Questions tagged [loanwords]
外来語. Words brought into Japanese from languages other than Chinese.
6
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2answers
841 views
Are on’yomi words loanwords?
this is probably a silly question, but since words with multiple kanji are usually read with on’yomi would that effectively make most japanese vocabulary loanwords? like 森林 or 図書館？i understand ...
6
votes
1answer
607 views
How to pronounce 1ターン?
I've seen the phrase 1ターン1度 "once per turn" used in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card game, so it seems like ターン is a legit counter. But I'm not sure how to pronounce it. From what I've googled so far, some people ...
2
votes
1answer
128 views
Transcription and pronunciation of words that had “wi” in them in English and are「ウィ」in Japanese
I was looking up how the name Will Smith is pronounced and written in Japanese. Why does "Will" become 「ウィル」? I would have expected ワ to be used instead for the first sound.
I found mentions of the "...
2
votes
1answer
95 views
Etymology of bateren (伴天連 / 破天連)
The archaic Japanese word bateren 伴天連 / 破天連 (referring to a missionary [Jesuit] priest) is derived from the Portuguese padre.
The Portuguese word notably does not contain or end in a nasal consonant, ...
0
votes
2answers
181 views
Unvoiced vowels in katakana: special case?
When foreign words or proper names are used in Japanese, some modifications are necessary, in particular a lot of vowels are introduced. E.g. 'plastic' (two syllables) becomes プラスチック (five). In this ...
4
votes
1answer
86 views
Is the adjective インディペンデント actually used as an adjective?
I saw a movie labeled
インディペンデント作品
The adjective インディペンデント does not end in i and is followed by neither na nor no here. Is this meant as a strange compound noun (katakana + kanji)? Or is this a ...
6
votes
1answer
158 views
Why are there very few non-する gairaigo verbs in Japanese?
I can think of many gairaigo noun + する verbs in Japanese, like ゴルフする, but I can think of only a handful of non-する verbs in Japanese, such as ググる (mentioned in Are there words which consist of katakana ...
1
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1answer
145 views
How did スマート (from 'smart' in English) shift to mean 'slim, trim' and 'stylish'?
I first learned of this loanword on /r/FalseFriends. Wiktionary:
Etymology
From English smart.
Adjectival noun
スマート (-na inflection, rōmaji sumāto)
slim, trim,
slender
...
1
vote
1answer
62 views
なんだこの「ギャラリー」？ What does he mean by gallery?
Panel this is taken from for context. This is commentary about a school go tournament that will start soon.
あれ おまえも見にきたの？
なんかギャラリー多いな
海王中囲碁部はトップレベルだもん
見なきゃソンだよ
My translation ...
3
votes
1answer
138 views
What are the common practice of reading names of modern Chinese people?
From what I've seen from the Japanese Wikipedia, names of communist figures (Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Xi Jinping) seem to be read with on'yomi (Mou Takutou, Tou Shouhei, Shuu Kinpei). On the other ...
12
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2answers
493 views
Transitive English words becoming intransitive 外来語
While reading naruto's answer to Difference in sentences (と and に）, I realized that although キス is an intransitive verb in Japanese, the English kiss is almost always used as a transitive verb. Some ...
5
votes
1answer
161 views
Loanwords related to science
I speak fluent English, Ukrainian and Russian. And I also have experience learning German and Japanese. As an avid language learner, I've been reflecting on what the languages have in common, their ...
-2
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2answers
89 views
Does プレゼント have both English meanings or just the “gift” meaning?
Present in English means both gift, and it also mean the current (present) time. Japanese online examples and translation seem to omit this second meaning. Does プレゼント have both English meanings or ...
0
votes
2answers
152 views
Does マンション also mean “luxurious house” in Japanese?
According to Jisho.org/mansion and Japanese Core 1000 マンション in Japanese means "apartment, condominium, residential building". But in English where the word might come from, it also refers to a large ...
13
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3answers
3k views
Does ガス also mean gasoline in Japanese?
What are the meanings of ガス in Japanese?
I'm asking because in English it can be used for either "a substance in a form like air that is neither solid nor liquid" or, for gasoline, the liquid fuel. ...
6
votes
2answers
173 views
Is there a list of official valid loanwords or they are adapted on the fly from their original languages?
In Spanish there is an entity, the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española) which states what is a valid spanish word or not.
In Japanese, I've read the Japanese Ministry of Education has an ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Which language レシート is adapted from?
