So what exactly is 和製英語 (wasei-eigo)？ Good question!
Wasei-eigo literally means Japanese-made English. No, not the grammatically incorrect English you see on sites such as Engrish.com, but pseudo-English expressions that are rendered in katakana that have become part of the Japanese language.
Some of these wasei-eigo expressions more or less get their meaning across to English speakers, even if they are not phrases used in English:
イメージチェンジ (ime-ji chenji = “image change”), for example, refers to getting a makeover or changing ones image. Not that much of a stretch.
Others, however, are much less obvious and can cause confusion for English speakers:
A コンセント (consento = “consent”), for example, refers to… a wall outlet! Who would’ve guessed?
Here are the 和製英語 phrases we introduced on Twitter:
| ① ツーショット (tsuu-shotto = two shot): This refers to a picture/photo where there are only two people. If you have 3 people it becomes スリーショット (surii-shotto)
② フリーダイヤル (furii-daiyaru = free dial): The wasei-eigo word for “toll free”. Hmm, makes sense! Most Japanese フリーダイヤル numbers start with 0120③ スマート (sumaato = smart); If someone tells you you’re スマート, they’re not saying you’re intelligent… they’re saying you’re slim! I wonder how this came to be… ④ モーニングコール (mo-ningu ko-ru = morning call): What we would call a wake-up call at a hotel. ⑤ モーニングサービス (mo-ningu sa-bisu = morning service): No, this is not related to church in any way. モーニングサービス refers to a breakfast special at a cafe/restaurant/hotel! ⑥ CM (シーエム = shii-emu = CM): The word CM is used in Japanese to refer to commercials! Looks like they made their own abbreviation out of the English word. ⑦ ペアルック (pea-rukku = pair look): This refers to matching outfits usually worn by a couple. Ever seen any couples with a ペアルック? ⑧ ペーパードライバー (pe-pa- doraiba- = paper driver): This is someone who has a driver’s license but rarely drives (a driver “only on paper”). ⑨ リサイクルショップ (risaikuru shoppu = recycle shop): This refers to a secondhand shop that sells all sorts of used goods at cheap prices. ⑩ キャッチコピー (kyacchi kopi- = catch copy) This refers to a tagline used in marketing materials and advertising .Z ⑪ フライドポテト (furaido poteto = fried potato): This refers to French fries! You’ll sometimes hear them called just ポテト. ⑫ バージョンアップ (ba-jon appu = version up) This refers to an upgrade (software, hardware, etc!) ⑬ ジェットコースター (jetto ko-suta- = jet coaster) This is the phrase for roller coaster! 楽しい～！How fun! ⑭ カンニング (kan’ningu = cunning) Nope, this doesn’t refer to being sly, but instead it refers to cheating (like on an exam)! |
