Wasei-eigo (和製英語, "Japanese-made English") are Japanese pseudo-Anglicisms: 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. [1] 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.[2][3]
Wasei-eigo can be compared to wasei kango (和製漢語, Japanese-created kango (Chinese compounds)), 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.
Contents |
| Wasei-eigo (Romanized notation) | Word structure (in English) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| アイスキャンディー (aisukyandyî) | ice + candy | Popsicle, ice lolly |
| アウトコース (autokôsu) | out + course | outside pitch, outside track |
| アフターサービス (afutâsâbisu) | after + service | service, service under warranty, after-sale(s) service, repair service, customer service |
| イエキャブ (ie-kyabu) | yellow + cab | A parochial point of view that female Japanese foreign students easily provide a Caucasian male with an opportunity to make love. It is named from the analogy of New York City's yellow taxis, which give everyone the chance to get in. |
| イメージグラブ (imēgi-kurabu) | Image + club | A type of brothel where the prostitutes wear costumes |
| インコース (inkôsu) | in + course | inside pitch, inside track |
| オイルショック (oirusyokku) | oil + shock | oil crisis |
| オーダーメード (ôdâmêdo) | order + made | made-to-order, custom-made |
| オーエル (ôeru, OL) | office + lady | female office worker |
| オープンカー (ôpunkâ) | open + car | convertible |
| カーセックス (kāsekkusu) | car + sex | public display of making love in a car by a couple of loose morals |
| ガードマン (gâdoman) | guard + man | guard, security guard |
| ガソリンスタンド (gasorinsutando) | gasoline + stand | gas station, petrol station |
| キャッチボール (kyachibôru) | catch + ball | play catch |
| キャバクラ (kyaba-kura) | cabaret + club | gargle-factory |
| サイダー (saidâ) | cider | (soda) pop |
| サラリーマン (sararîman) | salary + man | white-collar worker, office worker, salaried worker |
| サンドバッグ (sandobaggu) サンドバック (sandobakku) |
sand + bag | punching bag |
| スキンシップ (sukinshippu) | skin + ship | physical contact |
| ソープランド(sōpu-rando) | soap + land | bawdyhouse |
| ダッチワイフ (dachi waifu) | Dutch + wife | Sex doll loved by Dutchmen. |
| ダンプカー (danpukâ) | dump + car | dump truck, dumper |
| チアガール (chiagâru) | cheer + girl | cheerleader |
| チェンジレバー (chyenjirebâ) | change + lever | gearshift, gear lever, gear stick |
| デコレーションケーキ (dekorêshonkêki) | decoration + cake | decorated cake |
| デリヘル (deriheru) | delivery + health | outcall service |
| ドライブイン (doraibuin) | drive + in | roadside restaurant |
| ナイター (naitâ) | night + -er | night game |
| ニューハーフ (nūhāfu) | new + half | transsexual , the new-found neutral between man and woman |
| バックネット (bakkunetto) | back + net | backstop |
| バックミラー (bakkumirâ) | back + mirror | rearview mirror |
| ピンサロ (pin-saro) | pink + salon | sex parlor |
| ファッションサロン (fashon-saron) | fashion + salon | fashionable salon. punched-up pinsaro |
| ファッション・ヘルス (fashon herusu) | fashion + health | fashionable health club |
| フィリピンパブ (Phirippin-pabu) | Philippines + pub | A public house with a Filipino person as a waiter. |
| フリーサイズ (furîsaizu) | free + size | one-size-fits-all |
| フリートーク (furîtôku) | free + talk | free conversation |
| ブルセラショップ (buru-sera shoppu) | bloomer + sailor suit + shop | a shop that buys used bloomers or sailor suits from female senior high school students and sells them to men have girl's body odor fetishism. |
| プレイガイド (pureigaido) | play + guide | ticket agency |
| フロントガラス (furontogarasu) | front + glass | windshield |
| ペーパーテスト (pêpâtesuto) | paper + test | written examination, written test |
| ペーパードライバー (pêpâdoraibâ) | paper + driver | driver on paper only |
| ベッドタウン (beddotaun) ベットタウン (bettotaun) |
bed + town | commuter town, bedroom suburbs |
| ベビーカー (bebîkâ) | baby + car | baby carriage, stroller |
| ヘルスメーター (herusumêtâ) | health + meter | bathroom scale |
| ホテトル (Hotetoru) | Hotel + Turkish bath | Massage brothel held in a hotel room. |
| ホテヘル (hoteheru) | hotel+ health club | health club held in a hotel room. |
| マントル (Mantoru) | Mansion + Turkish bath | Sweating-bath held in a room of a mansion. |
| ラブドール (rabu dōru) | Love + doll | Sex doll made of silicone |
| ラブホテル (rabu hoteru) | love + hotel | hot-pillow hotel |
| ランジェリーパブ (ranjerī-pabu) | Lingerie + pub | A public house in which the waiters work in their underwear. |
| ランニングホームラン (ranninguhômuran) | running + home run | inside-the-park home run |