Word origins

• uta monogatariA Japanese literary genre that originated in the Heian period. A subgenre of tale-literature, it includes works that combine poetry (waka) with fictional prose narrative.
• utcharia kimarite in which the attacker, in a last ditch effort, drops his hips while twisting and pulling his opponent up and past him, sometimes onto his back
• utsugeA Japanese visual novel genre characterized by tragic plots and pervasively bleak tones.
• uwabakiJapanese indoor slippers
• uwatedashinageA kimarite in which the attacker pulls his opponent forward and down.
• uwatehineriA kimarite in which the attacker twists his opponent in the direction of his outside arm.
• uwatenagea kimarite in which the attacker heaves his opponent down as he turns away
• UyeharaA surname.
• vipperA participant in the Japanese 2channel (ni-channeru) board /vip/.
• virtual YouTuberAn Internet personality (video creator or streamer) who operates using a virtual avatar, as a fictional or fictionalized character.
• visual novelAn interactive fiction video game of a style originated in Japan, consisting primarily of narration illustrated by anime-style images.
• wabi-sabiA Japanese aesthetic that derives from imperfection and transience.
• wagashiTraditional Japanese confectionery in various forms, often served with tea.
• waggadashA wakizashi.
• waifuA female fictional character from non-live-action visual media (typically an anime, manga, or video game) or non-fictional persona to whom one is romantically attracted and/or whom one considers one's wife.
• waka gashiraA yakuza member ranking beneath the oyabun and responsible for seeing that his orders are carried out correctly.
• wakaimonogashiraA retired wrestler who works with new recruits
• wakamezakeThe fetishistic practice of drinking, from a woman's mons pubis, saké poured down thereto from her chest.
• wakasagiJapanese smelt, Hypomesus nipponensis, a fish native to Japan and introduced in the United States
• wakashuA Japanese boy after early childhood but before his coming-of-age ceremony.
• WakatsukiA surname from Japanese.
• wakipaiArmpits, especially regarded as erotic.
• warabiBracken, used as a vegetable in Japanese cuisine.
• warabimochiA Japanese confection made from bracken starch covered or dipped in sweet toasted soybean flour.
• waribashidisposable chopsticks
• warichiThe redistribution of arable land that became common during the early modern era (seventeenth to nineteenth centuries) in Japan.
• waridashiA kimarite in which the attacker grabs his opponent's arm at the biceps and pushes him back and out.
• wasei kangoWords coined in Japanese that are based on Chinese characters.
• WashiyamaA surname from Japanese.
• washletA bidet shower, bidet seat, or similar bathroom product meant to cleanse the user.
• washokuJapanese cuisine, traditional Japanese food.
• watashikomiA kimarite in which the attacker, while driving his opponent forward, grabs his leg and pulls it, forcing him over.
• waza-aria throw in which the opponent is thrown with control and accuracy, but not to the extent of an ippon, or held on the back for between 20 and 25 seconds on the mat; the score of half a point awarded for this throw
• what happens twice happens thriceAn event that happens two times will happen three times.
• White Day14 March (one month after Valentine's Day), marked in Japan and some other Asian countries by men giving gifts (traditionally white in color) to the women who gave gifts to them on Valentine's Day.
• yabusameA Japanese form of mounted archery
• YachimataA city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
• YaekoA female given name from Japanese.
• yaguraA high wooden tower in front of a sumo arena from which a yobidashi beats the taiko drum each day before and after each tournament.
• yaguranageA kimarite in which the attacker pulls his opponent towards him, places his knee against his opponent's inner thigh and drives the leg upwards while forcing him over.
• yakataThe structure, suspended over the sumo dohyo, that resembles the roof of a Shinto shrine.
• yakimonoGrilled or broiled dishes in Japanese cuisine.
• yakinikuMeat grilled on a barbecue Japanese-style.
• yakisobaA Japanese stir-fried dish made of fried wheat flour noodles, pork, vegetables, and a sweet sauce.
• yakisugiA method of preserving wood by slightly charring its surface.
• yakuA condition that scores points when met, usually in the form of a specific combination of tiles or cards.
