | 春 | spring |
| hatsu | 初 | first or beginning. Used to modify so many things. There’s hatsukoi 初恋, or first love and hatsumimi 初耳 or “first I’ve heard” which is literally first ear. |
| hatsu sekku | 発節句 | first festival. If you’re a boy, it is on May 5 and if you’re a girl it is on March 3. |
| hayashi | はやし | special music. The flutes, drums and bells of Gion Festival |
| heibon | 平凡 | ordinary, unremarkable, common |
| henka | 変化 | change [noun] |
| Hi no Yōjin | 火の用心 | the chant that reminds people to turn off gas and electric heaters and appliances before going to bed so as to avoid starting a fire. Often translated as “beware of fire.” It’s more like “be careful not to start a fire”. |
| hikiniku | 挽肉 | ground meat. Pork was cheaper than beef when I lived in Japan and a burger was always a mix of the two or even all ground pork. |
| hikōki | 飛行機 | airplane |
| hiragana | ひらがな | syllabic phonetic writing system |
| hiyashi chūka | 冷やし中華 | cold Chinese noodles. See also, reimen |
| hiyayakko | 冷奴 | cold tofu dish. A staple summer food at home. The better the tofu, the better this dish. |
| hobosan | 保母さん | a daycare worker |
| hoikuen | 保育園 | daycare center |
| hōken seido | 封建制度 | feudal system. Make sure you memorize this entirely useful phrase. (I’m joking) |
| hon | 本 | book |
| honkakuteki | 本格的 | genuine, the real thing |
| honyakusha | 翻訳者 | translator. Honyaku usually refers to written translation and sha is a suffix for person. There is another word for interpreters. |
| Honyaradō | ほんやら洞 | a famous coffee shop that a bunch of hippies built in 1973. It burned down, sadly, in January, 2015. |
| honya-san | 本屋さん | bookstore |
| hoshōnin | 保証人 | to stay in Japan on a cultural or student visa you needed a Japanese person to ask as your guaranteer. |
| hoshūkō | 補習校 | Literally, supplementary school, but refers to the Saturday school held overseas in areas where a Japanese population necessitate it. They range from being small cultural schools catering to part Japanese children all the way to very serious endeavors meant to ensure that Japanese children living temporarily outside of Japan will not fall behind in their studies. Don’t even ask me about parent roles. They are expected and way beyond PTA’s of America. |
| hosutesu | ホステス | hostess… but Japanese style. A pricy bar hostess. Not someone who guides you to your table, but a woman who sits with you, fills your drinks, and charms you. (I’d totally fail at this job.) |
| hosuto kurabu | ホストクラブ | host club. The opposite of a hostess club. In other words, where the boys are. For ladies. |
| hoteru | ホテル | hotel |
| hyakkajiten | 百科事典 | encyclopedia. Literally “100 category dictionary” |
| Hyakumanben | 百万遍 | A neighborhood of Kyoto where Kyoto University is located. It’s good for cheap dives and has a real student vibe to it. |
| hyakutōban | １１０番 | Number 110 – the police number you call in an emergency in Japan |
| I | ||
| ichinensei | いちねんせい | a first-grader. It could be at an elementary school, but is also used for the first years of junior high, high school, and college, though usually modified to indicate which level of school. |
| ikebana | 生花 | flower arranging |
| ikigai | 生き甲斐 | reason for living, or that thing that makes you wake up in the morning with a smile. Try googling it. |
| Ikkai dake desu | 一回だけです | “Just once.” or “I’ll do it just once.” |
| inaka | 田舎 | hometown. This word and concept comes up a lot. Some translate it as ancestral homeland. You never forget your roots in Japan and your inaka is where you go for longer holidays. |
| iro | 色 | color |
| itabasami | 板挟み | a dilemma. Literally it means stuck between two boards |
| itanda ebi | いたんだ えび | Apparently this was taught in the textbook written by Eleanor Jordan that was more popular than the one I used. Itamu is the verb for spoiled (when applied to food) and ebi means shrimp. Itamu is in the past tense here and modifies (OMG, I’m doing grammar!) ebi, so the sentence was about getting food poisoning from shrimp at a restaurant in Ginza. Seriously? Ginza? The most high-class restaurants are there. Why not Shinjuku with its wealth of cheap eateries? I consider this a Jordan fail. |
| J | ||
| J-doramā | Jードラマ | Japanese drama (tv programs) |
| jidōhanbaiki | 自動販売機 | Vending machine. It’s a mouthful, isn’t it! Literally automatic selling machine. |
