Random Japanese Words and Meanings
As a Japanese learner myself, sometimes I just wish someone would just give me a random Japanese word to learn because I feel stuck in a rut of the typical vocabulary. So, if learning the Japanese translations in our standard range of categories doesn't seem like much fun to you, then maybe you'll love this list because it has no rhyme or reason - all the words found within are random!
Below you'll find a ton of completely random words and phrases - all translated from Japanese to English. Through this list you are likely to find words you wouldn't otherwise be exposed to in normal learning settings, so you might come across a bunch of words and phrases that you never expected to learn!
Random Words and Phrases in Japanese:
Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view these random words from English to Japanese. Clicking on a will give you a more detailed definition, plus Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana, and related words.
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Random Words in Japanese
Random Japanese Phrases
Random Words in Japanese
Aka-chan ➔ Baby
Akari ➔ Clear / Bright
Asa ➔ Morning
Bansai ➔ Long life
Chiisai ➔ Little / Small
Chikyuu ➔ Earth
Daigaku ➔ University / College
Daitanna ➔ Bold
Denwa ➔ Phone
Denwa bango ➔ Phone number
Diipu ➔ Deep
Dokodemo ➔ Everywhere
Doku ➔ Poison
Donarudo toranpu ➔ ドナルド・トランプ ➔ Donald Trump
Eigo ➔ English
Eki ➔ Train station
Enpitsu ➔ Pencil
Eto... ➔ Hmm...
Fuku ➔ Clothes
Furui ➔ Old
Futago ➔ Twins
Gaaden ➔ Garden
Gakusei ➔ Student
Getsu ➔ Moon
Hare ➔ Sunny
Hi ➔ Fire
Hon ➔ Book
Honyaku ➔ Translation
Ichiban ➔ Number one
Ii ➔ Good
Ippai ➔ Full
Issho ni ➔ Together
Jenereeta ➔ ジェネレータ ➔ Generator
Ka ➔ Fire
Kage ➔ Shadow
Kagami ➔ Mirror
Kaisha ➔ Company
Kamen ➔ Mask
Kamera ➔ Camera
Kaminari ➔ Lightning
Kappu ➔ Cup / Glass
Kasa ➔ Umbrella
Kawaii ➔ Cute
Kaze ➔ Wind / A cold
Kazoku ➔ Family
Ki ➔ Tree
Kikyou ➔ Chinese bellflower
Kin ➔ Gold
Konpuriito ➔ Complete
Kouen ➔ Park
Kuragari ➔ Darkness
Kurai ➔ Dark
Kyoushi ➔ Teacher
Mijikai ➔ Short
Minna ➔ Everyone
Mizu ➔ Water
Moku ➔ Tree
Mori ➔ Forest
Mura ➔ Village
Na? ➔ Huh?
Nani? ➔ What?
Nichi ➔ Sun
Ningen ➔ Human
Ongaku ➔ Music
Oni ➔ Ogre
Onnanoko ➔ Girl
Oto ➔ Sound / Noise
Puro ➔ Professional
Renshuu ➔ Practice
Saikou ➔ Best
Sakura ➔ Cherry / Cherry blossom
Samishii ➔ Lonely
Samui ➔ Cold (like the weather)
Sekai ➔ World
Sento ➔ Lead / First place
Shima ➔ Island
Shizuka ➔ Quiet
Shonen ➔ Boy
Son ➔ Loss
Sugoi ➔ Amazing
Sugureta ➔ Excellent
Sui ➔ Water
Suichoku ➔ Vertical
Suwaru ➔ Sit
Tadashii ➔ Correct / Right
Tanoshii ➔ Fun
Tanpopo ➔ Dandelion
Tegami ➔ Letters (the kind you send in the mail)
Tengoku ➔ Heaven
Tenshi ➔ Angel
To ➔ And
Tomodachi ➔ Friend
Toranpu ➔ トランプ ➔ Trump (As in Donald Trump)
Tsubasa ➔ Wing
Tsuki ➔ Moon
Tsuyoi ➔ Strong
Urusai ➔ Noisy
Wata ➔ Cotton
Yasha ➔ Demon
Yoi ➔ Good / Nice
Yomu ➔ Read
Yuniiku na ➔ Unique
Zenbu ➔ All
Random Japanese Phrases
Akiramenai ➔ Don't give up / I won't give up
Anata wa itsumo nani wo sinpaishite iruno desu ka? ➔ What's always on your mind?
Anata wa nihonjin desu ka? ➔ Are you Japanese?
Anata no shashin o totemo ii desu ka? ➔ Can I take a picture of you?
Boku no mewo mitte ➔ Look into my eyes
Eigo no sensei ➔ English teacher
Heya wa kara desu ➔ The room is empty
Itai! ➔ It hurts!
Itsumo ichiban ➔ Always number one
Kaze no kizu ➔ Wind scar
Kesshite akiramenai ➔ Never surrender
Kikimashita ➔ I listened
Kikimashita? ➔ Did you listen?
Kurai kage ➔ Dark shadow
Kurayami no tenshi ➔ Angel of darkness
Mijikai e-mail de gomen nasai ➔ I'm sorry for the short email
Mimashita ➔ I looked
Mimashita? ➔ Did you look?
Nanka atta no? ➔ What's happening?
Nemui desu ➔ I feel sleepy
Nihon he ikimasu ➔ I am going to Japan
Nihon-go wo benkyoushimasu ➔ Learn Japanese
Osuwari kudasai. ➔ Please sit down.
Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana ➔ The only flower in the world
Sentan ni tatsu ➔ Be in the lead
Setchaku-zai ga arimasen ➔ There is no glue
Shashin o totemo ii desu ka ➔ Is taking photos okay?
Sore wa kikendesu! ➔ That's dangerous!
Tsukaremashita ➔ I'm tired
Tsukaremashita? ➔ Were you tired?
Yabai! ➔ That's dangerous!
Zettai yurusenai ➔ I will never forgive you
*Random Japanese words list last updated: February 28, 2025.
Next Up
Romantic Japanese Words and Phrases: Learn how to say romantic words and phrases in Japanese.
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