japan

¹

[ juh-pan ]

noun

1. any of various hard, durable, black varnishes, originally from Japan, for coating wood, metal, or other surfaces.
2. work varnished and figured in the Japanese manner.
3. Japans, a variety of decorative motifs or patterns derived from Asian sources, used on English porcelain of the 18th and 19th centuries.

adjective

1. of or relating to japan.

verb (used with object)

, ja·panned, ja·pan·ning.

1. to varnish with japan; lacquer.
2. to coat with any material that gives a hard, black gloss.

Japan

²

[ juh-pan ]

noun

1. Japanese Nihon, Nippon. a constitutional monarchy on a chain of islands off the eastern coast of Asia: main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. 141,529 sq. mi. (366,560 sq. km). : Tokyo.
2. Sea of Ja·pan, a marginal sea bounded by North Korea, the Far Eastern mainland of Russia, the Russian island Sakhalin, Japan, and South Korea: largely enclosed from the Pacific Ocean and seldom affected by tides. East Sea ( def ), Korean East Sea ( def ).

Japan.

³

abbreviation for

1. Japanese.

Japan

¹

/ dʒəˈpæn /

noun

1. an archipelago and empire in E Asia, extending for 3200 km (2000 miles) between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific and consisting of the main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu and over 3000 smaller islands: feudalism abolished in 1871, followed by industrialization and expansion of territories, esp during World Wars I and II, when most of SE Asia came under Japanese control; dogma of the emperor's divinity abolished in 1946 under a new democratic constitution; rapid economic growth has made Japan the most industrialized nation in the Far East. Official language: Japanese. Religion: Shintoist majority, large Buddhist minority. Currency: yen. Capital: Tokyo. Pop: 127 253 075 (2013 est). Area: 369 660 sq km (142 726 sq miles) Japanese namesNipponNihon

japan

²

/ dʒəˈpæn /

noun

1. a glossy durable black lacquer originally from the Orient, used on wood, metal, etc
2. work decorated and varnished in the Japanese manner
3. a liquid used as a paint drier

adjective

1. relating to or varnished with japan

verb

1. tr to lacquer with japan or any similar varnish

Japan

1. Island nation in the northwest Pacific Ocean off the coast of east Asia , separated by the Sea of Japan from Russian Siberia , China , and Korea . The Japanese archipelago includes four major islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku) as well as many smaller islands. Its capital and largest city is Tokyo .

Notes

Although a world leader in shipbuilding, electronics, and automobile manufacture, Japan's economy suffered a severe slump during the 1990s.

Called the “Land of the Rising Sun,” Japan is symbolized by a red sun on a white background.

Japan's ports were first opened to Western traders in the sixteenth century but were closed in the seventeenth century. Japan remained in virtual isolation until the 1850s, when an American naval officer, Matthew C. Perry, persuaded the government to reopen trade with the West.

Another symbol (see also symbol ) of Japan is Fujiyama, also called Mount Fuji, a volcano whose symmetrical snow-capped peak has been the object of countless pilgrimages, poems, and paintings. It has not erupted since 1707.

Suffering from overcrowding, lack of natural resources , and the influence of powerful military factions, Japan pursued an aggressive policy of expansion in China during the 1930s, ultimately resulting in a military alliance with Germany and Italy to form the Axis powers in World War II . ( See also Hiroshima (see also Hiroshima ), Pearl Harbor , and Douglas MacArthur .)

Imperial Japan was organized on a feudal system ( see feudalism ), characterized by the samurai (the warrior class , which eventually became landed gentry) and the shogun (the hereditary administrative leader). The emperor, believed to be divine, was the ceremonial leader. Japan is a constitutional monarchy today.

Other Words From

• ja·panner noun
• unja·panned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of japan¹

First recorded in 1605–15; special use of Japan

Origin of japan²

First recorded in 1570–80 as Giapan; from Malay Jăpung, Japang, from Middle Chinese; Nippon ( def )

Example Sentences

The flame is supposed to travel through all of Japan’s 47 prefectures before arriving in Tokyo for the July 23 Opening Ceremonies.

From Washington Post

Shortly after the TV series completed airing, the manga ended an 11-year-streak held by One Piece to become Japan’s best-selling manga of the year in 2019, according to the Oricon chart.

From Time

The senator singles out Japan as a place that could buy more American goods, and points to Malaysia and Vietnam as having labor forces that could produce these goods at competitive prices.

From Vox

Former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was the driving force behind Japan’s Games, resigned last year because of poor health.

From Washington Post

The 84-year-old Kawabuchi played soccer for Japan in the 1964 Olympics and now heads the athletes’ village for the Games.

From Washington Post

In Japan, one woman said she liked the experience of marrying herself as an exercise in pampering.

From The Daily Beast

It happened on Glee and in Sex and The City, and now in Japan women can marry themselves.

From The Daily Beast

When the U.S. went to war with Japan, American movies disappeared.

From The Daily Beast

What started as a confectionary is now the oldest know restaurant in Japan.

From The Daily Beast

Further, unlike leagues in Japan, South Korea or Mexico, there are no foreign players.

From The Daily Beast

I shipped for a voyage to Japan and China, and spent several more years trying to penetrate the forbidden fastnesses of Tibet.

From Project Gutenberg

Fujiyama, the noted volcano of Japan, is twelve thousand three hundred and sixty-five feet high.

From Project Gutenberg

The embassy for Japan—with a gift, which shall not seem an acknowledgment—you say, could not be sent off last year, which is well.

From Project Gutenberg

The trench mortars—bomb guns they call them—will be ready in Japan in two and a half months' time.

From Project Gutenberg

Now we're saddled with about thirty thousand of them, and more coming on every steamer from Honolulu and Japan.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• coating
• glaze
• lacquer
• stain
• varnish