Word origins

• kurumaA prawn of species Marsupenaeus japonicus.
• kurumayaA Japanese rickshawman.
• KurusuA surname from Japanese.
• kusarigamaA Japanese martial arts chain weapon that consists of a kama (the Japanese equivalent of a sickle), on a length of kusari (metal chain) with a heavy fundo (iron weight) at the end; a chain sickle.
• kusarigamajutsuThe Japanese martial art of wielding the kusarigama.
• kushikatsuA Japanese dish of deep-fried skewered meat and vegetables.
• kusogeunenjoyable or otherwise poorly-made video game.
• kuudereA calm, aloof, reserved fictional character (usually a girl) who has a hidden soft side, especially for a love interest.
• KuwazuruA surname from Japanese.
• kuzumochiMochi cakes made of kudzu powder or from Lactobacillales-fermented wheat starch, a speciality dish local to certain wards of Tokyo, served chilled and topped with kuromitsu and kinako.
• kuzushijiAn ancient Japanese cursive script.
• kwazokuA Meiji-era Japanese noble, one who would formerly have been classed as a samurai or a daimyo.
• kyabakuraA kind of Japanese club where hostesses are paid to entertain and drink and talk with customers.
• kyarabenA style of elaborately arranged bento which features food decorated to look like people, characters from popular media, animals, and plants.
• kyogenA form of traditional Japanese theatre, once performed alongside noh as a comic intermission.
• live houseA music venue featuring live music.
• lolibabaAn old woman (or supernaturally aged female being) with the body of a loli.
• mabikiThe Japanese practice of killing non-firstborn sons.
• maebariA type of strapless Japanese loincloth used as a female underwear garment that covers the genitals.
• maegashiraThe highest salaried rank of sumo wrestler, below komusubi and above juryo; the lowest rank in the makuuchi division.
• maemitsuA grip on the front of the mawashi
• maezumoThe unofficial rank of beginners etc.
• magatamaA curved bead from the Jōmon period in Japan, made from a variety of different gemstones.
• magewappaA traditional Japanese form of steam-bending woodcraft.
• majokkoA magical girl.
• make-koshia majority of losses in a honbasho; reflects negatively on the rikishi's ranking
• maki-eA style of Japanese lacquerware made with gold or silver sprinkled on wet lacquer.
• makikaeA quick change from an overarm to an underarm grip on the opponent's mawashi
• makimonoA type of Japanese hand scroll which unrolls horizontally, or laterally on a flat surface.
• makiotoshiA kimarite in which the attacker throws his opponent by twisting him towards his own inside hand.
• makisuA bamboo mat used in preparing rolled sushi and other Japanese foods.
• makiwaraA padded post used for hitting practice in karate.
• makizushiRolled sushi.
• makunouchiA Japanese lunch box, usually containing small portions of a variety of foods.
• makurakotobaA pillow word
• makushitaThe third highest division of professional sumo wrestling, below juryo; the lowest division at which a salary is paid.
• makuuchi dohyo-iriA group ring-entering ceremony performed by all members of the makuuchi division, except the yokozuna, after the juryo bouts.
• makuuchi-kakuThe gyoji who referees bouts involving a rikishi from the makuuchi division.
• mamacharia women's city bicycle, a kind of everyday urban utility bicycle with a front basket and a rear rack
• maneki-nekoA common Japanese figurine which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner.
• manpo-keiA kind of pedometer.
• manzaiA traditional Japanese form of double-act stand-up comedy, with deliberate misunderstandings, puns and other wordplay.
• marimoA rare form of the filamentous green alga Aegagropila linnaei, resembling large green velvety balls.
• marumageA round knotted hairstyle traditionally worn by married women in Japan.
• masagocapelin roe
• MasateruA male given name from Japanese.
• masu-sekiThe expensive seats, holding four people, on the ground floor of the arena.
• matagiTraditional winter hunters of the Tōhoku region of northern Japan, most famously today in the Ani area in Akita Prefecture.
