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by CAMERONPEEK

6 Japanese Words Everyone Thinks They

Understand (But Dont)
Have you ever tried to pass off an English word as Japanese?

Its okay, be honest!

Every beginning Japanese learner has tried this trick.

Imagine my relief when I anxiously guessed kiru biru ( ) and

discovered it actually is the Japanese title of Kill Bill.

This works beyond Japanese movie titles.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable

PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Japanese Loan Words and Wasei Eigo
Japanese is awash with (gairaigo), loan words borrowed from foreign
languages.
In fact, when stuck grasping for a word in Japanese that you cant remember
or havent learned yet, youd be surprised how often you can get away with
simply pronouncing the word youre looking for inkatakana.
However, sometimes gairaigo can be mistaken for (wasei-
eigo), or Japanese-made English. These words were hijacked by
Japanese and driven to take on new meanings differing from their original
definitions. In this post well introduce few such words along with
explanations of their origins and their meanings in Japanese. Its best to be
aware of them they can really trip you up if you try to interpret them
directly back into English.
Keep them in mind for smoother communication at your next language
exchange! Theyll stick in your brain easily and will help you sound even
more like a native Japanese speaker. Especially when mixed with yourcolorful
onomatopoeia, baseball slang, precise izuchi and perfect chopstick etiquette.
6 Japanese Words Everyone Thinks They Understand (But Dont)
1. (tenshon)
At first glance, this looks like it may mean tension or tense, as in the
tension in the (shokuinshitsu, teachers staff room) was palpable after
Takashi admitted he was the one who had peed in the coffee machine.
However, in Japanese takes on quite the opposite meaning,
typically seen in the phrase (tenshon ga takai!). This
means that he/she is really excited or in high spirits. This phrase is
synonymous with (moriagatteiru) to be pumped/charged
up.
There are a few theories behind how it came to take on this positive nuance,
the most plausible of which comes from the music world. In constructing
musical chords, jazz musicians will frequently employ tension notes to add
character and depth to a certain chord. Japanese musicians would speak to
each other saying (tenshon oh ageyou!) or lets add
more tension (notes). Fans would interpret this to mean
(moriageyou) or lets really get things pumping!
Example:
(nyuugakushiken)(goukaku)

Takashi is really excited! I wonder if he passed his college entrance exams.

2. (snakku)
A in Japanese is not a delicious treat one may eat in the afternoon to
tide over their hunger until dinner. That type of snack would be
(keishoku). No, a in Japanese is a shortening of the word
(snakkubaa), which is a type of hostess bar which serves alcohol and
small appetizers and employs younger girls to talk to and flirt with their all-
male customer base. Typically these establishments charge a rather high
hourly fee for the service of just chatting with the younger girls,
but snakku bars usually dont offer extra-curricular (sexual) services. These
services are more common at places called (kyabakura).
Example:

After a drinking party

A: (nomitarinai)
B:
A: I feel like drinking some more. Want to go to a kyabakura?
B: Nah, Id like to drop by the snakku I usually go to. Want to come with?
3. (kanningu)

Think back to high school. Were you ever guilty of taking a peek over at your
neighbors answer sheet? If so,

comes from the English word cunning, and it isnt too far off from
its English origin. However, keep in mind that its a noun andonly means
cheating. It cannot be used as an adjective. To say cunning as an
adjective, you can use the popular word (zurui) or the less often heard
but still valid word (koukatsu).

is said to have entered Japanese during the early Meiji Era among
students who were looking to pull fast ones on their professors. Rather than
outright discuss cheating, they would refer to cheating as as a
secret word, to mask what they were actually discussing.

Example:
A: (suugaku)(shiken)

B: (tennsai)(kaitouyoushi)(nozokimi)

A: Nobu passed the Math exam?! How in the world did that idiot do it?!
B: I heard he cheated, peeking at that genius Michikos answer sheet.
4. (amerikan jooku)

Who cant go for a good old American joke every once in a while? The
Japanese, thats who. This is because in Japanese, an is
not a joke made by and American or a joke about Americans, rather, its a
joke that just plain old sucks (to the Japanese at least).

