Well have I got the item for you! Check out this… novel …100 yen Japanese party game. I haven’t tried it myself, but apparently it’s a very funny “tag” of war.

In the first chapter of Katakana mysteries, I covered a few words whose Japanese meaning has by one path or another become quite different from their English ancestors. This time, I’ve rounded up 7 more words/phrases that are interesting for the opposite reason: their accuracy. You probably wouldn’t have expected these underdogs of English to even become loanwords at all, much less to have survived the Japanese translation gauntlet intact.

1. サウスポー　(sausupo- = southpaw)

You’re probably wondering why I put a shot of Rocky Balboa in the post pic, aren’t you? Well it’s because of this word. Yeah I know the term southpaw came from baseball…

Anyway, just like in English (and perhaps even moreso), this term can describe a person who is left-handed, even outside of a sports context.

2.グッジョブ (gujjobu = good job)

Commonly used in Japanese just the way it is in English, to complement someone on a job well done. The romanization looks strange but this loan word (loan phrase?) actually comes out sounding quite similar to how it would in English. Well, except for the “u” sound at the end, which Japanese can never seem to let go ofu.

3. チーズ (chi-zu = say cheese!)

Have you ever taken a picture together with a Japanese person? They almost invariably use the cue message “hai, chi-zu!” when taking a picture, borrowing the word “cheese” from the original English expression. And yes, this word is used when talking about the edible kind of cheese too in Japanese.

4. カミングアウト (kamingu auto = coming out)

Yes, this word is what you think it is. Coming out, as in… coming out of the closet. And yes it is associated with homosexuality. I’ve never heard it used shortend to just アウト (auto = out) like it says is possible in my dictionary, but Japanese learners should probably be careful.

5. オーライ (o-rai = all right)

Just as in English, you can use this expression to express approval or consent, or to cheer or encourage someone. Again, the pronunciation comes out much better than the romanization of the word leads you to believe. Go watch some Japanese high school students practicing soccer and I guarantee you’ll start to pick up on this phrase really quick.

6. ドンマイ (donmai = don’t mind)

Okay, so maybe this one is a little different than how we’d express ourselves in English. Like o-rai, this phrase is also used commonly in sports. When a teammate makes a mistake, you can say donmai to mean “don’t worry about it” and encourage him/her to keep going.

7. ファイナルアンサー (fainaru ansa- = final answer)

Thanks to the Japanese importation of the Who wants to be a millionaire? quiz show with zero changes to the format, nearly everyone in Japan has become familiar with the phrase “final answer” in the same way that we know it overseas. Sure it’s not the most useful phrase to know, but it’s fun to throw around at parties and other get-togethers.

Japanese "Quiz Millionaire" TV Show

Not only are 100 yen shops a kind of messiah for tight-budgeted students, travelers and residents, they are an honest to goodness goldmine for top-quality Japanglish. I imagine some of the products they carry ended up there specifically because the maker realized their translation was rubbish.

Recently I made a trip to the Skyle building Daiso in Sakae, Nagoya… here’s what I came away with.

Do not play it rudely

Oh, that’s a very nice looking bowl. A little expensive for a 100 yen store item but very nice cracked glaze-work… Let’s look at the usage notice on the back.

Okay, I’ll be sure not to play it rudely. But why can’t I use this near the TV? (o_O)

On a side note, I have no clue how they got that first particular English sentence from the original Japanese, which basically says “please do not bump, throw or handle this object roughly.”

Oh look, there are some nice tea pots over there!

Made of Poland

…hm?!

Oh no! My homeland (I’ve got Polish blood) is being turned into value tea pots!!!

I can’t bear to look…. speaking of bears, what’s that I see on those plates over there?

British Bistro Bear

Bistro bear! That dawg. He’s such a lady-killer. I’m actually the proud owner of a bistro bear coffee mug at home, with the same Japanglish on it of course.

And he’s British, even.

Let’s see… what else is there to look at in this 100 yen store…

Round tray of non-slip processing

Non-slip trays! Just what my shaky hands need. Oh and look, they even illustrated and translated the non-slippage concept for us. Let’s take a look.

Bag of holding and cloak of invisibility jokes aside though, I’d really better get myself one of these before it becomes such a situation.

On the plus side, this particular English should get points for at least getting its meaning across.

Okay, that’s enough in the kitchen and tableware section for now. Time to move on to something else.

With ass

A lot of the big department stores in Japan are starting to charge 5 yen each for plastic bags now… maybe I should get one of these vinyl shopping bags. Hmmm, what does that blue one say?

“With ass”… You almost have to be trying to write Japanglish this good. A classic piece, this one. Truly classic. I would have bought it too if the bag itself were of at least reasonably good quality (it wasn’t).

Here are some shirts…

Possibility of synaeresis

Since we are at a 100 yen shop after all, we’d better check the usage guidelines first.

Sin… Syne…. Synaeri…. Syn-ae-re-sis. Synaeresis.

Forget that this word has absolutely no relevance to clothing at all… How in Buddah’s name did they get that word spelled right but then come up with “fluor“?

And what exactly am I supposed to understand from the sentence “separately wash with other clothing.”??

To their credit though, the word “insolate” is actually correct.

For now, here are a couple random shots from my travels so far…

Music from back in the good orld days.

Look out for the cutely drawn raccoons.

The construction zone frog!