• yakumanA hand valued at 13 or more han, awarded the maximum possible points (48,000 for dealers, 32,000 for other players)
• YakushimaOne of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
• Yakushi NyoraiThe Japanese name for Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Buddha of medicine.
• yamabushiA Japanese ascetic hermit who dwells on a mountain.
• YamagamiA surname from Japanese.
• yamaganeunrefined copper
• YamagawaA surname from Japanese.
• yamaimoDioscorea japonica, an edible Japanese yam.
• YamakuchiA surname from Japanese.
• yamamomoyangmei
• yamanbaA mountain hag in Japanese folklore.
• YamanoueA surname from Japanese.
• Yamato-eA classical Japanese style of painting, characterized by many small figures, detailed depictions of buildings and other objects, an oblique view from above showing interiors, and partial depictions with the remaining area ignored or covered by a cloud.
• yami kawaiiAn aesthetic combining cute imagery with depictions of physical and mental illness.
• yandereA character, usually a girl, who has an obsessive and possessive side regarding their crush, ready to use violent (if not murderous) means to maintain an exclusive bond.
• yangireA type of yandere, lacking romantic motivation for their violence.
• yaochomatch fixing in Japan
• yashikiA residence or estate of a daimyo
• YasugiA city in Shimane Prefecture, Japan.
• YasutoshiA male given name from Japanese.
• yataiA small mobile stall or cart selling street food in Japan.
• YemishiDated spelling of Emishi.
• YezoDated spelling of Ezo.
• yobaiAn ancient Japanese custom in which a young unmarried man would go out at night and silently enter the house of a young unmarried woman for sexual intercourse, sometimes as a prelude to marriage.
• yobidashiAny of the functionaries whose tasks include building the dohyo, making announcements, singing the shikona of each rikishi and advising them of preparation time.
• yobimodoshiA kimarite in which the attacker first pulls his opponent forward, then suddenly releases his grip and pushes him back and down.
• yojijukugoA Japanese lexeme composed of four kanji characters.
• yoko-tobi-geriA karate kick performed while leaping sideways.
• yokukansanAn Asian herbal traditional medicine, used to treat restlessness and agitation.
• YomikoA female given name from Japanese.
• YonaiA surname from Japanese.
• yonkomaA comic strip of Japanese origin, having four panels usually in a vertical orientation.
• yorikiA member of various government branch offices during the Edo period in Japan.
• yoritaoshiA kimarite in which, during a yorikiri attack, the opponent collapses to the floor.
• yosenabeA Japanese hot pot with chicken, seafood, and vegetables.
• YoshitaroA male given name from Japanese.
• YoshizakiA surname from Japanese.
• yoshokuA style of Western-influenced Japanese cuisine.
• yosuzumeA bird yokai said to appear at night to travellers on mountain roads.
• yotsugakeA Japanese archery glove that covers four fingers.
• yotsu-zumoA style of sumo centred on gripping the mawashi.
• yubitsumeThe Japanese ritual of amputating portions of one's own little finger to atone for offense, chiefly among the yakuza.
• yudaneSynonym of tangzhong.
• yugenA Japanese ideal of grace and subtlety
• YuikoA female given name from Japanese.
• yūkakuA type of legal red-light district in Japan.
• yukigassenA Japanese game, played on a court by two teams of seven players, in which players are eliminated when hit with snowballs.
• yuki-onnaJapanese snow spirit; the spirit of a woman who perished out in the snow during the winter months, said to return during the winter months to lure lost souls to their deaths.
• yume kawaiiAn aesthetic of pastel-colored cute imagery.
• yumitori-shikiThe bow-twirling ceremony that closes each day of a tournament.
• yumojiThe traditional Japanese undergarment (like a loincloth or perizoma) for adult females; it may also be worn as a kimono underskirt, and as a single-layer absorbent bathrobe (worn during or after a bath).
• yureiA ghost, spirit of the dead, in Japanese mythology
• yushoThe top-ranking position at the end of a basho; the championship.
• Yusho diseasepoisoning by polychlorinated biphenyls in contaminated rice bran oil