list of Japan words that beginning with Y and their meaning
ya~hi!
yabu~thicket
yaiba~sword blade
yamette/yamero~stop (as in when someone’s about to do something, and you want them to quit)
yami~darkness
yanagi~willow
yarou~bastard, idiot (basically on the lines of insult)
yasai~vegetable(s)
yasashisa~kindness/gentleness
yo~This particle itself, added to the end of a phrase (Chotto yo!), adds emphasis, like an exclamation point. It can also be used as a greeting (“Yo – hisashiburi!”)
yoika (?)~listen
yogan~lava
youkai~general term for a supernatural being; usually used for demons
youki (or you-ki)~demon’s spiritual energy
yoma~demon, monster [I’m pretty sure it’s that meaning…]
Yomatsu Hara-Sakai~Lands of the Night.
yorishiku (onegai shimasu)~’be good to me’ (said when introduced to someone, almost literally translated as this, but, in context, means ‘Nice to meet you.’)
yoru~night
yosh(i)~alright, okay
yoso~element
yugami~distortion, warp
yugata~evening
yuiitsu~unique
yuki~snow
yuko(na)~valid
yuri~lily
yurusenai~I won’t forgive this/you!
yuryoku(na)~influential
yuuki~courage (Miaka’s last name! She’s a charcter from Fushigi Yuugi, an anime…)
yuzurimasu/yuzuru/yuzutte~yield (gives in/up)
Yabai – can be translated as dangerous or risky but often used by youth in the sense of “dodgy” or “weird.”
Yamabushi – mountain ascetics, hermits and followers of Shugendo – mostly “part-time” nowadays.
Yabusame – Japanese mounted archery, horse-riders dressed in medieval costume fire arrows at three stationary targets. Began as a form of military training for samurai.
Yaki-imo – baked yam (sweet potato) often sold by vendors from mini-vans with a distinctive call.
Yakitori – charcoal-grilled chicken on skewers.
Yakuza – collective name for the Japanese mafia or underworld crime syndicates. Yakuza movies have been a popular genre in Japanese cinema since the war, portraying gangsters as modern Japan’s answer to the Samurai.
Yakyu – (lit. field ball) Japanese baseball – often associated with the ideals of team play and hard physical practice.
Yamato – historic word for Japan.
Yamato-damashii – Japanese spirit; word with militarist associations.
Yatagarasu – three-legged crow and helper to Jimmu.
Yatai – stall.
Yatate – ink well for traditional Japanese brush.
Yofu – Western style as opposed to wafu, Japanese style.
Yokozuna – ‘Grand Champion’ – the highest rank in sumo wrestling.
Yosakoi – Yosakoi is group formation dancing to fast-paced modern electronic music, but is based on earlier folk dances from Kochi in Shikoku.
Yoshokuya – Western-style restaurants.
Yuino – gifts from prospective husband to prospective bride.
Yukan – preperation for burial.
Yukata – thin cotton gown.
Yuru kyara – lit. “soft or loose characters” often adopted by a town or city as their mascot or “character” such as the hugely popular Kumamon in Kumamoto.
Yuzen – a dyeing technique invented by Yuzensai Miyazaki (died in Kyoto in 1758) using rice-paste that made possible the economic production of sumptuously decorated textiles. yuzen products
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