Japanese refers to anything that originates in Japan. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. As a noun, it may also refer to:

• Japanese language, a Japonic language spoken mainly in Japan
• Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through culture or ancestry
• Japanese writing system, consisting of kanji and kana (hiragana and katakana)

See also

• Culture of Japan:
  • Japanese architecture
  • Japanese art
  • Japanese cuisine
  • Japanese folklore
  • Japanese history
  • Japanese literature
  • Japanese mythology
  • Japanese poetry
  • Japanese popular culture
  • Music of Japan, including J-pop
  • Religion in Japan
  • Theatre of Japan
• Empire of Japan, Japan's colonial period (1867-1945)
• Japanese name

is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities The Japonic languages or Japanese-Ryukyuan languages is a Language family that descended from a common ancestral language known as Proto-Japonic or The are the dominant Ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent of these approximately 127 million are residents of Japan The modern Japanese writing system uses three main scripts Kanji, characters of Chinese origin, Hiragana are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with Hiragana (ひらがな 平仮名 Katakana Kana is a general term for the syllabic Japanese scripts Hiragana (ひらがな and Katakana (カタカナ as well as the old system is a Japanese Syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system, along with Katakana and Kanji; the Latin alphabet is a Japanese Syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with Hiragana, Kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over millenia from the country's prehistoric Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture which combines influences from Asia has as long a history as any other aspect of Japanese culture. Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media including ancient pottery sculpture in wood and bronze ink painting on silk and paper and a myriad of other types of works of Japanese Cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes Japanese folklore is the Folklore of Japan. It is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country The written history of Japan begins with brief references in the 1st century AD Twenty-Four Histories, a collection of Chinese historical texts Japanese literature spans a period of almost two millennia Early works were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculture-based Folk religion. When Japanese poets first encountered Chinese poetry, it was at its peak in the Tang Dynasty. Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past The modern Japanese music scene includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles both traditional and modern ranging from rock electro punk folk metal reggae salsa and tango J-pop is an abbreviation of Japanese pop. It refers to Japanese popular musicians and was coined by the Japanese media to distinguish Japanese musicians from foreign musicians The primary religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintō (神道 " the way of the gods " Traditional Japanese Theatre includes Kabuki, Noh and Bunraku. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku in modern times usually consist of a Family name ( Surname) followed by a Given name.

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