From Anime to Zen

 Anime= a style of Japanese film and animation for both children and adults. 

                     Zen = signifies a state of inner calm.

Rickshaw.
From Pictures of Old Japan
Charles Gillot

I am unsure as to why I suddenly noticed how many words used commonly in English, came from the Japanese; perhaps I read a passing comment somewhere which alerted me. I know not but I do know that suddenly I was tripping over words like ‘tycoon’ and ‘rickshaw’, and then trailing behind them came, ‘origami’, ‘futon’ ‘sudoku’, ‘haiku’

Cool emoji
There are emojis to suit every conceivable
emotion or situation.

, ‘emoji’, ‘sushi’ and ‘ginkgo’. These are words in common usage in the English language, and this realisation has set me off, greyhound-style, chasing the Japanese and quietly wondering if the traffic is two-way.

Tsundoku is a word known to the bookish. To be used
and admired for the Japanese dexterity in
coining in one word, a wholly recognisable habit.

According to that impeccable linguistic source, The Oxford English Dictionary, the long history of contact and mutual influence between the Japanese and English has left an enduring legacy in the vocabulary of each language. This can be observed in the several hundred words of Japanese origin recorded in the OED. Apparently, five Japanese words arrived here in the 1500s though only one, an early Mandarin Chinese word, Cipan, meaning ‘sun origin’ has survived and this word travelled to us via the Portuguese! Five more Japanese words are recorded as appearing in the 17^th century, and these were chopstick, kimono, sake, shogun and samurai. However, the OED now lists 552 Japanese words in English, some dating from as early as the 16^th century, and these are referred to as ‘loanwords’ which neatly summarises one aspect of the inheritance! Although perhaps originally loaned, many words of Japanese origin have also entered our language to such a degree that we don’t even notice their existence. Everyday words and phrases have become ‘ours’ like ‘the kamikaze spirit’ or ‘a tsunami disaster’, together with culinary terms such as ‘teriyaki’ and ‘sushi’ and cultural concepts such as ‘zen’, a state of tranquillity, and ‘manga’, Japanese comics, and these, while perhaps suggesting a glimpse of the Japanese culture, also enrich the English language while becoming interwoven within it. Perhaps, the simplicity of some Japanese words plus their very particular meanings, also make them appealing to the English speaker.

Awe-inspiring tattoo on the back of a yakuza.
Intricate tattoos are a tradition among Japanese mafia
known as yakuzas

This linguistic exchange reflects the growing global interconnectedness. Before WW2, Japan was relatively remote from the Western world but then came the dreadful betrayal of Pearl Harbour in 1941, eventually followed by the appalling atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which brought WW2 to an end. After the end of WW2, the Japanese Emperor and his family were removed from power, losing their erstwhile god-like status and the country was forced to become a more modern, ‘Western-style’ nation. This was partially driven by the large occupying American force which virtually administered the country from 1945-1952 during which period, the Japanese were heavily exposed to American culture and the English language. And, of course, in reverse fashion, the young Americans absorbed at least some of the Japanese culture and language.

Samurai
Combining the terrifying with the
purely decorative.

 A few examples of the many words from the Japanese that are ubiquitous in current English, are:  dashi, ikebana, kombucha, origami, reiki, tempura, teriyaki, kamikaze, tsunami, wasabi, futon, rickshaw, typhoon, samurai, ninja, emoji, haiku, honcho, (often used in English as ‘head honcho’),  ramen, hunky-dory, soy, dojo (place for martial arts), tycoon.

By Eminem.