User:Kcumming/Update to Gairaigo page
This is a selected list of gairaigo, words originating or based on foreign language (generally Western) terms, including wasei-eigo (pseudo-Anglicisms). Many derive from Portuguese, due to that country's early role in Japanese-Western interaction, or from French and German, due to those countries' cultural and scientific prominence during Japan's modernization in the Meiji Era. However, most come from English, perhaps the dominant world language today. Due to the large number of western concepts imported into Japanese culture during modern times, there are thousands, possibly tens of thousands of these English borrowings.
Nonetheless, many are in fact pseudo-borrowings: despite their links to foreign language words, the word forms as used in modern Japanese are not used in the same way in their languages of origin.
In fact, many such terms, despite their similarity to the original foreign words, are not easily understood by speakers of those languages (e.g. left over as a baseball term for a hit that goes over the left-fielder's head, rather than uneaten food saved for a later meal as in English—or famikon ファミコン from "Family computer," which actually refers to the Nintendo Entertainment System).
It should be noted that the Japanese phrase arigato ("Thank you") does not derive from Portuguese (obrigado), as is erroneously claimed by some, but is instead a regularly-derived Japanese form.
- Note:
- US = American English
- UK = British English
Gairaigo from languages other than English[edit]
This section contains examples of gairaigo from languages other than English.
Gairaigo with notable etymologies or subtleties[edit]
Wasei-eigo that are direct borrowings with modified meanings[edit]
Wasei-eigo that are new constructions[edit]
Examples[edit]
| Katakana | Romaji | Origin | Meaning | Language of origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| アベック | abekku | avec (meaning 'with') | romantic couple | French |
| アイドル | aidoru | idol | (teen) idol, pop star | English |
| アイ・ラブ・ユー | airabuyū | I love you | I love you | English |
| アメフト | amefuto | Ame(rican) foot(ball) | American football | English |
| アメリカンドッグ | amerikandoggu | American dog | corn dog | English |
| アニメ | anime | anima(tion) | animation, animated cartoons/films | English |
| アンケート | ankēto | enquête | questionnaire, survey | French |
| アンニュイ | annyui | ennui | ennui, boredom | French |
| アパート | apāto | apart(ment) | apartment (US), flat (UK), though Japanese apāto are usually in small two-story wood-structure buildings, not multistory complexes as in the American usage. | English |
| アポ | apo | appo(intment) | appointment | English |
| ～アップ | ~appu | up(grade) | to upgrade or improve (something). Coupled with English or pseudo-English nouns that indicate what that something is; e.g., version-up: upgrade (software), buy the next-better version or model of something, improve the appeareance of something; image-up: improve the image of, improve one's outward appearance; manner-up: improve one's manners, learn (proper/better) manners or ettiquette: base-up, level-up: take to the next or a higher (basic) level of quality; also base-up (frequently abbreviated bea): to raise the base wage of the workers, a frequent goal of the shunto | English |
| アルバイト | arubaito | Arbeit, meaning 'work' | part-time job | German |
| アルコール | arukōru | alcohol | alcohol, alcoholic beverage | Dutch |
| バイバイ | baibai | bye-bye | good-bye | English |
| バイキング | baikingu | viking | smorgasbord, buffet | English |
| バージンロード | bājinrōdo | virgin road | the aisle (in a Western-style or Christian wedding ceremony, as followed by the bridal procession) | English |
| バージョンアップ | bājonappu | version up | upgrade (software), to improve or enhance | English |
