Wasei-eigo
Encyclopedia
are Japanese pseudo-Anglicism
s: 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. 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.
Wasei-eigo can be compared to , 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.
})
|car + sex
|public display of making love in a car by a couple of loose morals
|-
|
|guard + man
|guard, security guard
|-
|
|gasoline + stand
|gas station, petrol station
|-
|
|catch + ball
|play catch
|-
|
|cabaret + club
|gargle-factory
|-
|
|cider
|(soda) pop
|-
|
|salary + man
|white-collar worker, office worker, salaried worker
|-
|
|sand + bag
|punching bag
|-
|
|skin + ship
|physical contact
|-
|
|soap + land
|bawdyhouse
|-
|-
|
|Dutch + wife
|Sex doll loved by Dutchmen.
|-
|
|dump + car
|dump truck, dumper
|-
|
|cheer + girl
|cheerleader
|-
|
|change + lever
|gearshift, gear lever, gear stick
|-
|
|decoration + cake
|decorated cake
|-
|-
|
|delivery + health
|outcall service
|-
|
|drive + in
|roadside restaurant
|-
|
|night + -er
|night game
|-
|-
|
|new + half
|transsexual , the new-found neutral between man and woman
|-
|
|back + net
|backstop
|-
|
|back + mirror
|rearview mirror
|-
|
|pink + salon
|sex parlor
|-
|-
|
|fashion + salon
|fashionable salon. punched-up pinsaro
|-
|
|fashion + health
|fashionable health club
|-
|-
|
|Philippines + pub
|A public house with a Filipino person as a waiter.
|-
|
|free + size
|one-size-fits-all
|-
|
|free + talk
|free conversation
|-
|-
|
|bloomer + sailor suit + shop
|a shop that buys used bloomers or sailor suits from female senior high school students and sells them to men
|-
|
|play + guide
|ticket agency
|-
|
|front + glass
|windshield
|-
|
|paper + test
|written examination, written test
|-
|
|paper + driver
|driver on paper only
|-
|
|bed + town
|commuter town, bedroom suburbs
|-
|
|baby + car
|baby carriage, stroller
|-
|
|health + meter
|bathroom scale
|-
|
|Hotel + Turkish bath
|Massage brothel held in a hotel room.
|-
|-
|
|hotel+ health club
|health club held in a hotel room.
|-
|
|Mansion + Turkish bath
|Sweating-bath held in a room of a mansion.
|-
|-
|
|Love + doll
|Sex doll made of silicone
|-
|-
|
|love + hotel
|hot-pillow hotel
|-
|-
|
|Lingerie + pub
|A public house in which the waiter works in their underwear.
|-
|
|running + home run
|inside-the-park home run
|}
Pseudo-Anglicism
Pseudo-anglicisms are words in languages other than English which were borrowed from English but are used in a way native English speakers would not readily recognize or understand. Pseudo-anglicisms often take the form of portmanteau words, combining elements of multiple English words to create a...
s: English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
constructions not used in the English-speaking world
English-speaking world
The English-speaking world consists of those countries or regions that use the English language to one degree or another. For more information, please see:Lists:* List of countries by English-speaking population...
or by native English speakers, but that appear in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. This should not be confused for foreign words gairaigo
Gairaigo
Gairaigo is Japanese for "loan word" or "borrowed word", and indicates a transliteration into Japanese. In particular, the word usually refers to a Japanese word of foreign origin that was not borrowed from Chinese, primarily from English. Japanese also has a large number of loan words from...
, which generally refer to words from European languages, especially American English. This is also distinct from Engrish
Engrish
refers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
, as these are actual Japanese words and not attempts at English. These include acronyms and initialisms particular to Japan – see list of Japanese Latin alphabetic abbreviations.
Some common examples are "office lady
Office lady
An office lady, often abbreviated OL , is a female office worker in Japan who performs generally pink collar tasks such as serving tea and secretarial or clerical work. Like many unmarried Japanese, OLs often live with their parents well into early adulthood...