レシート is supposed to mean receipt. The adaptation of the word looks a bit odd to me. If it comes from English, why does it lose the "p"? Why it uses a "shii" sound instead of a "ce" (to me there are ...
2
votes
1answer
121 views
Can any nationality be expressed by adding + jin to the country name?
So, many country nationalities are written by adding +jin to the country name like
Itaria-jin イタリア人 , Oranda-jin オランダ人, Kanada-jin カナダ人,
Supein-jin スペイン人 , etc.
but there are some like american who ...
0
votes
1answer
78 views
Convert Japanese Style English Font to Normal(?) English Font [closed]
This might be computer science related question.
I am manipulating Japanese data and in some Japanese words, there are English words and Numbers are in.
ＳＹＳＫＥＮ, 松井ケ丘３, コメリＨ＆Ｇ, 篠路７－１ are the examples....
2
votes
2answers
983 views
How do you describe something “spicy”?
When I typed "spicy natto" on Google Translate, I got this:
スパイシーな納豆
Here are two things that confused me:
1) why do we need な?
2) why not use 辛い?
Does anyone know?
17
votes
2answers
1k views
How would I know whether a word existed and was commonly used N years ago?
Suppose I'm writing a novel that takes place N years ago, say N = 80. Given the dramatic increase of loanwords in the past century, especially from English, what would be the best way (if there is any)...
1
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1answer
245 views
Is there a defined cause for the recent rise in the popularity of gairaigo?
I was looking on the web for Japanese graphic design and found some pre-WWII material. Then I saw some more recent advertisement material. Comparing the two eras, I notice a difference that was beyond ...
3
votes
2answers
214 views
When are foreign language based words written with kanjis?
I was reading the wikia of an anime and I found this,
Red Riot Unbreakable 烈怒頼雄斗安無嶺過武瑠
(レッドライオットアンブレイカブル)
(Reddo Raiotto Anbureikaburu)
The name of a ...
1
vote
0answers
69 views
what's the difference in usage between gairaigo and wago? [duplicate]
Please help me to understand how and when english-derived words are used in modern Japanese?
I understand that ko-hi and garasu didn't exist in Japan, so there are no Japanese words for them. But I ...
8
votes
1answer
232 views
Why did the 黄色い線 become the 黄色いブロック?
Until a few months ago, I am absolutely sure in every single train station I had ever been the announcement was something along the lines of "黄色い線の内側でお待ちください".
Then, out of the blue, one day the word ...
1
vote
1answer
759 views
Should you say English loanwords in the Japanese pronunciation?
For example, if an American travels to Japan, would they ask for "kohi" in a "koppu", maybe a "foku" for their "supagetti", or would they use "coffee", "fork", etc.?
Which would be more socially ...
0
votes
1answer
171 views
Could ベビーカー be derived from “Baby carriage”?
Most etymologies I've come across for "ベビーカー" assume that it's wasei eigo based on a combination of "baby" (ベビー) and "car" (the "カー" part of "マイカー"). For example, the Japanese edition of Wikipedia ...
6
votes
1answer
182 views
Are there differences in meaning for 「ワイルド」 and 'wild'?
The word ワイルド is generally translated as 'wild' in English. Of course there are many instances where this is the appropriate translation. But I feel like there is a wider range of meanings in Japanese ...
2
votes
1answer
128 views
Is ワンサイズ a valid Japanese word?
Japanese For Busy People volume II, revised third edition, on page 23 has
To state or ask how much bigger, you use other words.
ワンサイズ大きいのはありませんか。
Do you have one that is a size bigger?
However,...
7
votes
2answers
459 views
Attempts to distinguish English “L” and “R” sounds using (extended) katakana
Katakana can represent many foreign sounds that do not exist in native Japanese words, either by using special characters such as ヴ or by using special katakana combinations such as フュ. They are ...
5
votes
2answers
215 views
Is there an opposite of gairaigo, covering both kango and wago?
Is there a term that means that something isn't gairaigo, words recently derived from (predominantly European) foreign languages?
For example, I'd like to say that 踊り is a non-gairaigo word, which ...
4
votes
1answer
148 views
Meaning of ブラック in this sentence about work
A Japanese friend that works as a teacher told me he wants to quit his job and come to work in Europe. I asked why and he answered:
EUに行くのが夢。 あと、日本社会の中でも教える仕事はスーパーブラック
What is the meaning of ブラック ...
6
votes
3answers
497 views
Why Was Jaguar Borrowed as ジャガー?
