20 words of English origin that Japanese people often mistake for real thing
TOKYO —
How many of you have ever heard of the Japanese word “wasei eigo?” A direct translation into English would be “Japanese-made English,” but put more simply the word refers to English words that, after a little tampering, have been adopted into the modern Japanese lexicon and used on an everyday basis. Despite having their origins in English, “wasei eigo” words often have quite different meanings to those on which they are based. Consequently, Japanese visitors to English-speaking countries using terms like “baby car” and “key holder” — words that are thought to be “English” in Japan — are often met with raised eyebrows and blank stares from native English speakers.
So come with us now as we look at the top 20 “wasei” English words that cause Japanese people trouble when they break them out while abroad.
It perhaps doesn’t help that the majority of these words, when pronounced in “katakana English” and with a Japanese accent, sound even further removed from their English originals, but we’re sure you’ll agree that even in their written form some of them are bound to cause confusion in English-speaking countries. The Japanese pronunciations are written in italics alongside each word.
1. Salary man, OL (Office Lady) - sararii man
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"Jet coaster" is actually a special type of roller coaster that is sometimes found is US theme parks.
And although it's not "wasei eigo", I think that one of the Japanese words for bicycle, "jiten-sha", might have originated from the French bicycle brand Gitane (pronounced "jiten"
, and "sha", which in this case refers to a wheeled vehicle.
