Questions tagged [wasei-eigo]
和製英語. Japanese words composed entirely of English components, but which have no meaning (or an entirely different meaning) in English.
20
questions
16
votes
8answers
3k 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?
16
votes
4answers
2k 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?
11
votes
2answers
507 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.
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11
votes
2answers
6k views
Is チェリーボーイ wasei-eigo?
Is the word チェリーボーイ (Eng. "cherry boy", meaning "male virgin") a genuine loanword from English, or is it wasei-eigo?
I would have thought it to be a genuine loanword, but the sources cited on ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
What do young Japanese mean by セクハラ?
What do Japanese young people exactly mean by 「セクハラ」?
Do they think it is negative, or only slightly negative, or not negative?
I've often heard Japanese university students throw around the term 「...
8
votes
2answers
7k 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, ...
7
votes
1answer
346 views
What does it mean to write wasei-eigo and gairaigo in Romaji?
Wasei-eigo and most Gairaigo (especially in a text or sentence as opposed to being by itself) is usually written in Katakana (イメージ, ジュース, スマート,パンツ,アベック). However, there are times that have seen some ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
The origin of “HN”
I've read that HN is used as an abbreviation (略) of "Handle Name". Why was Handle Name abbreviated in Japanese instead of the much more common, at least in English, "User Name" or even the good old "...
5
votes
1answer
242 views
レアチーズケーキ: Does 「レア」 originally come from “rare” or from “layer”?
レアチーズケーキ is a kind of cheesecake which is not baked.
What is the etymology of the レア part of this word?
Academic references needed, as this is a controversial topic:
The top Google result claims it ...
5
votes
2answers
214 views
Is there a term that covers both wasei eigo and gairaigo?
Is there a term that covers both wasei eigo ("Japanese-made English") and gairaigo (words from foreign languages)? Can you call them カタカナ語?
4
votes
2answers
280 views
Is マラソン always 42.195 km?
ALC translate the Japanese マラソン into the English "marathon", which the English Wikipedia says has an official distance of 42.195 kilometres.
Is マラソン always 42.195 km?
Or has the Japanese word a ...
4
votes
1answer
281 views
What do ジャンルくじイラスト and デリケートなジャンル mean?
My circle (student club) at a Japanese university is preparing for the school festival. One option for participating is to draw and submit a 「ジャンルくじイラスト」. Does this translate to "genre lottery ...
4
votes
1answer
2k 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 "...
2
votes
4answers
331 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
147 views
What's an オウンキー? Why does the term exist?
In the context of real estate, what is an "オウンキー"?
I understand that it literally translates as "own key", but having a word for that seems to be like needing a word for people with only one head. Is ...
2
votes
1answer
245 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
186 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
101 views
Is there a term for “English that doesn't make sense”?
There are a lot of crazy combinations of English words and translations that don't make sense. Is there a specific term that identifies this?
0
votes
1answer
125 views
Translation of some school related terms. 特進、英数、生徒の声
There are some Japanese Terms that I am not sure how to translate in English. Mainly the problem occurs because of these words' perception in Japanese culture.
Like, 学校公開. Japanese call this "Open ...
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votes
1answer
6k views
Why is a bubble tea called 'タピオカジュース' or 'タピオカティー 'in Japan?
I love drinking bubble tea, especially in Indonesia, China, and in Japan where there are many famous bubble tea sellers, especially Chatime or KOI (there was one when I visited Indonesia).
However, ...
