Loanwords from the Japanese language in Hawaii appear in various parts of the culture. Many

loanwords A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because the ...

Hawaiian Pidgin Hawaiian Pidgin (alternately, Hawaiʻi Creole English or HCE, known locally as Pidgin) is an English-based creole language spoken in Hawaiʻi. An estimated 600,000 residents of Hawaii speak Hawaiian Pidgin natively and 400,000 speak it as a seco ...

(or Hawaiian Creole English) derive from the

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...

. The linguistic influences of the

Japanese in Hawaii The Japanese in Hawaii (simply Japanese or “Local Japanese”, rarely Kepanī) are the second largest ethnic group in Hawaii. At their height in 1920, they constituted 43% of Hawaii's population. They now number about 16.7% of the islands' p ...

began with the first immigrants from Japan in 1868 and continues with the large

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

population in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

today.

Background

There are other Japanese words common among the Japanese American population (such as "okazu" and "obaachan"), but not as well-known among Hawaii's general population. Such words have not been included here, nor have Japanese words which have entered the English language on a national level, such as "

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

," ( :ja:アニメ) "

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

," ( :ja:カラオケ) "

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

," ( 侍) and "

sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

" ( :ja:寿司). Hawaii is also unique in the United States in that Japanese loanwords often retain Japanese pronunciation, as in the tapped "r" sound even in words that have entered the American English dictionary such as "

" and "

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

." However, as several varieties of Japanese cultural influence in the US in general has increased over the years, it has further bolstered the uses of Japanese terminology in Hawaii. Japanese food has increased in popularity and availability, most notably in the

history of sushi The history of began with paddy fields, where fish was fermented with vinegar, salt and rice, after which the rice was discarded. The earliest form of the dish, today referred to as , was created in Japan around the Yayoi period (early Neolithi ...

in the US and

Top Ramen is an American brand of instant ramen noodles introduced in 1970 by Nissin Foods. History Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-born founder of the Japanese cuisine, Japanese food company Nissin Foods, Nissin. ...

, plus in the 21st century, ramen restaurants.

Poke Poke may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Poke (''Ender's Game''), a fictional character * Poke (game), a two-player card game * Poke, a fictional bar owner in the television series '' Treme'' * The Poke, a British satirical website Fo ...

restaurants, centered around the Hawaiian dish, also have food with Japanese influences. Another variety of cultural influence has been the increasing

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

and availability of

anime and manga Anime and manga are forms of mass media produced by the content industry of Japan. The anime and manga industry forms an integral part of Japan's soft power as one of its most prominent cultural exports. Anime is a Japanese cartoon with a sp ...

as early as the 1980s with that era's Viz Japanese comics in English and ''

Mangajin ''Mangajin'' was a monthly English-language magazine for students of Japanese language and culture by Mangajin, Inc. It was distinct from many other magazines of its type in that it unabashedly embraced Japanese popular culture as a learning to ...

'' magazine. This fandom brought in the name "

cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, ...

" and expanded its practice in a wider audience. Some words are not from the standard Japanese language. They instead originated from Japan's regional dialects. For example, the word "bobora" is said to be spoken only in certain

prefectures A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

, especially in western Japan where many of the Japanese immigrants came from. It originates from the Portuguese word ''abóbora'' meaning Japanese pumpkin.

Food

Anpan is a Japanese sweet roll most commonly filled with red bean paste. Anpan can also be prepared with other fillings, including white beans (''shiro-an''), green beans (''uguisu-an''), sesame (''goma-an''), and chestnut (''kuri-an''). History An ...

( :ja:あんパン, 餡パン): A sweet bread filled with

azuki bean paste Red bean paste () or red bean jam, also called adzuki bean paste or ''anko'' (a Japanese word), is a paste made of red beans (also called "adzuki beans"), used in East Asian cuisine. The paste is prepared by boiling the beans, then mashing or g ...

and sprinkled on top with sesame seeds. Usually larger than the Japanese variety. *

Bentō A is the Japanese cuisine, Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese cuisine, Chinese, Korean c ...