• matatabiSpecies of plant of the genus Actinidia, family Actinidiaceae
• matawariA form of exercise in which a rikishi sits on the ground with his legs wide apart, then lowers his torso to touch the ground between his legs.
• MatayoshiA surname from Japanese.
• MatsukawaA surname from Japanese.
• MatsumoriA surname from Japanese.
• MatsusakaA surname from Japanese.
• MatsuzakaA surname from Japanese.
• mawashiThe belt worn by rikishi during training and in competition
• MeacoA late medieval name for Kyoto, a city of Japan.
• mebaringA style of light-tackle saltwater angling originating in Japan, specifically targeting rockfish using small artificial lures.
• meganekkoA female fictional character whose charm or attractiveness derives largely from wearing glasses.
• meishiA Japanese business card.
• mejiroA small passerine bird, Zosterops japonicus, the Japanese white-eye.
• mekabuUndaria pinnatifida, a sea plant native to Japan and Korea and invasive elsewhere; wakame; Asian kelp.
• melonpanA type of sweet bun originating from and popular in Japan, as well as in Taiwan and China.
• menkoA Japanese slap card game played by flipping or striking cards.
• menpachiA soldierfish.
• menpoThe face mask of a Samurai warrior.
• menukiA decorative grip swell on a Japanese sword.
• meriyasuA style of instrumental music used as scoring in kabuki
• mesugakiA slutty bratty girl; a young (or young-looking) girl who likes to sexually tease her superiors.
• metsubushiAny of a variety of implements and techniques used in feudal Japan to blind or disorient an opponent.
• miaiIn Japan, a formal marriage interview, marriage meeting.
• mibunaA leaf vegetable used in Japanese cooking, Brassica rapa nipposinica or Brassica rapa japonica
• michiyukia traditional Japanese overcoat, often worn as protection from the cold, similar to a 被風 (hifu, “padded overcoat”) but narrower in the body and with a square collar
• MikikoA female given name from Japanese.
• MinamitorishimaAn isolated Japanese coral atoll in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
• MinegishiA surname from Japanese.
• minshukuA type of hotel found in Japan, a cheaper version of a ryokan.
• misogiA Shinto form of ritual purification by washing the entire body.
• misokaIn the Japanese lunar/lunisolar calendars, the last day of the month.
• misoshirumiso soup
• mitokorozemeA kimarite in which the attacker attempts an inside leg trip with one leg, tries to pull the other out from under him, and drives his head into the opponent's stomach so as to force him out backwards. A triple attack force out.
• mitsugakeA glove used in Japanese archery that covers three fingers.
• MitsuhideA male given name from Japanese.
• mitsumameA Japanese dessert made of small cubes of agar jelly, served in a bowl with boiled red field peas (or sometimes azuki beans), often gyūhi, shiratama dango and a variety of fruits such as peach slices, mikan, pieces of pineapples, and cherries, usually coming with a small pot of kuromitsu, which one pours onto the jelly before eating.
• MitsuyukiA male given name from Japanese.
• MiyamuraA surname from Japanese.
• MiyasakiA surname from Japanese.
• MiyasatoA surname from Japanese.
• MiyasawaA surname from Japanese.
• mizuageThe coming-of-age ceremony of a maiko, an apprentice geisha, often associated with loss of virginity.
• mizuameA Japanese sweetener, a clear sticky liquid made by converting starch to sugars.
• mizuhikiJapanese cord made from paper and used to decorate gifts.
• mizuhiki-makuThe curtain that hangs from the yakata, symbolizing the movement of clouds and the passing of time.
• mizu shobaiThe nightlife-centered industries and establishments in Japan.
• mochikoJapanese rice flour
• mochitsukiPounding mochi as part of Japanese New Year
• mojibakeCorrupt characters or letters, especially resulting from being displayed or transferred through an inappropriate character set or encoding.
• mokkanwooden tablets found at Japanese archaeological sites
• mokusatsuA policy of ignoring or taking no notice of something.
• monoeyeThe eye of a one-eyed creature.