| Jieitai | 自衛隊 | Japanese self-defense force, also known as the JSDF. This is a post WW2 military only for the purpose of self-defense. You should google it if you’re interested. |
| jigoku | 地獄 | hell |
| jinan | 次男 | second son |
| jinja | 神社 | Shinto shrine |
| jinrikusha | 人力車 | a tourist gimmick for those who don’t want to walk and would rather ride in a carriage pulled by a real live person. |
| jishin | 地震 | earthquake. Though Kyoto is not as earthquake prone as other places in Japan this is one word you should learn no matter where you are in Japan. They happen. |
| jishin tappuri | 自信たっぷり | “with plenty of confidence.” jishin [自信] means confidence and tappuri means plenty of |
| jitensha | 自転車 | bicycle |
| jōkyaku | 乗客 | passenger |
| joshidaisei | 女子大生 | female college students. Calling them “coeds” as we used to do in America would be the right kind of feel for this word. |
| jūmin | 住民 | resident |
| junyūshitsu | 授乳室 | nursing room. If you have a nursing baby or toddler, watch out for signs that will lead you to a nursing location. Department stores have quite nice ones. |
| jūsu | ジュース | juice |
| K | ||
| kabi | かび | mold. You really do need to watch out for this during the rainy season. There used to be stories about how young mothers would find mold growing on their babies’ backs. I had trouble believing that ever really happened…. |
| kagayaku | 輝く | to shine or sparkle (verb). This is used for stars in the sky but can also be used for people. For example a bride on her wedding day (one hopes.) |
| kagi | 鍵 | key. Also means lock, so lock and key. Ponder that. |
| kahogo | 過保護 | overprotective |
| kaji | 家事 | household tasks |
| kaji tetsudai | 家事手伝い | literally “helping with household work.” Women use it to describe that period when they are not working outside of the home and just sort of waiting to get married. It is probably outdated at this point. |
| kakigōri | かき氷 | shaved ice. Nothing like a snowcone though. We’re talking major upgrade from that! |
| kamakiri | カマキリ | praying mantis |
| Kamigamo Jinja | 上賀茂神社 | A very famous shrine in the northern section of Kyoto. You could google it. |
| Kandagawa | 神田川 | a river in Tokyo. Kanda is a part of Tokyo, and kawa means river. Very straightforward. If you’re riding a train through Tokyo you may see it from the window. Very urban. The Kanda area is where all the used bookstores are and was a favorite lodging place for students back in the day since it was cheaper to live there. Also the name of a very famous folk song. |
| kanji | 漢字 | Chinese characters. If you learn them, it will help you slightly in a Chinese restaurant, too |
| kankōkōgai | 観光公害 | over-tourism. Literally tourism pollution. |
| kankōkyaku | 観光客 | tourist(s) |
| Kansai | 関西 | the Western area of Japan |
| kansōki | 乾燥機 | clothes dryer. In all my years in Japan I never had one. Other than the rainy season, that worked fine for me. During the rainy season I’d hang the wash inside…sometimes for days. |
| kantan | 簡単 | easy, simple |
| Kantō | 関東 | the Eastern area of Japan |
| karā bokkusu | カラーボックス | color box (cheap furniture used for storage and favored by students) |
| karashidōfu | 辛子どうふ | mustard tofu. A speciality food of Kyoto in the summer months |
| Karasu ga tonda | カラスが飛んだ | “Oh look, a crow is flying!” It’s an expression used to distract a toddler or small child. Kind of like telling a child to look up at an airplane to distract them. This totally works with kids. Raised my own kids using this! You do need to say it dramatically, though. |
| kashite | 貸して | the imperative form of the verb ‘kasu’ which means ‘to lend.’ A casual way of asking. An adult might add a please to it. A child uses it to ask to borrow something or try it. |
| katakana | カタカナ | syllabic phonetic writing system (because apparently we need two of them. Can you see that it looks “blockier” than hiragana? |
| katei ryōri | 家庭料理 | home cooking |
| katoributa | 蚊取り豚 | a ceramic pig that holds mosquito coils (you had to be there… ) |
| katsuobushi | 鰹節 | bonito flakes. Used in so many dishes and also to make dashi. |
| kawaii | 可愛い | If you use one word to translate it, it is “cute.” But it is simply so much more and has unique parameters which is probably why it has been exported from Japan in reference to manga, Hello Kitty goods, etc. |
