plural Ainu or Ainus
1
: a member of an indigenous people of the Japanese archipelago, the Kuril Islands, and part of Sakhalin Island
2
: the language of the Ainu people
Examples of Ainu in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s biodiversity in the different areas, from the Sumi-e ink wash paintings to foraging for mushrooms and fish to the Ainu culture.
—
Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
Both Okinawans and the Ainu are, in Japan, minority cultures.
—Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
Learn About the Ainu Photo: Getty Images Most Popular
Fashion Week
Troye Sivan’s Fashion Week Look?
—Christina Liao, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
Fukunaga plans to use the footage for a short film as a follow-up to his documentary Ainu Puri (Ainu ways) that is screening at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
—Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2024
In recent years, as with many Indigenous peoples around the world, the Ainu have begun to reclaim their rights, language, and culture.
—Helen Schulman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024
For example, Hitoshi Watanabe focused on ethnographic data about the Ainu, an Indigenous population in northern Japan and its surrounding areas.
—Cara Ocobock, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2023
The Islands Hall This hall will focus on life and cultures in the South Pacific and the Ainu, an Indigenous people in Japan.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 9 May 2023
These include the ancient Greeks, New Zealand’s Maori and the Ainu of northern Japan, a country where the star formation was perceived as comprising six rather than seven visible siblings.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 2 May 2023
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Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
Both Okinawans and the Ainu are, in Japan, minority cultures.
—Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
Learn About the Ainu Photo: Getty Images Most Popular
Fashion Week
Troye Sivan’s Fashion Week Look?
—Christina Liao, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
Fukunaga plans to use the footage for a short film as a follow-up to his documentary Ainu Puri (Ainu ways) that is screening at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
—Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2024
In recent years, as with many Indigenous peoples around the world, the Ainu have begun to reclaim their rights, language, and culture.
—Helen Schulman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024
For example, Hitoshi Watanabe focused on ethnographic data about the Ainu, an Indigenous population in northern Japan and its surrounding areas.
—Cara Ocobock, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2023
The Islands Hall This hall will focus on life and cultures in the South Pacific and the Ainu, an Indigenous people in Japan.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 9 May 2023
These include the ancient Greeks, New Zealand’s Maori and the Ainu of northern Japan, a country where the star formation was perceived as comprising six rather than seven visible siblings.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 2 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Ainu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ainu. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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