Glossary of Japanese terms
There are many terms I use in my stories, and many can be unfamiliar to readers. I’ve listed many of them here, and if there are any I haven’t named and are unsure of, I’ll add them to this list.
Each term is written in alphabetical order in English and Japanese hiragana. The sections are people, yokai, words, items, clothing, and speech.
People
Amaterasu あまてらす
Goddess of the sun, daughter of Izanami and Izanagi.
Fuujin ふうじん
God of the wind, son of Izanami and Izanagi.
Inari いなり
Goddess of foxes, sake, rice, patron of blacksmiths. Wife of Ukemochi.
Izanagi いざなぎ
Creation god, along with his sister-wife Izanami. Father to many gods.
Izanami いざなみ
Creation goddess, along with her brother-husband Izanagi. Mother to many gods.
Oto-hime おとひめ
Princess of the Dragon Palace, a place found deep under the sea.
Raijin らいじん
God of thunder and lightning, son of Izanami and Izanagi. Owns raijuu as pets.
Susanoo すさのお
God of the sea and storms, son of Izanami and Izanagi. Has stayed up in the heavens since creation.
Tsukuyomi つくよみ
God of the moon, son of Izanami and Izanagi. Hates Ukemochi for how they handled a feast.
Ukemochi うけもち
God/dess of food, wife of Inari. Hates Tsukuyomi for how he acted at their feast.
Yokai
Bakeneko ばけねこ
A cat yokai which is a shapeshifter.
Kiko きこ
A type of kitsune. Kiko are good kitsune which serve the goddess Inari.
Kitsune きつね
A fox shapeshifting yokai, known for being a trickster. Many kitsune serve the goddess Inari as her messengers, There are different types of kitsune and they can come in a few colours too. Different types of kitsune can also have more than one tail, depending on their age.
Kitsunebi きつねび
Fox fire, floating orbs of light seen in the night that are attributed to kitsune. They can be a few fireballs, or a long chain of them. Although not directly dangerous, they can be used to trick humans.
Obake おばけ
A term for shapeshifting yokai, although often used for one type, ghosts.
Onibi おにび
Oni fire, dangerous fireball yokai which are usually blue and appear in groups. They drain the life force from their victims.
Raijuu らいじゅう
A wolf-like embodiment of lightning, sent by the god Raijin.
Shinigami しにがみ
Spirits of the dead which hurt the living. They are attracted to death and lurk in places tainted by evil.
Suzaku すざく
A vermillion bird which is phoenix-like.
Tanuki たぬき
Also known as a raccoon dog. A shapeshifting yokai with powerful magical abilities.
Zashiki Warashi ざしきわらし
A mischievous house spirit which brings great fortune, or bad fortune to those who spurn them. They keep elderly or infertile couple company, who often treat them as their own child/ren.
Words
Aikinojutsu あいきのじゅつ
Now known as aikido. A martial art to help calm the mind and is defensive.
Ara-mitama あらみたま
One of many sides of a kami’s spirit. It means Wild Soul and is the rough and violent side of a spirit. The first appearance of a kami is their ara-mitama which needs pacifying and worship, to bring about the nigi-mitama, or the tranquil soul. The ara-mitama will come out during times of war or natural disasters.
Daimyo だいみょ
A powerful feudal lord.
Fairy pitta / yairochou やいろちょう
A rare multi-coloured forest bird also known as a forest sprite or a forest fairy.
Komainu こまいぬ
Lion-dog statues found at shrines.
Machiya まちや
Townhouses.
Nigi-mitama にぎみたま
One of many sides of a kami’s spirit. It means Tranquil Soul and is the normal, functional state of a kami. It is considered the opposite to the ara-mitama.
Onsen おんせん
A heated bath-pool. The water comes from nearby hot springs.
Ronin ろにん
Masterless samurai which have severed links with their family and/or clan.
Ryokan りょかん
An inn, many have onsen with them.
Torii とりい
A gate, often painted red, found at shrines. They are the gateway between the human world and the god world.
Items
Atarigane あたりがね
A saucer-shaped hand-held gong.
Byobu screen びょぶ
A folding screen used as a room divider, usually decorated in art.
Dango だんご
A three-balled rice made dumpling treat, now commonly coloured in pink, white, and green.
Enza えんざ
A circular, plaited grass cushion.
Furoshiki ふろしき
A wrapping cloth used to carry goods, made out of silk or cotton. They are almost always square shaped.
Futon ふとん
A bed made of soft material laid on the floor. Can come with a blanket too, depending on the time period.
Hanafuda はなふだ
A type of playing cards, the face depicts things such as flowers and animals.
Koban こばん
An oval gold coin.
Koto こと
A stringed instrument made from a long semi-flat half-tube of wood, which is laid down and plucked from the top.
Naginata なぎなた
A polearm weapon with a curved blade on top around 205–260 cm long.
Ofuda おふだ
A talisman made from a slip of paper (though sometimes wood, cloth, or metal). They are used for a specific purpose such as good luck or protection and kept either with someone, or in the house.
Oodaiko おおだいこ
A very large drum which stands sideways and is hit from the side.
Sake さけ
Alcoholic drink made from rice.
Shouji しょうじ
Sliding doors in a house.
Taiko たいこ
A type of drum, which can come in many sizes and can have specific names.
Tantou たんとう
A short blade around 15-30cm long. Mostly carried by samurai.
Tatami たたみ
A type of mat used for flooring inside houses. They are made of wefted plants such as rushes and hemp.
Tokkuri とっくり
A vessel, bottle shaped with a wide top, used for holding sake.
Uchigatana うちがたな
A sword around 60-80cm long. Known more commonly as a katana (although in Japan that term means single-edge swords from around the world).
Wakizashi わきざし
A short blade around 30-60cm long. Often paired with a uchigatana or a tachi by samurai. (Tachi are swords around 70-80cm long)
Zabuton ざぶとん
A square cushion.
Clothing
Geta げた
Wooden sandals with an elevated base, which also can have one or two teeth-like pieces underneath.
Haori はおり
A jacket worn over a kimono.
Hakama はかま
Loose clothing similar to trousers, also worn often while riding.
Kasa かさ
A hat made of wickerwork. There are many types for different professions.
Kimono きもの
A garment worn either by itself or with hakama, it’s long and is tied in place with an obi belt. For men it sits around their waist, for women it sits higher up.
Obi おび
A belt worn with a kimono or yukata. Items can be tucked into them safely for use, such as fans. Women’s obi are thicker and usually more decorated than men’s.
Yukata ゆかた
An item of clothing similar to a kimono, however much lighter and used in the summer months.
Speech
Dokkoisho どっこいしょ
Heave-ho, a word often only used at festivals.
Irasshaimase いらっしゃいませ
Welcome, a greeting used by shop owners to customers.
Kampai かんぱい
Cheers.
Konbanwa こんばんわ
Good evening.
Konnichiwa こんにちわ
Hello.
Ohayo / Ohayogozaimasu おはようございます
Good Morning, the latter version is the polite term.
Okaeri おかえり
Welcome back, used when someone returns home.
Sumimasen すみません
Excuse me, pardon me, I’m sorry, this word has a few meanings depending on the context of the speech.
Tadaima ただいま
I’m home, used when someone returns home.