ユダヤ人
yudaya-jin[jɯ̟da̠ja̠ d͡ʑĩɴ]
The Japanese word for Jew is ユダヤ人 (yudaya-jin).
ユダヤ人 is used to refer to a member or descendant of the Jewish people. If you wish to describe someone as being of Jewish origin or of Jewish lineage, you should use ユダヤ系.
Meaning: member or descendant of the Jewish people (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ユダヤ人 is used for both singular and plural contexts, so the word does not change whether you are referring to one person or multiple people.
How do you pronounce it?
yudaya-jin
Did you know?
- While ユダヤ人 is the standard term, you may see the older word 猶太人 in historical texts. This version uses kanji characters to represent the sounds of the word rather than the katakana alphabet usually used for foreign names.
- When referring to the Jewish religion specifically, Japanese uses ユダヤ教 (Yudaya-kyō). The suffix 教 is used for all major organized religions, creating a consistent pattern for 'ism' or 'religion'.
- The suffix 人 (jin) in ユダヤ人 is specifically used for nationality or ethnicity, distinguishing it from the word 人 (hito) which is used for a generic 'person'.
Examples in context
- ユダヤ人です。I'm a Jew.This sentence is useful for stating that you are a ユダヤ人.Tatoeba #13099699 by rul, translation #11875310 by shekitten
- ユダヤ人とは？What's a Jew?This sentence is useful for asking for a definition of ユダヤ人.Tatoeba #13105023 by rul, translation #9283178 by Nylez
- 彼はユダヤ人だったよ。He was Jewish.
- ああ、ユダヤ系の人だよ。Ah, that person is of Jewish descent.
- 彼はユダヤ人です。Kare wa Yudayajin desu.He is a Jew.
Example conversation
Two students are discussing history in a library.
- 蓮 Renこの歴史の授業は難しいね。Kono rekishi no jugyou wa muzukashii ne.This history class is difficult, isn't it?
- 陽葵 Himariユダヤ人の歴史について学ぶのは大変だね。Yudayajin no rekishi ni tsuite manabu no wa taihen da ne.It is hard to learn about the history of the Jewish people.
- 蓮 Ren陽葵はもっと調べたいの？Himari wa motto shirabetai no?Himari, do you want to research more?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、もっと詳しく知りたいわ。Un, motto kuwashiku shiritai wa.Yes, I want to know more in detail.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jew” translations and entries ユダヤ人, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
