How to Use
This tool automatically converts Japanese words into gairaigo (外来語, “loanwords”) written in katakana, and vice versa (e.g. 気さくな歌手 ↔ フレンドリーなシンガー). For instance, try converting the following sentences with the “Nihongo to Gairaigo” and “Gairaigo to Nihongo” options, respectively:
- あの歌手は気さくで良い人だね。
- クリスマスイブにコートを着たサラリーマンがチキンとグリーンティーフレーバーのスイーツを買っていた。
* This is rather a joke tool, but could be practical if you want to know what sort of loanwords are used in Japanese (in which case, you may also have a look at my blog posts on confusing loanwords and wasei-eigo).
(Technical Details)
The conversion is based on an external large-scale dictionary (JMDict), assuring that most of the generated katakana words are actually used in Japanese (with varying degrees of frequency). Note that, once in a while, Japanese-origin words written in katakana (e.g. onomatopoeias like ネチャネチャ, “sticky”) are misrecognised as gairaigo. There may be also other types of errors, as everything is done automatically; if you find an inappropriate conversation (e.g. offensive words), or if you have any idea/suggestion to improve this tool, please kindly let me know via social media or contact form.
About Options
- Tick “Nihongo to Gairaigo” to convert nihongo words to katakana words, and “Gairaigo to Nihongo” for the opposite direction.
- Tick “High Recall and Low Precision” to convert more words with lower accuracy, and “Low Recall and High Precision” to convert fewer words with higher accuracy.
- Tick “Show Original Words” to show the original words next to the converted words.
Acknowledgement
This tool is largely based on Sudachi and JMDict
