TOKYO, Jan. 14 -- Language doesn't stand still - it absorbs, adapts and occasionally gets nudged along by pop culture.

According to The Japan Times, the Oxford English Dictionary has added 11 Japanese words to its latest update, less than two years after welcoming a wave of entries that leaned heavily toward food.

This time around, the mix is broader - and a little more puzzling.

Some additions feel long overdue. Senpai, for one, has been floating around untranslated for years, especially among anime and manga fans.

The dictionary now acknowledges not just its literal meaning - a senior or mentor - but also its pop-culture nuance: someone admired, even idolised, whose attention is quietly sought.

The inclusion of yokai is similarly u...