jap
/d͡ʒæp/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.99 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
Alternative letter-case form of jap.
Example Sentences
- "He petered out under Pitty's savage look: Do you speak Jap? Do you understand the world from inside those bastards' slanty-eyed little head-lopping poem-writing minds?"
- "He said it in Japanese, which surprised the boy and stunned Cullen. “You speak Jap?” asked Cullen. “Looks like it, doesn't it?”"
- "Among our Japs on board are two returning from Italy, where they have been with silk-worms' eggs, on cards, to sell. This has become a great speculation, and the Japs are going into it with zeal. The Japs almost always—always when they can—take cabin passages ; the Chinese seldom, or never."
- "The Japs had been confident that this first and sudden land grab could be accomplished without their becoming involved in a major war, and they were right."
- "‘The telegram says “missing”.’ ’Nothing about “presumed drowned”?’ Sorrel asked. ’Nothing.’ ’Then he could easily be a prisoner in the hands of the Japs,’ she persisted."
- "A soldier might grab his rifle and batter his way to the heart of some Jap position. Back home they gave him all sorts of medals but his companions dismissed him as the poor bastard who finally went Asiatic."
Etymology
Etymology tree Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún)bor. Malay Jepangbor. Portuguese Japãobor. ▲ Malay Jepangbor. Dutch Japanbor. English Japan Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor. Late Latin -iscus ▲ Vulgar Latin -iscus Latin -ēnsis Old French -eisbor. Middle English -eys English -ese English Japaneseclip. English Jap Clipping of Japanese, attested as a noun since 1872, and adjectivally since 1878. Compare Nip (shortened from Nipponese).
Usage
- Dated
- Offensive
- Slang
- Australian usage
- Informal
- American usage
- Derogatory
- Canadian usage