( :ja:弁当, べんとう): Box lunch geared for portability for picnics, etc. It typically has rice, a main dish of meat or fish, and side dishes. It used to be food on a paper plate placed inside a thin cardboard box. Now, it's all in convenient styrofoam containers molded for each dish. *

Furikake is a dry Japanese condimentJapanese Furikake (Rice Seasoning)
. Japanese Kitchen. Accessed 28 ...

: A seaweed and sesame seed based condiment commonly used to season rice. *

Manjū is a traditional Japanese confection. Of the many varieties of manjū, most have an outside made from flour, rice powder, kudzu, and buckwheat, and a filling of ''anko'' ( red bean paste), usually made from boiled adzuki beans and sugar. ''M ...

( :ja:饅頭): Confection with sweet azuki bean paste inside a flour-based outside. *

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a dashi stock into which softened miso paste is mixed. In addition, there are many optional ingredients (various vegetables, tofu, ''abura-age'', etc.) that may be added depending on regional and sea ...

( :ja:味噌汁): Soup made of fermented

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...

paste called

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus ''Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spread ...

. ''Miso-shiru'' in Japanese. *

Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally ma ...

( :ja:餅): Rice cake made of a special kind of rice that has been pounded into a sticky mass. Mochi may be sweetened or unsweetened. Commonly pounded and eaten during New Year's, as in Japan. Sweetened azuki beans are commonly included with mochi as part of a confection. :* Mochi crunch:

Rice crackers A rice cracker is a cracker made from rice. Types by region Japan *, a dry Japanese confectionery made from rice. **Arare (food), a bite-sized Japanese rice cracker *** ''Oriibu no hana'' ('olive flower') **Senbei ** Kaki no tane ** Katabutsu ...

seasoned with shoyu. Also called "kaki mochi". Called ''

arare Arare may refer to: * Norimaki Arare or Arale Norimaki, the main character in ''Dr. Slump'' media *Arare (food) is a type of bite-sized Japanese cuisine, Japanese Cracker (food), cracker made from glutinous rice and flavored with soy sauce. The ...

'' in standard Japanese. :*

Mochi ice cream Mochi ice cream is a confection made from Japanese mochi (pounded sticky rice) with an ice cream filling. It was invented by Japanese-American businesswoman and community activist Frances Hashimoto. Description Mochi ice cream is a small, round ...

: Ice cream coated with a thin layer of frozen mochi. * Musubi: Rice triangle wrapped in dried seaweed; may or may not have something in the middle, like a pickled ''

ume ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

'' or bits of fish.

Spam musubi Spam musubi is a snack and lunch food composed of a slice of grilled Spam sandwiched either in between or on top of a block of rice, wrapped together with nori in the tradition of Japanese ''onigiri''. Inexpensive and portable, Spam musubi are ...

has a piece of

SPAM Spam may refer to: * Spam (food), a canned pork meat product * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ** Messaging spam, spam targeting users of instant messaging ( ...

luncheon meat on top. In Japanese the word ''

onigiri , also known as , , or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and often wrapped in ''nori''. Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume (''umeboshi''), salted salmon, katsuobu ...

'' is more commonly used for rice balls. Without further clarification, "musubi" usually implies the triangle variety (round balls of rice are only eaten at funerals). * Shoyu ( :ja:醤油):

Soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...

. "Shoyu rice" is "soy sauce" sprinkled over rice. "Shoyu ''x''" is some ingredient ''x'' cooked in soy sauce, e.g. "Shoyu chicken", "shoyu pork", "shoyu tofu". This term is so widely used that most Hawaii residents are unaware that is not the widely used English language term for soy sauce. *

Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish that is prepared and served in the ''nabemono'' (Japanese hot pot) style. It consists of meat (usually thinly sliced beef) which is slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in ...

( :ja:すき焼き): Thin slices of

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

s, and tofu simmered in a skillet or pan in sukiyaki sauce. It is also the title of a No. 1 hit song in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

made popular by

Kyu Sakamoto was a Japanese singer and actor. He was best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Arukō" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number ...

in 1963. The Japanese title of the song is "

Ue o muite arukō , alternatively titled "Sukiyaki", is a song by Japanese crooner Kyu Sakamoto, first released in Japan in 1961. The song topped the charts in a number of countries, including the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1963. The song grew to become one o ...

