Wasei-eigo
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Wasei-eigo (和製英語, "Japanese-made English") are Japanese pseudo-Anglicisms: English constructions not used in the English-speaking world or by native English speakers, but that appear in Japanese. This should not be confused for foreign words gairaigo, which generally refer to words from European languages, especially American English. This is also distinct from Engrish, as these are actual Japanese words and not attempts at English. [1] These include acronyms and initialisms particular to Japan – see list of Japanese Latin alphabetic abbreviations.
Some common examples are "office lady" (often abbreviated OL) for a female office worker, "salaryman" for white-collar worker, "key holder" for key ring, etc.
In many cases, Japanese people are unaware that the words originated in Japan rather than actual Anglophonic English.[2][3]
Wasei-eigo can be compared to wasei kango (和製漢語, Japanese-created kango (Chinese compounds)), which are Japanese pseudo-Sinicisms (Japanese words created on Chinese roots), and are also extremely common.
Some wasei-eigo have in turn been borrowed as pseudo-Anglicisms in other countries. For example, the Konglish word 아파트 apateu/ap'at'ŭ in Korean is borrowed from the Japanese word apāto, meaning apartment.
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[edit] Examples
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| Wasei-eigo (Romanized notation) | Word structure (in English) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| アイスキャンディー (aisukyandyî) | ice + candy | Popsicle, ice lolly |
| アウトコース (autokôsu) | out + course | outside pitch, outside track |
| アフターサービス (afutâsâbisu) | after + service | service, service under warranty, after-sale(s) service, repair service, customer service |
| イエキャブ (ie-kyabu) | yellow + cab | A parochial point of view that female Japanese students in foreign countries easily provide men of host countries with sexual opportunity. Derives from a comparison with New York City's yellow taxis, which give everyone the chance to get in. |
| イメージグラブ (imēgi-kurabu) | Image + club | Image club; a type of brothel where the prostitutes wear costumes. |
| インコース (inkôsu) | in + course | inside pitch, inside track, infield |
| オイルショック (oirusyokku) | oil + shock | oil crisis |
| オーダーメード (ôdâmêdo) | order + made | made-to-order, custom-made |
| オーエル (ôeru, OL) | OL; office + lady | female office worker who performs minor clerical work. |
| オープンカー (ôpunkâ) | open + car | convertible |
| カーセックス (kāsekkusu) | car + sex | Exhibitionist sexual activity in a car |
| ガードマン (gâdoman) | guard + man | guard, security guard |
| ガソリンスタンド (gasorinsutando) | gasoline + stand | gas station, petrol station |
| キャッチボール (kyachibôru) | catch + ball | play catch |
| キャバクラ (kyaba-kura) | cabaret + club | strip club |
| サイダー (saidâ) | cider | Carbonated beverage |
| サラリーマン (sararîman) | salary + man | businessman, white-collar worker, office worker, salaried worker |
| サンドバッグ (sandobaggu) サンドバック (sandobakku) |
sand + bag | punching bag |
| スキンシップ (sukinshippu) | skin + ship | "skinship", physical contact; intimate though non-sexual physical contact, with implied positive benefits, between two people; often implies between parent and child, though can also mean between two platonic friends or the non-sexual physical contact of a couple. |
| ソープランド(sōpu-rando) | soap + land | Soapland; brothel in which the prostitutes bathe the client and/or use a copious amount of detergent soap (bubbles) in a massage. |
| ダッチワイフ (dachi waifu) | Dutch + wife | A life-sized sex doll. |
| ダンプカー (danpukâ) | dump + car | dump truck, dumper |
| チアガール (chiagâru) | cheer + girl | cheerleader |
| チェンジレバー (chyenjirebâ) | change + lever | gearshift, gear lever, gear stick |
| デコレーションケーキ (dekorêshonkêki) | decoration + cake | decorated cake |
| デリヘル (deriheru) | delivery + health | outcall service |
| ドライブイン (doraibuin) | drive + in | roadside restaurant |
| ナイター (naitâ) | night + -er | night game |
| ニューハーフ (nūhāfu) | new + half | transsexual |
| バックネット (bakkunetto) | back + net | backstop |
| バックミラー (bakkumirâ) | back + mirror | rearview mirror |
| ピンサロ (pin-saro) | pink + salon | sex parlor |
| ファッションサロン (fashon-saron) | fashion + salon | fashionable salon. punched-up pinsaro |
| ファッション・ヘルス (fashon herusu) | fashion + health | fashionable health club |
| フィリピンパブ (Phirippin-pabu) | Philippine + pub | Hostess bar staffed by Philippine women |
| フリーサイズ (furîsaizu) | free + size | one-size-fits-all |
| フリートーク (furîtôku) | free + talk | free conversation |
| ブルセラショップ (buru-sera shoppu) | bloomer + sailor suit + shop | a shop that buys used bloomers (panties) or sailor suits from female senior high school students and sells them to men. |
| プレイガイド (pureigaido) | play + guide | ticket agency |
| フロントガラス (furontogarasu) | front + glass | windshield |
| ペーパーテスト (pêpâtesuto) | paper + test | written examination, written test |
| ペーパードライバー (pêpâdoraibâ) | paper + driver | driver on paper only |
| ベッドタウン (beddotaun) ベットタウン (bettotaun) |
bed + town | commuter town, bedroom suburbs |
| ベビーカー (bebîkâ) | baby + car | baby carriage, stroller |
| ヘルスメーター (herusumêtâ) | health + meter | bathroom scale |
| ホテトル (Hotetoru) | Hotel + Turkish bath | Massage brothel held in a hotel room. |
| ホテヘル (hoteheru) | hotel+ health club | health club held in a hotel room. |
| マントル (Mantoru) | Mansion + Turkish bath | Sweating-bath held in a small apartment. |
| ラブドール (rabu dōru) | Love + doll | Sex doll made of silicone |
| ラブホテル (rabu hoteru) | love + hotel | Love hotel. Hotel that caters to specifically to couples. Rooms are often available by the hour or for specified time blocks. Rates are usually lowest in the mornings and more expensive later in the evenings. |
| ランジェリーパブ (ranjerī-pabu) | Lingerie + pub | Hostess bar where the wait staff work in their underwear and/or lingerie. |
| ランニングホームラン (ranninguhômuran) | running + home run | inside-the-park home run |
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Laura Miller. 1997 "Wasei eigo: English ‘loanwords' coined in Japan." In The Life of Language: Papers in Linguistics in Honor of William Bright, edited by Jane Hill, P.J. Mistry and Lyle Campbell, Mouton/De Gruyter: The Hague, pp. 123-139. Google Books
[edit] References
- ^ http://book.asahi.com/topics/TKY200510250115.html
- ^ "English words, but Japanese meanings". What Japan Thinks. September 24, 2007. http://whatjapanthinks.com/2007/09/24/english-words-but-japanese-meanings/. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
- ^ http://cache001.ranking.goo.ne.jp/crnk/ranking/015/japanese_english/
