There are lots of histories related to Indonesia as the big country with its beautiful diversity. The history of the war and the conquest by some countries in the past make this country also adapt some words from those countries.
One of the countries which Indonesia is adapted from its words is Japan. Indonesian language is affected and assimilated by Japanese language. Some Indonesian words were affected by Japanese language and they are used and spoken until hodiernal. Therefore, what are Indonesian words which are from Japanese?
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Here are some examples:
| Japanese | Indonesian | Meaning (in English) |
| Bonsai | Bonsai | A decorative plant |
| Anime | Anime | Japan’s animation arts |
| Manga | Manga | Japanese comic |
| Dakocan | Dakocan | Plastic doll |
| Berjibaku | Berjibaku | The way of attacking the enemy by hitting them with the body |
| Ebi | Ebi | A small prawn/shrimp |
| Honda | Honda | A motorcycle product |
| Hiragana | Hiragana | The way how to write Japanese’s letters. One letter as the meaning of one word |
| Ikebana | Ikebana | Flower arrangement art |
| Judo | Judo | Japanese’ sport |
| Karate | Karate | Japanese’ sport |
| Mochi/Moci | Mochi/Moci | A round shape Japanese cake, made by glutinous rice |
| Ninja | Ninja | A spy/the dark killer |
| Nippon | Nippon | Japan’s name in Indonesia |
| Origami | Origami | A folding paper art from Japan |
| Romusha/Romusa | Romusha/Romusa | A worker term when Indonesia was conquest by Japanese |
| Sakura | Sakura | A Japanese typical flower |
| Sogo | Sogo | Japanese’s supermarket |
| Sushi | Sushi | One of Japanese food, mostly made by fish and rice |
| Tempura | Tempura | One of Japanese food, kind of fried food from Japanese |
| Tsunami | Tsunami | A big wave caused by earthquake or other occasions |
| Wasabi | Wasabi | A Japanese plant, mostly made for sambal or sauce. The complementary food for Sushi |
| Yamaha | Yamaha | A motorcycle product |
| Suzuki | Suzuki | A motorcycle product |
| Emoji | Emoji | A Japanese emoticon’s name |
| Karaoke | Karaoke | Singing from the cassette which has been recorded |
| Koi | Koi | A Japanese typical food |
| Samurai | Samurai | A Japanese typical sword |
Example of Usage:
- Saya tidak suka Wasabi = I don’t like Wasabi
- Ayah saya memiliki Samurai = My father has Samurai
- Ibu saya suka Ikebana = My mother loves Ikebana
- Joko suka menggambar Manga = Joko likes drawing Manga
- Motor favoritnya adalah Honda = His favorit motorcycle is Honda
- Apakah kita jadi pergi Karaoke malam ini? = Are we going to go Karaoke tonight?
- Tv lokal sedang menyangkan film Ninja = Local tv is broadcasting Ninja movie
- Karate adalah olahraga favorite saya = Karate is my favorite sport
- Terjadi Tsunami di Aceh pada tahun 2014 = Tsunami happened in 2014 at Aceh
- Menurut saya, Sushi adalah makanan terenak = I think that Sushi is the most delicious food
Those are the examples of Indonesian words from Japanese language. Those words came from the history of conquests or they are absorbed from the original name of Japanese arts, cultures, arts, or plants. The words are read as same as what the words are written.
What are your most used Indonesian words from Japanese? Any other new words have you found?
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