About Japanese words in English (response to Maciamo)

[Zauriel]

? Then it could be said for any language, usually to a greater extent (Japanese words in English almost only refer to Japanese cultural things, except tsunami). The rest are cultural stuff, mostly limited to Japan or a few afficionados (like here ;-) )

Excuse me but I have found another borrowed Japanese word that is not related to Japanese culture.

Homework Help and Textbook Solutions | bartleby

tycoon

SYLLABICATION: ty·coon
PRONUNCIATION: t-kn
NOUN: 1. A wealthy and powerful businessperson or industrialist; a magnate. 2. Used formerly as a title for a Japanese shogun.
ETYMOLOGY: Japanese taikun, title of a shogun, of Chinese origin.
WORD HISTORY: It has been claimed that in today's global economy some business leaders have more power than heads of states. It is etymologically fitting that such leaders are sometimes called tycoons. Tycoon came into English from Japanese, which had borrowed the title, meaning ﾂ"great prince,ﾂ" from Chinese. Use of the word was intended to make the shogun, the commander in chief of the Japanese army, more impressive to foreigners (his official title shogun merely meant ﾂ"generalﾂ"). It worked with Matthew C. Perry, who opened Japan to the West in 1854; Perry carried out his negotiations with the shogun, thinking him to be the emperor. In fact, the shogun did rule Japan, although he was supposedly acting for the emperor. The shogun's title, taikun, was brought back to the United States after Perry's visit. Abraham Lincoln's cabinet members used tycoon as an affectionate nickname for the President. The word soon came to be used for business and industry leaders—at times being applied to figures like J. P. Morgan, who may indeed have wielded more power than many princes and presidents.

 

[Glenn]

And let us not forget "honcho"

Main Entry: hon·cho
Pronunciation: 'hän-(")chO
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural honchos
Etymology: Japanese hanchO squad leader, from han squad + chO head, chief
: BOSS, BIG SHOT; also : HOTSHOT

and "rickshaw"

Main Entry: rick·sha
Variant(s): or rick·shaw /'rik-"sho/
Function: noun
Etymology: alteration of jinrikisha
: a small covered 2-wheeled vehicle usually for one passenger that is pulled by one man and that was used originally in Japan

and "hara kiri."

Main Entry: hara-kiri
Pronunciation: "har-i-'kir-E, -'kar-E
Function: noun
Etymology: Japanese harakiri, from hara belly + kiri cutting
1 : ritual suicide by disembowelment practiced by the Japanese samurai or formerly decreed by a court in lieu of the death penalty
2 : SUICIDE 1b

That's all for now.

 

[epigene]

This looks like fun!

One contribution from Japanese culinary science:

uma·mi
Pronunciation: ü-'mä-mE
Function: noun
: a taste sensation that is meaty or savory and is produced by several amino acids and nucleotides (as aspartate, inosinate, and glutamate) ﾂ―umami adjective
Source: Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Contribution from Japanese manufacturing (specifically Toyota Motor):

kaizen
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: Japanese for continuous and incremental improvement, a business philosophy about working practices and efficiency; improvement in productivity or performance
Etymology: Japanese `change for the better'
Source: Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.5)
Copyright © 2003, 2004 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC

kanban
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: in manufacturing, a written set of specifications and requirements for production of a commodity and inventory control of the components needed; a manufacturing system or assembly line using such written specifications; also called just-in-time (another Toyota coinage)
Etymology: Japanese `sign, poster'
Usage: Japanese
Source: Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.5)
Copyright © 2003, 2004 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC

In the world of finance:

kei·ret·su
Pronunciation Key (k-rts)
n. pl. keiretsu or kei·ret·sus
A network of businesses that own stakes in one another as a means of mutual security, especially in Japan, and usually including large manufacturers and their suppliers of raw materials and components.
[Japanese, series, affiliation : kei, system + retsu, row, line.]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

In the world of animation, of course:

an·i·me
Pronunciation Key (n-m)
n.
A style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by stylized colorful art, futuristic settings, violence, and sex.
[Japanese, short for animeishon, animation, from English animation.]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Japanimation
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: a style of cartoon or animation made in Japan that focuses on futuristic themes and robotlike characters; also called anime
Etymology: Japan + (an)imation
Source: Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.5)
Copyright © 2003, 2004 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

There is about 800 "Japanese which turned into English." RASII

This word was got to know here.
"ONSEN"

 

[wintersweet]

What about "skosh," as in "a little bit?" I'd always wondered if it came from "sukoshi." I just thought to check the online Oxford English Dictionary, and it does come from Japanese! I think hardly any American users of this word know that it comes from Japanese.

I also know people who use "zori" to refer to any thong-type sandal (flip-flops), completely outside of a Japanese context.