15,750 Japanese Yen = (Apx.) 178 USD = 111 GBP = 200 AUD = 121 Euros = way too freaking much. But damn do those look like some fine grapes…

Japanese sometimes translate things too well for their own good. How many westerners are actually familiar with the word alight, I wonder?

Okay, that’s all for this short post. I’m looking forward to getting back to updating nihonshock more regularly, but that won’t be until next week.

From a native English-speaker’s perspective, the majority of these katakana-rendered importations of foreign words (mostly English words) are sufficiently accurate and helpful for daily life in Japan… well, if you can remember where to put the “ー”

However, the sheer mind-boggling number of these words has inevitably ensured that some glitches and defects made it past quality control. Some words don’t work the way they should. Some don’t work at all. Some have unintended side effects.

Katakana mysteries will be a several part series (I don’t know how many parts yet… at least 3) on Nihonshock focusing on some curious loan words that you’ll encounter in Japan. While certainly this will be useful information for Japanese learners, hopefully you won’t have to know any Japanese to enjoy the read.

And so, without further ado…

Loan words Japan got wrong

or…  “Can we have them back now, please?”

1. バイキング (baikingu = viking)

The villain responsible for this well known misimportation is the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. In 1958, the manager of the hotel, Tetsuzo Inumaru, decided to open a self-serve, all-you-can-eat style restaurant modeled on a Swiss Swedish Smorgasbord.

However, there was a problem: the Swiss Swedish word “smorgasbord”(スモーガスボード) was deemed too long and difficult to pronounce. So the employees of the hotel were polled for name suggestions.

Meanwhile, the Hibiya theater next to the hotel was showing the movie “The Vikings”, so one employee suggested to use “viking” as a name for the restaurant style, based on a scene in the movie which depicted a grand feast, and the fact that a “viking” was easily associated with Europe.

The Imperial Hotel took the suggestion, the restaurant turned out to be a huge success and the name stuck.

Notes:

• ビュッフェ (byuffe) is the katakana representation of the French word buffet, but this word is infrequently used. When it is used, it typically refers to on-train cafeterias.
• 食べ放題  (tabehoudai) means all-you-can-eat, but usage of this word is typically limited to sushi, yakiniku, crab, and shabushabu quisine.
• A “Viking” is always self-serve, but “tabehoudai” may or may not be (most often it isn’t).
• Only in Okinawa, where there is a large US military presence, has the word バフェ (bafe: buffet) taken hold.

Source:  Japanese Wikipedia (食べ放題)

2. マンション (manshon = mansion)

Bill Gates or Warren Buffet might be very surprised if they were to buy a Japanese manshon, only to find upon their arrival something a bit less grand than they envisioned, and that they would be sharing it with quite a few other people.

Oh well, at least they can take refuge on their luxurious new Japanese yacht… oh, wait a minute…

A Japanese yacht (ヨット: yotto)

On a side note, a “pension” ペンション (penshon) is a guest house.

3. キャッチコピー (kyacchi kopi- = catch copy)

I guess they were trying to say “catch phrase”, although I really don’t know how the word “copy” made it’s way into this loanword. A “Catch copy” is a phrase that accompanies a brand or product to increase its memorability and appeal. In English, we could also say buzzword or slogan.

The best "catch copy" ... Ever.

4. ナイーブ (nai-bu = naive)

Native speakers of English certainly wouldn’t like waking up and being told that they have a naive personality, but in Japan it’s not such a bad thing. That’s because in Japan, a person with a naive personality is sensitive, delicate, gentle, simple, and honest, just like the girl on the cover of this comic.

Naive, a manga for girls (uses an alternate katakana rendering)

I bet she uses gentle “naive” body soap for her sensitive skin, because she’s so gentle and sensitive, you see.

Naive: a brand of Japanese hygeine products

5. スマート (suma-to = smart)

Since “smart” is a relatively simple English word and most Japanese have studied English through 6 years of middle and high school, there is a certain level of understanding that this word means “intelligent”. However, this word in Japanese has somehow come to also mean “slim” and “elegant”.

There’s even a fashion magazine called “smart”.

smart: a Japanese fashion magazine

6. スナック (sunakku = snack)

The lack of windows, saucy katakana shop names and smell of sake should clue you in that this isn’t your regular bag of potato chips. The Japanese idea of a “snack” is a social bar, with a somewhat classy atmosphere, basically a place where office workers (guys) go at night to relax, buy expensive drinks and chitchat with some perky young ladies. Foreigners, you are warned.

In Japanese, these kind of words are known as 和製英語 (waseieigo) or, “Japanese-made English”. If you can read Japanese, here are three great links for you to check out.

• 和製英語 index by JES Corporation
• 和製英語 on Japanese Wikipedia
• A good collection of 和製英語 with easy explanations

As I said at the start, katakana mysteries will be a series, so check back for more. The next entry will likely focus on loan words with tricky pronunciations.

I imagine this little sign with its big scary words could give some foreigners a good shock. Moreover, Noro Virus (which I hadn’t even heard of before seeing this sign) is apparently spread by contaminated water or physical contact with an infected person… so is gargling really a good preventative measure?? Not sure about gargling, but according to Wikipedia washing your hands is a good idea, at least.

A better translation…

This hotel is currently experiencing an outbreak of stomach flu, caused by noro virus and spread through contact with infected persons. We are exercising extreme caution with our sanitation procedures, but would like to ask all guests to gargle and wash their hands upon entering the room.

More about Noro Virus on Wikipedia