—it has nothing to do with the food product.) *

Teriyaki ''Teriyaki'' (kanji: 照り焼き) is a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiled or grilled with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Fish – yellowtail, marlin, skipjack tuna, salmon, trout, and ...

( :ja:照り焼き): Grilled meat basted with a sauce made of shoyu and sugar. Meat words such as "chicken" are often appended. A common dish in plate lunches. Often shortened to "teri", e.g. "teri burger". * Tako ( :ja:タコ):

Octopus An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttle ...

. Often used in a local dish called

poke Poke may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Poke (''Ender's Game''), a fictional character * Poke (game), a two-player card game * Poke, a fictional bar owner in the television series '' Treme'' * The Poke, a British satirical website Fo ...

in which case it is called "tako poke".

Objects

* Benjo ( :ja:便所):

Toilet A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human urine and feces, and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting position popu ...

, interchangeable with Hawaiian-derived ''lua''. Although originally a Japanese word with no particular connotation, in Japan, it is now considered to be crude, and many Japanese people find this term offensive. (See also:

Japanese toilet Some toilets in Japan are more elaborate than toilets commonly found in other developed nations. European countries often have a toilet and a bidet separate whilst Japan combines an electronic bidet with the toilet. The current state of the art ...

). * Bobora: A country hick fresh off the boat from Japan. Also called "Japan bobora". Originally from a regional Japanese dialect, based on the Portuguese word ''abóbora'', meaning a Japanese squash. * Boro boros: Dirty clothes, rags. Old clothes worn for activities like house painting, car repair, etc. * Chawan cut: A hairstyle that was common among little Japanese girls. It looked like someone put a bowl (茶碗, ''

chawan A ''chawan'' (; literally "tea bowl") is a bowl used for preparing and drinking tea. Many types of ''chawan'' are used in East Asian tea ceremonies. The choice of their use depends upon many considerations. History The ''chawan'' originated in ...

'') over the head and cut around the rim. In Japanese, it is called ''okappa'', after the Japanese mythological creature called

kappa Kappa (uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; el, κάππα, ''káppa'') is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, has a value o ...

which sports a similar haircut. * Daikon legs:

Daikon Daikon or mooli, ''Radish, Raphanus sativus'' Variety (botany), var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon ...

( :ja:ダイコン or 大根) are large white

radish The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an Eating, edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman Empire, Roman times. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, be ...

es having a stubby shape. The term refers to Japanese women's legs which seem short and stubby. This is rumored to be the result of sitting on the floor for long periods. The Japanese equivalent is ''daikon ashi''. * Giri-giri: The

cowlick A cowlick is a section of human hair that stands straight up or lies at an angle at odds with the style in which the rest of an individual's hair is worn. The most common site of a human cowlick is in the crown, but they can show up anywhere. Th ...

. ''Giri giri'' is an onomatopoeic word with a different meaning in standard Japanese. This use of the word originates from local dialects spoken in mainly western Japan where it means ''tsumuji'', the standard Japanese word for the cowlick. * Hanakuso:

Dried nasal mucus Mucus ( ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. It is ...

. ''Hana'' means nose, and ''kuso'' means waste. ''

Kuso ''Kuso'' is a term used in East Asia for the internet culture that generally includes all types of camp and parody. In Japanese, is a word that is commonly translated to English as curse words such as fuck, shit, damn, and bullshit, and is of ...

'' in Japanese typically refers to human excrement. This compound is also found in standard Japanese. * Hanabuddah (or hanabata): The fluid version of ''hanakuso''. ''Bata'' is from English "butter". The term in Japanese is usually ''hanamizu'' ("nose water"). * Hanabuddah days: Hanabuddah is most commonly seen on young children who neglect to wipe their runny noses. Thus, hanabuddah days refers to one's youth in Hawaii. * Hashi (also ohashi):

Chopsticks Chopsticks ( or ; Pinyin: ''kuaizi'' or ''zhu'') are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks of China, Chinese origin that have been used as Kitchen utensil, kitchen and List of eating utensils, eating utensils in most of East Asia, East and Southe ...