" (often abbreviated OL) for a female office worker, "salaryman
Salaryman
refers to someone whose income is salary based; particularly those working for corporations. Its frequent use by Japanese corporations, and its prevalence in Japanese manga and anime has gradually led to its acceptance in English-speaking countries as a noun for a Japanese white-collar...
" 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.
Wasei-eigo can be compared to , 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
Konglish
Konglish is the use of English words in a Korean context. The words, having initially been taken from the English language, are either actual English words in Korean context, like 모터사이클 , or are made from a combination of Korean and/or English words which are not used in English-speaking...
word 아파트 apateu/ap'at'ŭ in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
is borrowed from the Japanese word apāto, meaning apartment.
Examples
| Wasei-eigo (Romanized notation) | Word structure (in English) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ice + candy | Popsicle, ice lolly | |
| out + course | outside pitch, outside track | |
| after + service | service, service under warranty, after-sale(s) service, repair service, customer service | |
| yellow + cab | a parochial point of view that female Japanese foreign students easily provide a Caucasian male with an opportunity to make love. | |
| Image + club | Catering establishment works uniformed slingers. | |
| in + course | inside pitch, inside track | |
| oil + shock | oil crisis | |
| order + made | made-to-order, custom-made | |
| office + lady | female office worker | |
| open + car | convertible | |
|car + sex
|public display of making love in a car by a couple of loose morals
|-
|
|guard + man
|guard, security guard
|-
|
|gasoline + stand
|gas station, petrol station
|-
|
|catch + ball
|play catch
|-
|
|cabaret + club
|gargle-factory
|-
|
|cider
|(soda) pop
|-
|
|salary + man
|white-collar worker, office worker, salaried worker
|-
|
|sand + bag
|punching bag
|-
|
|skin + ship
|physical contact
|-
|
|soap + land
|bawdyhouse
|-
|-
|
|Dutch + wife
|Sex doll loved by Dutchmen.
|-
|
|dump + car
|dump truck, dumper
|-
|
|cheer + girl
|cheerleader
|-
|
|change + lever
|gearshift, gear lever, gear stick
|-
|
|decoration + cake
|decorated cake
|-
|-
|
|delivery + health
|outcall service
|-
|
|drive + in
|roadside restaurant
|-
|
|night + -er
|night game
|-
|-
|
|new + half
|transsexual , the new-found neutral between man and woman
|-
|
|back + net
|backstop
|-
|
|back + mirror
|rearview mirror
|-
|
|pink + salon
|sex parlor
|-
|-
|
|fashion + salon
|fashionable salon. punched-up pinsaro
|-
|
|fashion + health
|fashionable health club
|-
|-
|
|Philippines + pub
|A public house with a Filipino person as a waiter.
|-
|
|free + size
|one-size-fits-all
|-
|
|free + talk
|free conversation
|-
|-
|
|bloomer + sailor suit + shop
|a shop that buys used bloomers or sailor suits from female senior high school students and sells them to men
|-
|
|play + guide
|ticket agency
|-
|
|front + glass
|windshield
|-
|
|paper + test
|written examination, written test
|-
|
|paper + driver
|driver on paper only
|-
|
|bed + town
|commuter town, bedroom suburbs
|-
|
|baby + car
|baby carriage, stroller
|-
|
|health + meter
|bathroom scale
|-
|
|Hotel + Turkish bath
|Massage brothel held in a hotel room.
|-
|-
|
|hotel+ health club
|health club held in a hotel room.
|-
|
|Mansion + Turkish bath
|Sweating-bath held in a room of a mansion.
|-
|-
|
|Love + doll
|Sex doll made of silicone
|-
|-
|
|love + hotel
|hot-pillow hotel
|-
|-
|
|Lingerie + pub
|A public house in which the waiter works in their underwear.
|-
|
|running + home run
|inside-the-park home run
|}
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