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Japanese Loan Words - Click Quiz

These words have come into the English language via Japanese. Click each word based on its definition.
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Last updated: October 16, 2025
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First submittedOctober 16, 2025
Times taken21,457
Average score73.9%
Rating4.67
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Cherry blossom
Traditional Japanese robe
Ethical code of the samurai
Japanese comic book
Small sweet cake made from glutinous rice
Puzzle game involving numbers 1 through 9
Traditional female entertainer
Food made of soybean curd
Dining experience where the chef chooses the meal
Type of mushroom
Slightly curved sword
Person who lives in extreme social isolation
Goodbye
Large ocean wave
Business practice of continuous improvement
Ritual suicide by disembowelment
Large business conglomerate controlled by one family
Throwing star
Arcade parlor machine often used for gambling
Miniature plant
Martial arts instructor
Straw mat used as a floor covering
Green paste that comes with sushi
Bonsai
Bushido
Geisha
Hikikomori
Kaizen
Katana
Kimono
Manga
Mochi
Omakase
Pachinko
Sakura
Sayonara
Sensei
Seppuku
Shiitake
Shuriken
Sudoku
Tatami
Tofu
Tsunami
Wasabi
Zaibatsu
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17 Comments
Alexquiz17
+3
Level 94
Oct 18, 2025
Tsunami does not mean “large ocean wave”

It translates literally as “harbour wave.”

In the middle of an ocean, tsunami may appear as nothing higher than a fast-moving ripple…

Arp2600
+16
Level 89
Oct 18, 2025
The quiz is not about literal translations, I think, more about their acceptation in English.
JfromNZ
+10
Level 52
Oct 26, 2025
Sensei is any kind of teacher. My Japanese teacher was called Sensei. My martial arts instructor was called Shihan.
Baton793
+1
Level 58
Oct 26, 2025
Fun quiz! I'm surprised at Zaibatsu being the least known one, seeing how japanese car manufacturers are often those.
Stoggler
+5
Level 55
Oct 26, 2025
It's not as though we say something along the lines of "I've bought a new car from a Japanese zaibatsu" though, is it?! It's not an everyday word, unlike some of the others.
Algernon
+3
Level 74
Oct 26, 2025
I’ve only ever heard the suicide by disembowelment called ‘Harakiri’. I was confused when I couldn't see it there.
fbhou
+1
Level 63
Oct 26, 2025
Harakiri = 腹切り（noun）

Seppuku = 切腹（verb）

awsomeguess
+1
Level 35
Oct 27, 2025
if it were a verb it would end in a kana. thats like calling 勉強 a verb.
kinjapan
+1
Level 72
Oct 26, 2025
I usually hear "seppuku" more here in Japan (if one were to describe this act), but I have only every heard the loan word "Harry Carrie" in English. I knew it, but totally agree the other would be more appropriate for a quiz about Japanese loan words in English. But, I have been here a long time, so maybe with gaming culture more people say "seppuku" now.
mjthedinarwhal
+2
Level 66
Oct 27, 2025
literally not a single one of these is a loan word.
tongbrp
+1
Level 30
Oct 28, 2025
chinese guess sth according to pronunciation
Pharley
+1
Level 75
Nov 1, 2025
Where, exactly, are these used in the English language?
Kenshin7
+1
Level 48
Nov 21, 2025
Do you use other words for Wasabi or Tofu? Have you ever played Sudoku?

Obviously not all these words are used everyday but that was never mentioned.

Kuba43ful
+1
Level 37
Nov 1, 2025
Ugh mixed up the two "business" ones, otherwise I'd get 23/23. Also if I had a suggestion for potential part two - Kamikaze, Keikaku, Nakama. All according to cake.
WillemLAif
+1
Level 81
Nov 2, 2025
For the sake of trivia: The Japanese kindly schooled me that the original geisha used to be exclusively men. The female geisha had to be specifically called just that, so that people know what they were talking about. A bit like the hint goes here. Just a little bit.
PadClaw
+1
Level 17
Dec 15, 2025
I don't get it at all I am just commenting for now reason.
Neodymium
+1
Level 63
Feb 18, 2026
I wish discussions of loanwords as a whole didn't focus only on concepts specific to the cultures of that language. The word tycoon is from Japanese and is much more used in English than many of the rest of these but isnt shown because the quiz focuses on Japanese concepts that were loaned into English, rather than ALSO focusing on other words. This is unfortunate as this systemic focus tends to undershow the effect of loanwords on our languages.
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