Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Japanese ·1980s
Wasabi
from 山葵 (wasabi)
- Meaning
- A pungent Japanese horseradish-like condiment, usually green.
- Source word
- 山葵 (wasabi)
- Route into English
- Japanese *wasabi* (native to Japan) → English via sushi culture in the 1980s. Most wasabi outside Japan is horseradish dyed green; real wasabi is rare and expensive.
- Arrived
- 1980s
From Japanese
Two waves — Meiji-era diplomatic contact (1850s–1900s) and post-war US military presence (1945–) account for almost all Japanese loans in general English.
English borrows.
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