It's listed as being borrowed from English, but even if it were the case that it had been borrowed from Portuguese, it's still pronounced /ɡwɑɹ/ and not /ɡɑɹ/. Japanese phonology is also perfectly ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
Why does ボウル use a vowel kana rather than a long vowel mark?
It seems like both ボウル and ボール are valid Japanese words. The general impression I get is that using long vowel marks ("ー") are the norm for words written in katakana.
In Why are long vowels ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Is マネージャー suitable when describing a manager working in a large business?
In Fluent Forever's Awesome Word List, マネージャー is used to describe a manager in a bank or similar organisation.
However, doing a search with the basic version of google image search mainly got middle-...
5
votes
2answers
246 views
Meaning and translation of "プラスアルファ”
A friend asked me to translate into English a short text. The context is Tokyo being a global city where people gather and experience a variety of lifestyles and values (価値観), and where art, culture, ...
1
vote
1answer
182 views
Anime or Animation?
I was reading an article about loan words and came across anime(Anime アニメ ---- animation). I later talked with one of my Japanese-speaking friends, and he did not recognize the word anime, he ...
3
votes
2answers
195 views
Meaning of スイッチ in the following sentence
Context: in a boxing match, boxer A is fighting against the particularly tough boxer B. Even after having taken a lot of punches, boxer B is still standing. During a break, the trainer of boxer A says:...
2
votes
1answer
930 views
Is there a list of Japanese characters that don't have equivalent roots in Chinese? [duplicate]
According to this answer:
Almost all Japanese characters (in my experience >99%) are exist in Chinese. Few are changed a little, like 宮 and 宫. As a Chinese, I have no difficulty in recognizing ...
12
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1answer
692 views
Why is 犬 used to refer to “dog” in Japanese?
In Chinese there are two words that refer to "dog" - 狗 and 犬. In most use cases 狗 is more frequently used, as it refers to a specific dog.
In Japanese however, 犬 is used exclusively. Did 狗 exist in ...
3
votes
1answer
255 views
Why is Qantas spelt カンタス?
At first I thought that Japanese people pronouncing Qantas as カンタス was an urban legend (the start of "カンタス" matches a vulgar four letter word in English), but I've since found out that it's real, with ...
1
vote
1answer
63 views
Difference in usage of 新しい and ニュー
Both of these words can be used to mean 'new', but one is loaned from English.
I recall hearing somewhere that ニュー became a loanword because it has a slightly different meaning to 新しい, but what ...
10
votes
1answer
371 views
Does “クラッシュ” correspond to both the English words “crash” and “crush”?
I've occasionally seen native speakers of Japanese refer to a "crush" rather than a "crash" in English-language bug reports.
Is "クラッシュ" the main way of transcribing into katakana not only the English ...
13
votes
3answers
918 views
What differences are there between the English word “memo” and the Japanese word “メモ”?
What differences, if any, are there between the English word "memo" and the Japanese word "メモ"?
Does the Japanese word "メモ" have connotations to do with memorisation or memory that don't exist with ...
3
votes
3answers
978 views
Is 私はコリアンダーにアレルギーがある an accurate translation?
I'm going to Japan in a week, and I'd like to be able to convey the fact that I am (very) allergic to coriander. Google Translate gave me:
私はコリアンダーにアレルギーがある
to be pronounced as:
Watashi wa ...
8
votes
1answer
206 views
Can anyone confirm チックン is Kyushu-ben for チングイ and give its scientific name?
In southern Kyushu, you hear people speak of a biting bug called チックン that lurks in shallow water near beaches. Researching the word a bit comes up with the more standard term チングイ, and it appears to ...
2
votes
2answers
143 views
買い込む - Stock up drinks for the party
To "stock up" on something (in a sense of buying a large amount of something) could 買い込む be used? Or is there another way to say this, like ストックする？
I feel that both can be used, depending on the ...
2
votes
1answer
87 views
Usage of 韓服 and チマチョゴリ
韓服 literally translates as hanbok (which in turn literally translates as Korean clothing), and チマチョゴリ literally translates as chima jeogori, which in turn literally translates as a chima skirt plus a ...
5
votes
1answer
246 views
Katakana loanwords: is there data about their creation/evolution and acceptance as “new Japanese words”?
Disclaimer:
This is a topic that I hold particularly dear. This question is related to data so that it is acceptable for this community. However, as a languages enthusiast, what deeply concerns me is ...
4
votes
1answer
131 views
Is there a native Japanese word for upgrading a document to a new format?
I have a document in an old version of a template, and I'm moving the contents into a newer version of the template. I typically describe this process as "upgrading" the document.
Jisho suggests ...
