List of English Words of Japanese Origin - Arts

Arts

bokeh

(from ぼけ boke), subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of an image projected by a camera lens.

bonsai

盆栽 listen, "tray gardening"; the art of tending miniature trees.

bunraku

文楽, a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, performed by puppeteers, chanters, and shamisen players.

haiku

俳句 listen, a very short poem consisting of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 morae (not syllables as commonly thought) each; see also tanka below.

ikebana

生花, flower arrangement.

imari

伊万里, Japanese porcelain wares (made in the town of Arita and exported from the port of Imari, particularly around the 17th century).

kabuki

歌舞伎, a traditional form of Japanese theatre; also any form of elaborate theatre, especially metaphorically.

kakemono

掛け物, a vertical Japanese scroll, of ink-and-brush painting or calligraphy, that hangs in a recess on a wall inside a room.

kakiemon

柿右衛門, Japanese porcelain wares featuring enamel decoration (made in Arita, using the style developed in 17th century by 酒井田 柿右衛門 Sakaida Kakiemon).

karaoke

カラオケ listen, "empty orchestra"; entertainment where an amateur singer accompanies recorded music.

kirigami

切り紙, similar to origami, but involves cutting in addition to folding.

koto

琴, a traditional stringed musical instrument from Japan, resembling a zither with 13 strings.

makimono

巻物, a horizontal Japanese hand scroll, of ink-and-brush painting or calligraphy

manga

まんが or 漫画 listen, Japanese comics; refers to comics in general in Japanese

netsuke

根付, a toggle used to tie the sash of a kimono also to attach small items such as inro and kinchaku: sometimes beautifully carved.

noh

能 nō, a major form of classical Japanese music drama

origami

折り紙, artistic paper folding

otaku

オタク or おたく or ヲタク, a geeky enthusiast, especially of anime and manga (note that the Japanese usage has a much stronger negative connotation than the Western usage).

senryu (senryū)

川柳, a form of short poetry similar to haiku.

shamisen

三味線, a three-stringed musical instrument, played with a plectrum.

sumi-e

墨絵, a general term for painting with a brush and black ink.

tanka

短歌, "short poetry"; an older form of Japanese poetry than haiku, of the form 5-7-5-7-7 morae (not syllables; see also haiku above).

ukiyo-e

浮世絵, a type of woodblock print art or painting.