| バカンス | bakansu | vacances | holiday, vacation | French |
| バックミラー | bakkumirā | back mirror | rearview mirror | English |
| バリカン | barikan | Bariquand et Marre | electric hair trimmer | French |
| ベッド | beddo | bed | A Western-style bed (as opposed to a futon) | English |
| ベースボール | bēsubōru | baseball | baseball | English |
| ビー玉 | bīdama | vi(dro) (glass) + 玉 (dama, ball) | marbles | Portuguese + Japanese |
| ビロード or 天鵞絨 | birōdo | veludo | velvet | Portuguese |
| ビル | biru | buil(ding) | building (especially modern steel / concrete buildings) | English |
| ボンベ | bonbe | Bombe | A steel canister for storing pressurized gas, such as a propane tank | German |
| ボタン | botan | botão | button | Portuguese |
| ブラ | bura | bra | brassiere | English |
| ブランコ | buranko | balanço | a swing | Portuguese |
| ブラセラ or ブルセラ | burasera or burusera | bloomer/sailor | panty fetishism, especially with teenage girls wearing school outfits ("sailor suits") and bloomers. | English |
| ブレザー | burezā | blazer | blazer, or a Japanese school uniform that includes that garment. It usually has buttons down the front and a vest under it with a white collared shirt. | English |
| チャンス | chansu | chance | chance; opportunity | English |
| 〜チック | ~chikku | romantic, dramatic | ~esque, attached to a noun. For example, a product with cute character illustrations may be considered "Akihabara-chikku". | English |
| ダビング | dabingu | dubbing | dubbing | English |
| ダブル(noun), ダブる(intransitive verb). Sometimes "W" | daburu | double | (noun and adjective) double; (verb) to be redundant or doubled up | English |
| ダストボックス | dasutobokkusu | dust box | rubbish bin (UK), garbage can (US) | English |
| デパート | depāto | depart(ment store) | department store | English |
| デスク | desuku | desk | a editor for a certain section of a publication, derived from the English custom of calling the job a desk, as in "the sports desk" | English |
| ドクター ストップ | dokutāsutoppu | doctor stop | when the doctor tells a patient to stop doing something | English |
| ドンマイ | donmai | don('t) mi(nd) | "don't worry about it," "don't pay (that) any mind," "it's (I'm) OK," "no problem." Frequently used when something goes wrong | English |
| ドライブイン | doraibuin | drive-in | rest area | English |
| ドラマ | dorama | dorama | TV drama | English |
| ドリドリ | doridori | wasei-eigo dorifuto | drifting, in the sense of a car in the controlled skid used in drifting | modification of existing wasei-eigo |
| ドリフト | dorifuto | drift | drifting | English |
| エアコン | eakon | air con(ditioning) | air conditioning | English |
| AV | ēbui | wasei-eigo AV (Adult Video) | adult video | English |
| エッチ | etchi | H (likely from the first letter of hentai) | dirty, naughty (Note: the etymology of etchi is still debated by Japanese linguists) | English |
| エキス | ekisu | ex(tract) | extract | Dutch |
| エネルギッシュ | enerugisshu | energisch | energetic | German |
| エロ | ero | ero(s) | erotic | English |
| エロエロ | eroero | eros | see ero | English |
| エログロ | eroguro | ero(tic) gro(tesque) | ero-guro | English |
| エール | ēru | yell | (1) to cheer on a player in a sports competition; (2) to express support for a candidate in an election | English |
| エステ | esute | esthé(tique) | beauty salon, esthetic clinic | French |
| エンスト | ensuto | en(gine) sto(p) | stall (as in an automobile engine) | English |
| ファミコン | famikon | fami(ly) com(puter) | the Nintendo Entertainment System | English |
| ファンタジック | fantajikku | fantasy + -ic | fantastic | English |
| フェッチ | fecchi | fetch | fetch | English |
| ～フェチ | fechi | feti(sh) | fetish (typically a sexual fetish but sometimes just referring to a distinctive preference) | English |
| フォーチュン・クッキー | fōchunkukkī | fortune cookie | fortune cookie | English |