Humor is probably the most difficult aspect of a language to translate into

another language. The origins of can be found in the fact
that a specific subset of jokes told in America (and other countries too, to be
fair) require the listener to connect the dots and figure out for themselves
why something is funny. Listeners have to intuit their way through how
seemingly unrelated pieces of information can be put together in a funny
way. Unfortunately, the Japanese just dont tell jokes this way, and thus,
when translating this type of humor into Japanese, the punch line is often
lost on listeners. Take this exchange between A and B as A tells a joke to B
(keep in mind, this is NOT a Japanese joke. Dont try to use it yourself unless
you are ready to face a room full of cold stares).

Example:
A: (tou)A
(nakigoe)
(saisho)(yotteru)
B: ((shinnken)

A: Two whales are drinking in a bar. One whale says to the other (speaker A
imitates a whale song for 2 minutes). Then, the other whale looks at the first
and answers Dude, I think youre drunk.
B: (not-laughing and with a serious expression). I dont get it. Thats such an
American joke.

*Note: are not strictly limited to being told by

Americans. There are plenty of British, Australian and people of all
nationalities who, to their chagrin, have been lumped in with their American
counterparts as purveyors of s.
5. (maipeesu)
most likely entered Japanese through the world of marathon
running. A runner might say, (watashi
wa itsumo maipeesu de hashitte imasu) meaning I always run at my (own)
pace. Runners who run at try not to get drawn by other runners
into running too hard and too fast, tiring themselves out before the end of
the race. However, this original meaning of was later generalized
to mean someone who lives life at their own pace. Someone who is
generally wont be rushed to do things, or has a tendency to do
things their own way.
Example:
A: (makaseyou)

B:

A: I was thinking of leaving this work to Nami, what do you think?

B: Nah, Nami has her own way of doing things, and this needs to be done
according to standard.

6. (mai)
is a particularly odd duck of a word. Possibly having originated as an
expansion from the previous example , is used as a prefix to
describe something as ones own, can be attached to almost anything that
one owns. Thus respectively mean my car,
my house, and my dog. A popular usage of this is (maihashi), or
my chopsticks, specifically used for chopsticks that one carries around with
them so they dont have to waste lots of (waribashi) or wooden,
disposable chopsticks.

However, the use of is often a source of confusion for Japanese learners,

as it does not specifically mean my, but rather means ones own. Take a
look at the following example:

Example:

A:
B:

A: Do you have your own pen?

B: Ahh, it looks like I forgot it. Could I borrow yours?
 When speaker A asks speaker B if he has , he is notasking if
speaker B has speaker As pen (as one might assume by the prefix ), but
rather, is asking if speaker B has his own pen. Thus, to clarify, speaker B may
want to ask speaker A if A has , or, in English, if A has
a pen that belongs to A.

Another great example comes from the sports world. Playing basketball or
soccer, when the ball goes out of bounds players will often frenzy, screaming
its our ball! to claim who should get possession. Possession of the ball in
this instance in Japanese is called .

Example:

(a basketball is knocked out of bounds during a game between two people)

A:
B: (sawatta)
A:
(yurusu)

A: Alright, its my ball.

B: No way! You touched it last! Its my ball!
A: Okay, okay. I dont think I touched it, but Ill let you take it this time. But
next time itll be my ball.

Using and interpreting correctly may be confusing at first, but just

remember that when people say they could be referring to something
that is theirs, or asking you about something that is yours.

Next time youre watching a Japanese movie or exploring FluentUs Japanese

language video collection, pay close attention and see if you can pick out
some of these Japanese words derived from English. You might be surprised
just how much difference a few simple words can make for your Japanese
comprehension skills!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable
PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1:36

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