Photo Glossary

Japanese-English Photo Glossary Index

Find out more!	Click on word for pronunciation. Mousover kanji for translation.	brief English translation
	benki	Japanese toilet
	bentou	boxed lunch
	butsudan	an ancestral shrine in the home
	Butsu sokuseki	Buddha's footprint
	byoubu	folding screen
	chasen	whisk used in making green tea
	chashaku	tea scoop
	chawan	tea bowl
	chiyogami	patterned paper used in origami
	chouchin	paper lantern
	daruma	a Bodhidharma doll
	ema	prayer board
	ennichi	temple or shrine fair
	fukurou	owl
	furoshiki	square-shaped wrapping cloth
	fusuma	sliding door usually made of wood frame with paper on both sides of frame
	futon	bedding used on tatami mats
	geta	raised wooden clogs
	(o)haka	Buddhist tomb
	hashi (-bashi)	bridge
	hasu	lotus
	hiragana	phonetic script used for Japanese words
	hishaku	bamboo dipper
	hitsuji	sheep
	Inari-jinja	Shinto shrine with (stone) foxes at the entrance
	inu	dog
	irogami	colored paper used in origami
	jika-tabi	boots with split toe
	jinguu	large Shinto shrine
	jinja	Shinto shrine
	jinrikisha	ricksha
	Jizo	a bodhisattva (bosatsu) who protects children during their journey in the afterlife
	-jou or o-shiro	castle
	joukouro	incense burner
	juzu	Buddhist beads
	kakejiku	the scroll hung in the tokonoma
	kame	tortoise
	kamidana	a shelf in the home for the Shinto shrine
	kamon	family crest
	kanji	Japanese characters based on Chinese writing
	Kannon	Bodhissatva of Compassion, often called the Goddess of Mercy
	karesansui	dry landscape garden
	katakana	phonetic script used for foreign words
	kesa	Buddhist surplice
	kimono	Japanese dress robe
	kitsune	fox
	koi	carp
	kokeshi	a wooden doll
	koma-inu	lion-dog
	koppori	tall clogs
	kyougen	comedy interlude in Nou play
	maiko	geisha apprentice
	(o)mamori	good-luck charm
	maneki-neko	beckoning cat
	matcha	green tea
	(o)matsuri	festival
	miko	Shinto shrine maiden
	(o)miyage	gift or souvenir
	(o)mikoshi	portable shrine
	(o)mikuji	fortune
	mon	gate
	netsuke	carvings fastened to pouches and tied onto obi
	noren	split curtain used in doorways
	obi	sash for kimono
	origami	paper folding
	pagoda (-tou)	tiered temple
	rikishi	sumo wrestler
	saisenbako	offering box
	san (zan) or yama	mountain
	saru	monkey
	sensu	folding fan
	shachi-hoko	dolphin-like roof ornament
	shamoji	rice scoop
	shichi fukujin	Seven Gods of Good Luck
	shika	deer
	shima (jima)	island
	shimenawa	sacred rope of twisted rice straw
	shiromuku	white wedding kimono
	Shitenno	Guardian Deity (or King) of the Four Directions
	shouji	sliding panel made of wood and paper
	sotoba	wooden grave tablet
	sou	Buddhist monk or priest
	sumi	ink stick
	suzuri	inkstone
	tabi	socks with split between big toe and other toes
	taiko	drum
	Tanabata	a festival on July 7th
	tanuki	a badger-like racoon-dog
	tatami	floor matting
	tatsu	dragon
	temizuya	purification pavilion
	tengu	long-nosed goblin
	(o)tera (-dera)	Buddhist temple
	tokonoma	alcove in a Japanese room
	tora	tiger
	torii	sacred entrance to a Shinto shrine
	tourou	stone lantern
	tsuitate	free-standing screen
	tsukubai	purification basin
	tsurigane	bell
	tsuru	crane
	uchiwa	rigid fan
	uma	horse
	usagi	hare or rabbit
	ushi	ox
	wagashi	sweet treat
	yukata	informal cotton kimono
	zabuton	floor cushion
	zouri	Japanese thongs