japanese
japanese — 形容詞
1. describes something that comes from Japan or is connected with the country, its
日本的
與日本、日語或日本人相關的
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.
Naoko 的祖母仍會為家庭聚會準備傳統的日本料理。
collocation: Japanese dishes / Japanese cuisine
The Japanese garden behind the museum has a peaceful pond with colourful carp.
博物館後面的日本庭園有一座平靜的池塘，裡面養著色彩鮮豔的鯉魚。
collocation: Japanese garden
Élise enrolled in a Japanese language class at the local college last September.
Élise 去年九月在當地的社區大學報名了日語課程。
Walid bought a delicate Japanese ceramic vase from a small shop in Kyoto.
Walid 在京都的一家小店買了一個精緻的日本陶瓷花瓶。
Every autumn, the Japanese film festival showcases classic animations and new dramas from Tokyo studios.
每年秋季，日本電影節都會展出來自東京片廠的經典動畫和新劇情片。
- 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 — 名詞
1. the main language of Japan, which uses a writing system that combines Chinese ch
日語
日本的主要語言
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.
Rachel 閱讀日語相當流利，但依然覺得書寫漢字很困難。
collocation: read Japanese / write Japanese
Aarav has studied Japanese for three years and can now hold basic conversations.
Aarav 學日語已經三年了，現在能夠進行基本的對話。
The Japanese writing system uses three scripts together in most publications.
日語的文字系統在多數出版物中同時使用三種書寫符號。
Beatrix practises Japanese every morning by reading short news articles aloud.
Beatrix 每天早上透過朗讀新聞短文來練習日語。
Sivan translated the contract from Japanese into English for the legal team.
Sivan 把那份合約從日語翻譯成英語，交給法務團隊。
- 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
日本人
來自日本的人
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.
Indra 遇到了一位剛搬到溫哥華工作的日本人。
a Japanese (countable singular)
A Japanese woman at the hotel front desk helped Yasmin find the conference room.
飯店櫃檯的一位日本女性幫 Yasmin 找到了會議廳。
Japanese woman (adjective + noun)
Paloma's doctor is a Japanese who trained at a famous hospital in Tokyo.
Paloma 的主治醫生是一位曾在東京著名醫院受訓的日本人。
Three Japanese from the design team presented their proposal to the board yesterday.
設計團隊的三位日本成員昨天向董事會提出了他們的方案。
- 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
日本人民
日本的全體國民
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.
日本人有重視群體和諧更甚於個人需求的深厚傳統。
the Japanese (collective plural)
After the earthquake, the Japanese came together to help rebuild their communities.
地震過後，日本人團結起來幫助重建自己的社區。
Many Japanese travel abroad during the spring holiday season each year.
每年春季假期，許多日本人會出國旅遊。
The Japanese are well known for their polite manners and careful attention to detail.
日本人以禮貌的態度和對細節的用心聞名。
- 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'.