| フォーク | fōku | fork | fork | English |
| フォーク | fōku | fōlk | Western folk music | English |
| フライドポテト | furaidopoteto | fried potato | french fries (US), chips (UK) | English |
| フリーダイヤル | furīdaiyaru | free dial | toll free call | English |
| フリーター | furītā | free + contraction of Arbeiter (or free + time) | underemployed young adults, people who opt to work (a series of) part time jobs rather than engage in permanent employment | English + German |
| ガードマン | gādoman | guard man | a (private) security guard, a person who directs traffic around work sites | English |
| ガム | gamu | gum | chewing gum | English |
| ガラス | garasu | glas | glass (material) | Dutch |
| ガソリンスタンド | gasorinsutando | gasoline stand | gas station (US), petrol station (UK) | English |
| ゲームセンター or ゲーセン | gēmusentā or gēsen | game centre | video arcade | English |
| ギプス or ギブス | gipusu or gibusu | Gips | cast (sometimes gipusu means a plaster cast, while gibusu refers to a plastic brace) | German |
| ゴム | gomu | gom | rubber, eraser, rubber band | Dutch |
| ゴールデンアワー | gōrudenawā | golden hour | prime time | English |
| グラス | gurasu | glass | drinking glass | English |
| グロ | guro | gro(tesque) | grotesque | English |
| ハンドル | handoru | handle | steering wheel or bicycle handlebars | English |
| ハンカチ | hankachi | han(d)kerchie(f) | handkerchief | English |
| ハンスト | hansuto | hun(ger) st(rike) | hunger strike | English |
| ハウス | hausu | (vinyl) + house | greenhouse or glasshouse | English |
| ヒステリー | hisuterī | Hysterie | loss of (self) control | German |
| ホッチキス | hocchikisu | Hotchkiss | stapler | English |
| ホーム | hōmu | (plat)form | a railway platform | English |
| ホワイトデー | howaitodē | White Day | March 14, a month after Valentine's day | English |
| イエス | iesu | Jesus or yes | Jesus Christ or yes | Portuguese or English |
| イクラ | ikura | икра (ikra), meaning roe | salmon roe | Russian |
| イメージ | imēji | image | an image, often used to indicate an artist's rendering or a graphic intended to provide a conceptual image of a situation; especially in advertising and design, a conceptual description intended to conjure a mental image of an abstract situation; (the public's) impression or perception of an entity. | English |
| インフレ | infure | infla(tion) | inflation | English |
| ジェットコースター | jettokōsutā | jet coaster | roller coaster | English |
| ジーパン | jīpan | jea(ns) + pan(ts) | jeans | English |
| カード | kādo | card | English | |
| カンニング | kanningu | cunning | cheating | English |
| カッパ or 合羽 | kappa | capa (de chuva) | (rain) coat | Portuguese |
| カラン | karan | kraan | faucet | Dutch |
| カラオケ | karaoke | 空 (kara, empty) + orche(stra) | karaoke | Japanese + English |
| カルタ | karuta | carta | karuta (Japanese playing cards) | Portuguese |
| カルテ | karute | Karte | (a patient's) medical record | German |
| キリスト or 基督 | kirisuto | Christo | Christ, Christian | Portuguese |
| コミカライズ | komikaraizu | comic + alize | To make a comic strip (manga) version of an originally non-comic strip title, such as a novel, movie, or TV show. | English |
| コンビニ | konbini | conveni(ence store) | convenience store | English |
| コンセント | konsento | concent(ric plug) | power outlet | English |
| コスプレ | kosupure | cos(tume) play | cosplay | English |
| クラクション | kurakushon | Klaxon | horn (on an automobile) | English |
| クランケ | kuranke | Kranker | patient | German |
| キャッチボール | kyacchibōru | catch ball | the game of catch | English |
| キャッチコピー | kyacchikopī | catch copy | tagline | English |
| キャンピングカー | kyanpingukā | camping car | Recreational vehicle | English |
| マイナスドライバー | mainasudoraibā | minus driver | (flathead) screwdriver | English |
| マイペース | maipēsu | my pace | doing things at one's own (leisurely) pace, taking one's time (often somewhat derogatory) | English |