| kawarimono | 変わり者 | maverick, someone who is different |
| kazoku | 家族 | family. Note that if you are asking someone about their family you want to put an honorific in front of it and say gokazoku |
| kechappu | ケチャップ | catsup |
| kenka | 喧嘩 | quarrel or fight |
| Kenkyūsha | 研究社 | a publishing house in Japan. They publish the huge J-E and E-J dictionaries that translators favor. The huge J-E one used to be known as the Green Goddess to many of us. |
| kiiro | 黄色 | yellow |
| kikanshien | 気管支炎 | bronchitis. The curse of many foreigners who spend their first winter in Japan with inefficient heating. |
| kimono | 着物 | It is not a bathrobe! It literally means thing that you wear, but refers to a proper Japanese kimono in most cases. |
| kinjo | 近所 | neighborhood |
| kinmokusei | 金木犀 | osmanthus flower. This blooms mid-October in Japan and has the most wonderfully fragrant scent |
| kinō | 昨日 | yesterday |
| kinome | 木の芽 | Japanese pepper leaves is what the dictionary tells me. It’s primarily used as a garnish and has a very distinctive taste. I have never seen it in America. So sad. |
| kinpatsu | 金髪 | blonde hair |
| kippu | 切符 | ticket, like for trains or the movies. Not used for traffic violations. |
| kisetsu | 季節 | season |
| kissaten | 喫茶店 | coffee shop, but now refers to an old style coffee shop as opposed to a cafe. Us old folks like this style much better. Hipsters do not. Yet. |
| Kiyomizu | 清水 | Possibly the most famous temple in Kyoto. Properly called Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺because Kiyomizu is also a kind of pottery etc. Literally means “pure water.” |
| kodomo | 子供 | child |
| kodomotachi | 子供達 | children, i.e. more than one. There are no real plurals in the Japanese language, but by adding -tachi at the end, it indicates a grouping |
| Kodomo no Hi | 子供の日 | Children’s Day or Boy’s Day in Japan. It falls on May 5. Note that Girl’s Day is NOT a national holiday, but Boy’s Day is. Which may be why it is now diplomatically called Children’s Day. |
| koi nobori | 鯉のぼり | carp kites on a stick. See illustration. If you have a son, you’ll display them. |
| Kōhaku Uta Gassen | 紅白歌合戦 | A big song contest that has been broadcast by NHK tv since 1953 on New Year’s Eve. It pits the men (white team) against the women (red team) and has huge viewership. It goes until almost midnight and then the scene solemnly switches to the chiming of temple bells all over Japan as the new year is welcomed. |
| kōhī | コーヒー | coffee |
| kōjō | 工場 | factory |
| koneko | 子猫 | kitten. Note that this is a combination of cat and the prefix for child. Now then, if you know that inu means dog, you can guess how to say puppy! |
| korokke | コロッケ | croquette (yum!) |
| kotatsu | 炬燵 | a low table combined with a special futon that is used as a heating device |
| kotoba | 言葉 | word or phrase |
| kubomi | 窪み | an indent in something…like a hamburger patty |
| kuchikomi | 口コミ | “word of mouth.” This is actually a really cool word and one I often use as an example of language oddities. Because it is a combination of Japanese and English. Kuchi means mouth in Japanese. But “komi” comes from the English word “communication.” So, kuchi gets written with kanji and komi in katakana as all borrowed words are. There aren’t a lot of commonly used phrases that act like this, so it always tickles my fancy. |
| kūko | 空港 | airport |
| kumo | くも | it means spider, but it also means cloud. Some say you can distinguish which is which by the intonation. But that varies by region. So you’d usually go with the context. It is conceivable that even two Japanese speaking together could need clarification. In that case it might be explained as sora no kumo or “I mean the kumo in the sky.” Gotta love this language! |
| kurisumasu kēki | クリスマスケーキ | Christmas cake. Back in the 1970s Japanese people assumed that we Americans all ate this on Christmas Eve. And were surprised when we had no clue about this cake. They are still wildly popular and you cannot have Christmas Eve without one. |
| kuruma | 車 | car, automobile |
| kuruma isu | 車椅子 | wheel chair. Isu itself is chair and kuruma is car or a wheeled vehicle |
| kusakanmuri | 草冠 | the radical for “grass.” Almost any flower is going to have it used. |
