Japanese words you probably already know!

​Did you know that you are already using some Japanese words without knowing?
Compared to other foreign languages like French or Italian, the number of Japanese words in English is limited, but there certainly are some Japanese words that have been well adopted into English. 

Here are some examples.....
​
Tsunami : Hazardous coastal wave(s) usually caused by a big earthquake. In Japanese the first letter "T" is prominently pronounced unlike in English.

Emoji : Those picture icons people use in their text messages or emails😄 "E (pronounced "E" as in "End") means "picture/drawing" in Japanese and "Moji" means "letter/character". 

Karaoke : Singing over pre-recorded back music. "Kara" means "empty (as there is no singing recorded in the back music)" and "Oke (pronounced "Ke" as in "Keg)"" came from the English word "orchestra". So it's actually a combination of Japanese and English!

Midori : You might know this if you are a drinker! It's a bright green-coloured liqueur with a sweet taste. The name is self-explanatory as it means green in Japanese. It's made by Suntory, a Japanese brewing and distilling manufacturer.

​Futon : A folding sofa-bed without springs. However, even though this word originated in Japanese, in English it's meaning has changed quite a bit. In Japan Futon refers to either the mattress you lay down and the doona covering your body, or a set of both.

Kimono : Traditional Japanese clothes. Nowadays Japanese people wear kimono only at certain occasions such as coming-of-age (20 years old) day celebration, wedding, funeral etc. "Ki" is a part of a word "ki-ru" which means "To wear" and "Mono" means "thing".

Tycoon : To be honest, until recently I personally didn't know this word originated in Japan! It derives from the Japanese word "Tai kun" which literally means "great lord". I guess we don't have lords in Japan anymore hence the word has lost its place in the society and the word is becoming obsolete.

Wagyu : A breed of beef cattle native to Japan. "Wa" stands for "Japanese/Domestic" and "Gyu" came from the word "Gyu-niku" which means "beef".


and the list goes on and on especially if you include names of food, drink, and sport (judo, karate...) etc!