| マンション | manshon | mansion | modern concrete apartment / condominium block | English |
| マロン | maron | marron | Chestnut, metaphor for brown eyes | French |
| マザコン | mazakon | mother com(plex) | Oedipus complex, or a strong attachment, formed in childhood, to one's mother, often used derogatorily; "girly man" | English |
| ミシン | mishin | (sewing) machine | sewing machine | English |
| モバイル | mobairu | mobile | mobile communications, mobile communications capability, or mobile communications devices, esp. PDAs and personal computers with wireless communications capabilities | English |
| モーニングコール | mōningukōru | morning call | wake-up call | English |
| ナトリウム | natoriumu | Natrium | sodium (Na) | German |
| オーダーメード | ōdāmēdo | order made | custom made | English |
| オードブル | ōdoburu | hors-d'œuvre | hors-d'œuvre | French (though probably from English, which uses the same term) |
| OL | ōeru | O.L. (office lady) | female office worker, usually in a clerical or support job | English |
| オフ | ofu | off | A sale at a store; e.g., a "big summer off" (=big summer sale) | English |
| オナニー | onanī | Onanie | masturbation (see Onan) | German |
| オンリーワン | onrīwan | "only one" | (adjective) one of a kind or unique; e.g., オンリーワン技術 (~gijutsu: "only one technology") or オンリーワン商品 (~shōhin: "only one products") meaning one of a kind technology or products | English |
| オン・ザ・ロック | onzarokku | on the rock(s) | on the rocks | English |
| オープンカー | ōpunkā | open car | convertible (automobile) | English |
| オランダ | oranda | Holanda | The Netherlands, Holland | Portuguese |
| パン or 麺麭 or 麪包 | pan | pão | bread | Portuguese |
| パンク | panku | punc(ture) | flat tire | English |
| パンスト | pansuto | pan(ty) + sto(cking) | pantyhose | English |
| パソコン | pasokon | perso(nal) com(puter) | personal computer (PC) | English |
| パンツ | pantsu | pants | pants (UK), underpants | British English |
| ペアルック | pearukku | pair look | matching outfits (usually between a couple) | English |
| ペンション | penshon | pension | a resort hotel / chalet | French |
| ペーパードライバー | pēpādoraibā | paper driver | a person who has a driver's license but does not usually drive (ie: a driver only on paper) | English |
| ピーマン | pīman | piment | Sweet bell pepper | French |
| ピンセット | pinsetto | pincet | tweezers | Dutch |
| ポケモン | pokemon | pocke(t) mon(ster) | pokémon | English |
| プラスアルファ | purasuarufa | plus alpha (a misreading of "+ X") | in addition, a little bit more, with something else. | English |
| プラスドライバー | purasudoraibā | plus driver | Phillips screwdriver | English |
| プレーガイド | purēgaido | play + guide | (theater) ticket agency | English |
| プリクラ | purikura | pri(nt) clu(b) | purikura | English |
| ラブホテル | rabuhoteru | love hotel | love hotel (hotel used as a private place for couples to have sexual contact) | English |
| ランドセル | randoseru | ransel | A hard schoolbag, worn on the back, carried by young Japanese children to school | Dutch |
| リフォーム | rifōmu | reform | remodel, renovation (as in a building) | English |
| リサイクルショップ | risaikurushoppu | recycle shop | secondhand shop (selling used or unwanted furniture, household appliances, housewares, and clothes; slightly different from non-profit or charity thrift shops in that they are fundamentally for-profit shops and perceived as one way to help reduce trash) | English |
| リストラ | risutora | restru(cturing) | (noun) restructuring, but with emphasis on lowering headcounts as in downsizing, termination as a redundancy; (verb) to downsize, lay off or terminate as a redundancy. When used in the passive (～される: ~sareru), to get or have been made redundant, downsized (out of a job) | English |
| ロードショー | rōdoshō | roadshow | premiere, especially of a film | English |
