japanese
japanese — adjective
1. describes something that comes from Japan or is connected with the country, its
describes something that comes from Japan or is connected with the country, its culture, its main language, or the people who live there.
Naoko's grandmother still prepares traditional Japanese dishes for family celebrations.
collocation: Japanese dishes / Japanese cuisine
The Japanese garden behind the museum has a peaceful pond with colourful carp.
collocation: Japanese garden
Élise enrolled in a Japanese language class at the local college last September.
Walid bought a delicate Japanese ceramic vase from a small shop in Kyoto.
Every autumn, the Japanese film festival showcases classic animations and new dramas from Tokyo studios.
- Japan-based
more specific — describes something physically located in Japan rather than culturally connected
用法筆記
This sense covers anything relating to Japan — the country, its culture, its language, and its people. When referring to a single person, Japanese functions as both an adjective (a Japanese artist) and a noun (a Japanese from Kyoto).
常見錯誤
japanese — noun
1. the main language of Japan, which uses a writing system that combines Chinese ch
the main language of Japan, which uses a writing system that combines Chinese characters with two native syllabic scripts called hiragana and katakana.
Rachel can read Japanese quite well but still finds writing the characters very hard.
collocation: read Japanese / write Japanese
Aarav has studied Japanese for three years and can now hold basic conversations.
The Japanese writing system uses three scripts together in most publications.
Beatrix practises Japanese every morning by reading short news articles aloud.
Sivan translated the contract from Japanese into English for the legal team.
- Nihongo
borrowing from the Japanese name for the language; sometimes used in language-learning contexts
文法句型
Japanese (uncountable noun)
用法筆記
Japanese as a language is uncountable — you cannot say 'a Japanese' to mean a language variety. To refer to a specific variety, use phrases such as 'spoken Japanese' or 'written Japanese'.
常見錯誤
2. a person who comes from Japan, has Japanese nationality, or identifies with Japa
a person who comes from Japan, has Japanese nationality, or identifies with Japanese culture and heritage.
Indra met a Japanese who had just moved to Vancouver for a new job.
a Japanese (countable singular)
A Japanese woman at the hotel front desk helped Yasmin find the conference room.
Japanese woman (adjective + noun)
Paloma's doctor is a Japanese who trained at a famous hospital in Tokyo.
Three Japanese from the design team presented their proposal to the board yesterday.
- Japanese person
more commonly used in everyday speech than the bare noun 'a Japanese'
- Japanese national
formal or legal context — refers specifically to citizenship
- native of Japan
slightly formal; emphasises place of origin
文法句型
a Japanese (countable singular)
three Japanese (countable plural)
用法筆記
As a singular countable noun, 'a Japanese' is grammatically correct but may sound slightly formal in everyday speech. 'A Japanese person' or specifying the role ('a Japanese designer') often sounds more natural in casual conversation. The plural form is the same as the singular: 'two Japanese'.
常見錯誤
3. the people who live in Japan or who consider Japan their home, thought of as a s
the people who live in Japan or who consider Japan their home, thought of as a single group or community.
The Japanese have a strong tradition of valuing group harmony over individual needs.
the Japanese (collective plural)
After the earthquake, the Japanese came together to help rebuild their communities.
Many Japanese travel abroad during the spring holiday season each year.
The Japanese are well known for their polite manners and careful attention to detail.
- Japanese people
interchangeable with 'the Japanese'; slightly more explicit
- the Japanese population
more formal; emphasises demographic statistics rather than cultural identity
- the people of Japan
more formal and descriptive
文法句型
the Japanese (plural collective)
many Japanese (plural)
用法筆記
When 'the Japanese' is used as a collective noun, it always takes a plural verb: 'the Japanese are…', not 'the Japanese is…'. To refer to a smaller group within Japan's population, specify further: 'young Japanese', 'urban Japanese'.