, as in Japanese. * "

Kikaida is a manga series written and illustrated by Shotaro Ishinomori. A two-season tokusatsu series titled ''Android Kikaider'' ('' Kikaider 01'' in season 2) was produced by Toei Company and Ishimori Productions in early 1970s. A 18-episode ...

": After the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

of the same name become enormously popular in Hawaii, "Kikaida" became a generic name for children's shows featuring

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es. * * Shishi:

Urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excretion, excreted from the body through the urethra. Cel ...

or urination, used in "go shishi" or "make shishi". Th
Double-Tongued Dictionary
gives three possible etymologies for "shishi": imitative from the sound of urinating, Japanese reduplicated ''shi'' from ''shiko'' "urinate" (sic., probably ''shito'' 尿 "urine"), or Portuguese '' xixi'' "urinate". There is a Japanese

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

joke based on 五-四-四 "5-4-4", which can be read ''go-shi-shi'' in Japanese. Thus, “I gotta five-four-four” is a Pidgin euphemism for "I gotta go shishi". * Zori: Rubber thonged slippers, often called

flip-flops Flip-flops are a type of light sandal, typically worn as a form of casual footwear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap known as a toe thong that passes between the first and second toes and around both side ...

in the continental U.S. Also zoris (plural). Synonymous with "slippers" or "slippahs". From the Japanese word ''

zori Zori (), also rendered as zōri ( ja, , ), are thonged Japanese sandals made of rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber, or—most commonly and informally—synthetic materials. They are a slip-on descendant of the tied-on sandal. ...

'' ( :ja:草履). Called "''beach sandal''" ( :ja:ビーチサンダル) in standard Japanese.

Miscellaneous

* Bocha: Take a

bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. Originally from ''bocha-bocha'' Japanese onomatopoeia for splashing noises. * Bon dance ( :ja:盆踊り): From the Japanese

Bon Festival or just is fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist–Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people retu ...

. An annual summer dance held outside at

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

s to greet the returning souls of the deceased. They dance in a circle around a tower where people sing and beat taiko drums. The most famous bon dance song is "Tanko-bushi" (炭坑節). * Buddhahead: Hawaii person of Japanese descent. In this context, “Buddha” is likely a corruption of Japanese “豚 (buta)”, meaning “pig”. In contrast, the term “Katonk” means a Japanese-American from the US mainland. * Habut/Habuteru: To feel grumpy or resentful, especially after you feel offended by something. Not standard Japanese but from Hiroshima dialect. * Jan ken po: The children's game of rock (fist), paper (open hand), and scissors (peace sign). In Japanese, either '' jan ken'' or ''jan ken pon''. The Japanese also do not say the prelude as used in Hawaii ("janken na manken an saka saka po ...") before they show their hands. This jan-ken-po prelude can also differ depending on the island and is mainly used by children. * Shibai: A false act. Often refers to politicians or other influential persons who put on a false face. From the Japanese word ''shibai'', meaning "a (theatre)

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

." * Skebe: Horny. From Japanese ''sukebe''. In Japanese, "H" (''

ecchi is a slang term in the Japanese language for playfully sexual actions. As an adjective, it is used with the meaning of "sexy", "dirty" or "naughty"; as a verb, means "to have sex", and as a noun, it is used to describe someone of lascivious ...

'') is used for the same purpose, and ''sukebe'' refers to a pervert. * Skosh: Just a little. From Japanese ''sukoshi'' "a little".

References

Sources

* Simonson, Douglas et al. (1981). ''Pidgin to da Max.'' Honolulu:

Bess Press Bess Press is an American publisher, based in Hawaii, that issues various books on Hawaiian and Pacific history and culture. It was founded in 1979 by Benjamin "Buddy" Bess, who came to Hawaii in 1976 from New York New York most commonly refe ...

. .