| ロマン | roman | roman | novel, something that rouses one's dreams / longings | French |
| ロープ ウェー | rōpuuē | rope way | ropeway | English |
| ロリコン | roricon | Loli(ta) com(plex) | sexual attraction to fictional and real underage girls, or ephebophilia. | English |
| リュックサック | ryukkusakku | Rucksack | backpack, Rucksack | German |
| サービス | sābisu | service | service, often used to describe something as being free of charge | English |
| サイン | sain | sign | signature, autograph | English |
| サンド | sando | sand(wich) | sandwich | English |
| サラダ | sarada | salada | salad | Portuguese |
| サラリーマン | sararīman | salary + man | salaryman: a salaried office/white collar worker | English |
| セックス | sekkusu | sex | sexual intercourse | English |
| セクハラ | sekuhara | sex(ual) hara(ssment) | sexual harassment | English |
| センス | sensu | sense | (aesthetic) taste; e.g., センスがいい(~gaii: having good taste) | English |
| シャボン玉 | shabondama | sabão + 玉 (dama, ball) | soap bubble | Portuguese + Japanese |
| シャーペン | shāpen | sha(rp) + pen(cil) | mechanical pencil | English |
| シーエム | shīemu | C.M. | television commercial | English |
| シール | shīru | seal | sticker, decal | English |
| シルバーシート | shirubāshīto | silver seat | priority seating on public transportation | English |
| ソフト | sofuto | soft(ware) | computer software; also used to describe tasks or work (such as design) requiring imagination, foresight, and intuition | English |
| すべた or スベタ | subeta | espada | unattractive woman (spade) | Portuguese |
| スケボー | sukebō | ska(te)bo(ard) | skateboard | English |
| スキンシップ | sukinshippu | skin + -ship | see: skinship | English |
| スマート | sumāto | smart | slim, stylish, well-dressed, cool, handsome | English |
| スーパー | sūpā | super(market) | supermarket | English (international) |
| スリーサイズ | surīsaizu | three size | three primary female body measurements (bust, waist, hips) | English |
| スト | suto | st(rike) | labor strike | English |
| ストーブ | sutōbu | stove | space heater | English |
| タバコ, たばこ or 煙草 | tabako | tabaco | tobacco, cigarette | Portuguese |
| タオルケット | taoruketto | towelket (towel + (blan)ket) | a type of blanket made of a material similar to a beach or bath towel | English |
| タレント | tarento | talent | TV personality/celebrity | English |
| テーブル | tēburu | table | Western-style table | English (cf. French table) |
| てんぷら | tenpura | tempero | tempura (culinary term) | Portuguese |
| テレビ | terebi | televi(sion) | television | English |
| テレビゲーム | terebigēmu | TV game | video game | English |
| テレカ | tereka | tele(phone) ca(rd) | prepaid card for using public telephones | English |
| トラブル(noun), トラブる(verb) | toraburu | trouble | (noun) (legal) trouble, a dispute or altercation; (verb) to encounter or experience trouble, to break down or not function as expected (e.g., a device) | English |
| トランプ | toranpu | trumps | playing cards | English |
| ウインカー | uinkā | winker | turn signal, a.k.a. blinker on an automobile | English |
| ワープロ | wāpuro | wor(d) pro(cessor) | word processor | English |
| Ｙシャツ | waishatsu | Y shirt (modification of "white shirt") | dress shirt | English |
| ワンパターン | wanpatān | one pattern | of (artificial or boring) uniformity or conformity, lacking of (spontaneous) variation. Used to describe behavior and responses as well as objects. Being "in a rut" | English |
| ワンピース | wanpīsu | one piece | (a single-piece) dress | English |
| ヤンエグ | yan'egu | youn(g) ex(ecutive) | young executive | English |
| Uターンラッシュ | yūtānrasshu | u-turn rush | the rush of traffic and people, and attendant traffic jams and crowding of transportation facilities, that occurs as everyone returns home after extended holidays, esp. New Year's, Golden Week, and the summer o-bon week. | English |
| ズボン | zubon | jupon | pants (US), trousers | French |