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Wasei-eigo (和製英語 wasei eigo, lit. "Made-in-Japan English") refers to English constructions not in use in Anglophone countries nor by Anglophones, but only by speakers of Japanese. (However, other countries that are not Anglophones have borrowed words from Japanese, spreading the use of these words. For example, 아파트 apat in Korean is clearly borrowed from the Japanese word, not the English word.)
A more general term for made-in-Japan foreign words is wasei-gairaigo, which usually applies to words made from European languages.
One example is the word desk (デスク: desuku). It seems like perfectly good English, but in Japan, it is a title for a person. Tanaka-desk would be a reporter or editor in charge of a department at a newspaper (for example, the city desk). Similarly, mansion (: manshon) refers not to a mansion, but an apartment. Wasei-eigo words can form compounds with Japanese words, for example, okushon (億ション) combines oku, meaning hundred million, with "mansion" to form a new word meaning "luxury apartment". Sometimes, two English words with their normal meanings will be combined to form a new compound word. One famous instance is famicom (ファミコン: famikon or : family computer), a portmanteau of "family" and "computer", meaning a video game system (especially, but not necessarily, the Famicom, known to the rest of the world as the Nintendo Entertainment System). Sometimes the resulting words make as much, or more, sense than their standard English equivalents. (see: fried potato or recycle shop below, in examples.)
Examples
| Japanese word: (Katakana & romaji:)
| Lit. Translation & Common English meaning:
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| オーダーメード (ōdā mēdo)
| order made / custom made
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| カラオケ (karaoke)
| 空 (empty) + orchestra / karaoke
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| キャッチコピー (kyacchi kopī)
| Catch copy / tagline
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| シール (shīru)
| seal / sticker
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| スキンシップ (sukinshippu)
| skin + -ship / see: skinship
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| ジェットコースター (jetto kōsutā)
| jet coaster / roller coaster
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| スマート (sumāto)
| smart / slim
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| テレビゲーム (terebi gēmu)
| TV game / video game
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| トランプ (toranpu)
| trumps / playing cards
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| バージョンアップ (bājon appu)
| version up / upgrade (software)
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| バックミラー (bakku mirā)
| back mirror / rearview mirror
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| パンク (panku)
| puncture / flat tire
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| フリーダイヤル (furī daiyaru)
| free dial / toll free call
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| フライドポテト (furaido poteto)
| fried potato / USA: french fries UK: chips
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| プラスドライバー (purasu doraibā)
| plus driver / Philips screwdriver
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| ポケモン (pokemon)
| pocket monster / pokémon
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| プリクラ (purikura)
| print club / purikura
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| ホッチキス (hocchikisu)
| Hotchkiss / Stapler
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| マイナスドライバー (mainasu doraibā)
| minus driver / flathead screwdriver
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| モーニングコール (mōningu kōru)
| morning call / wake-up call
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| リサイクルショップ (risaikuru shoppu)
| recycle shop / secondhand shop (used clothes)
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See also
External link
- Examples (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/afaq/wasei-eigo.html)
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