| kutsu | 靴 | shoes |
| kyōkasho | 教科書 | textbook |
| kyo-yasai | 京野菜 | a term for the speciality vegetables grown in Kyoto which include round eggplant, red carrots and much more. Google it. |
| M | ||
| mado | 窓 | window |
| mago | 孫 | grandchild |
| makaroni sarada | マカロニサラダ | macaroni salad |
| makudonarudo | マクドナルド | McDonalds. It’s a mouthful to say. I think you can get away with just saying makku if you are in context. |
| mamachari | ママチャリ | the kind of bicycle used by mothers for grocery shopping and transporting kids on either the front, back, or both. |
| manējā | マネージャー | simply means manager, but if it is a woman manager of a sports team she’s probably just doing their laundry. |
| manga | 漫画 | graphic fiction or frankly, comic books |
| manshion | マンシオン | a type of modern apartment. Someone should investigate how the heck this made it into the Japanese language. Aspirational, perhaps? At any rate, trust me… it is definitely not what you first think! |
| me | 目 | eye or eyes |
| Meiji Jidai | 明治時代 | The Meiji Era (1868-1912) By the way, this is an utterly fascinating era since it is when Western culture |
| menkyo | 免許 | license. You can use this for driver’s license, but there are also licenses for teaching flower arranging, calligraphy etc. Just about anything in Japan seems to require some license or another and the tests are usually quite rigorous. |
| mensetsu | 面接 | (job) interview |
| meron pan | メロンパン | melon bread. There’s the r and l thing at work here. And pan apparently comes from Portuguese. |
| Midorogaike | 深泥池 | The name of a pond in Northern Kyoto, but also serves as the name of the area around it. It literally means ‘deep muddy pond.’ Rents were a bit lower there because it was a hangout for ghosts. Really. But it was a nice place to live! |
| mikan | みかん | Japanese tangerines |
| MinMin | 珉珉 | the name of a cheap Chinese joint in Kyoto. A real greasy spoon that women used to not want to enter. But it was the saving grace for starving students. |
| mirin | みりん | Is there English for mirin? I don’t think there is. It’s a kind of sweet sake used for cooking. |
| miryoku | 魅力 | charm or fascination. If you add –teki to it, you can use it to describe a person or place as charming or fascinating. |
| mise | 店 | shop or store |
| mitsuba | 三つ葉 | honewort. Now honestly, does that have any meaning for you? It’s a green vegetable used often as a garnish as it adds a bit of oomph to a dish. |
| mizu | 水 | water. A general word for water, but hot water has its own word – oyu お湯 |
| mizugi | 水着 | bathing suit |
| mizutama | 水玉 | polka-dotted |
| mochi | おもち | Sorry, but what planet are you living on if you don’t know what this is?! Google it. (But if you can read Japanese, notice I put the honorific “o” on it when I typed the Japanese because I couldn’t help myself.) |
| mochigome | 餅米 | a kind of sticky rice that is used for making mochi and other special dishes called okowa. |
| mokuzō | 木造 | made of wood. Tokyo burned so quickly during WW2 because of all the wooden structures. And since homes and buildings are so close together in many cities, it’s important to know what your building is made of and if it is wooden or has some steel support, etc. Fire spreads when you live and work in tight quarters. |
| momohiki | ももひき | a kind of underwear. I’m pretty sure this is just for men. |
| mon | 門 | gate |
| Monbushō | 文部省 | The Japanese Ministry of Education |
| mōningu setto | モーニングセット | morning set. Often a special set served with coffee, toast and an egg and perhaps a small salad. There are infinite variations on this. It’s an economical choice as well. |
| monku | 文句 | complaint |
| moshi wake gozaimasen | 申し訳ございません | “my deepest apologies” There are many ways to apologize in Japanese and many levels of politeness. This particular phrase is for when you are deeply sorry and it is pretty darn polite. |
| mukade | ムカデ | millipede. Apparently they are NOT poisonous like centipedes are but I assure you there is not a scarier looking bug around. I once found one in my futon and I deserted my lodgings for three days due to the shock of it. Really. |
| mushiatsui | 蒸し暑い | humid, an adjective |
| musume | 娘 | daughter or young woman |
| muzukashii | 難しい | difficult |
***Click here for the rest of the glossary – N-Z