a special brand of Japanese words, which are composed entirely of English components, but have no meaning (or an entirely different meaning) in English
1
vote
1answer
110 views
Is ゴールデンウィーク wasei-eigo?
A native speaker of Japanese has asked if ゴールデンウィーク is wasei eigo.
The Wikipedia article on Golden Week in Japan claims that the term was created in 1951.
However, a google ngram search for English ...
1
vote
4answers
215 views
When is マイ・ワイフ used?
While looking up マイカー in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gairaigo_and_wasei-eigo_terms, I came across マイ・ワイフ. Is マイ・ワイフ used in real life, or mainly in anime?
If the former, what differences ...
8
votes
2answers
242 views
How do you classify a word like “電子レンジ”?
This recent question introduced me to the concepts of 外来語【がいらいご】, defined as foreign words not originating from Chinese, and 和製英語【わせいえいご】, which are English constructions that were made in Japan.
...
13
votes
4answers
585 views
Are wasei-eigo and wasei-kango looked down upon?
Is wasei-eigo or wasei-kango looked down upon by Japanese language purists (as opposed to English or Chinese purists!) as informal, inauthentic, incorrect or the like?
7
votes
2answers
595 views
Is B2F, B1F, 1F, 2F, … wasei-eigo?
While visiting Tokyo, I noticed that most levels were indicated by B2F, B1F, 1F, 2F, ... .
This doesn't look like the Romaji for -kai or -gai counter-words, which I assume would be chika ni-kai, ...
3
votes
1answer
214 views
Is “ガール” (gāru) now considered a Japanese word? What about “ガールズ” (gāruzu)?
In my wanderings around Japan giving my kana knowledge some practice I've noticed both the words "ガール" (gāru) and "ガールズ" (gāruzu) in use at least in signage. Obviously they are borrowed from English ...
11
votes
8answers
640 views
Is the word ハーフ derogatory?
Is the term ハーフ (mixed-race Japanese/other) derogatory? Can you use it in a newspaper article? Can you use it to describe your boss? If it is derogatory, what word(s) should one use instead?
