Takashi's Japanese Dictionary

A blog for learning Japanese that introduces Japanese slang words and Idioms!

  • Home
  • Dictionary Tools ▾
    • Furigana and Definition Lookup
    • Japanese Synonym Finder
    • Katakana Word Converter
  • Blog Posts ▾
    • Latest Posts
    • Phrases by Topic
    • Slang
    • Idiom
    • Column
    • Grammar
    • 英語に関する記事 (in Japanese)
  • Lesson Slides ▾
    • For Complete Beginners
    • For Intermediate/Advanced Learners
  • Vocab List
  • What’s New
  • Social Media
  • About
You are here: Home / Japlish (Japanese-made English) / Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings

Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings

October 4, 2020

This article explains the meanings and usages of various 和製英語 (wasei-eigo), or “Japlish”, i.e., Japanese-made English. In particular, I’ve picked Japlish expressions that sound strange or do not make any sense in English!

* I’ve moved some words to a separate post: Confusing English Loan Words Used in Japanese with Different Meanings, where I introduce confusing English loan words in Japanese with different meanings (e.g. ムーディー (“moody”) means “good, romantic vibe” in Japanese). There is also a Japanese Gairaigo and Wasei-Eigo Converter/Generator, which automatically “translates” Japanese words into katakana words, and vice versa (気さくな歌手 ↔ フレンドリーなシンガー).

ペーパードライバー (“paper driver”)

Meaning: car drivers who haven’t driven for a while or never

Those inexperienced drivers are called “paper driver” because their driver’s license is useless and just a paper (or plastic card).

サラリーマン (“salary man”)

Meaning: businessman, office worker

It means “businessman” or “office worker”, and is a synonym of “会社員 (かいしゃいん)” in Japanese. Working people are usually regarded as “salary man” except for those who have their own business or freelance jobs.

私の父はサラリーマンだ
My father is a “salary man” (office worker).

ドクターストップ (“doctor stop”)

Meaning: be told to stop/quit something by one’s doctor

It describes when people (esp. athletes) are told not to do certain activities by their doctor because of their health issues. For instance, when a baseball pitcher seriously injures his/her dominant arm, he/she may have a “doctor stop” and end up quitting baseball or changing his/her position to an infielder/outfielder.

ボクシングの試合がドクターストップで終了となった
The boxing match has ended because of a “doctor stop” (meaning a doctor tells the referee that the fighter cannot safely continue the match).

アットホーム (“at home”)

Meaning: accommodating, friendly

It is often used as a catchline to describe a friendly vibe of a group or organisation. However, it’s also a notorious term as a dubious line used by ブラック企業 (“black company”), an evil company that makes workers very hard with little salary.

マイペース (“my pace”)

Meaning: to do something at one’s own pace

This word is basically used to describe people who always do their things at their own pace, or who go their own way without being influenced by others very much. It can be either positive (e.g., “laid-back”, “not easily influenced”) or negative (e.g., “insensitive”, “do not care about others”, “weird”).

彼はマイペースだ
He always does things in his own way/pace.

マイブーム (“my boom”)

Meaning: something that you are into these days

It is used to describe what you’ve been into these days. In Japanese, ブーム (“boom”) is used to describe hot trends or popular things, as in “baby boom” in English.

マイブームはブログを書くことだ:
“My boom” (What I’m into these days) is to write a blog.

ハイテンション (“high tension”)

Meaning: excited, energetic, hyper, cheerful, in a good mode

In Japanese, テンション (“tension”) means a state of excitement. Therefore, if you are “high tension”, that means you are very excited, high, hyper, and/or in a good mode. On the other hand, if your tension is low (テンションが低い), that means you are quiet, down, calm, and/or in a bad mode.

There is also a slang word called 深夜テンション (shinya tenshon, “midnight tension”), which describes the common state of mind that you have when you’re staying up late at night – see 深夜テンション (shinya tenshon): “Midnight High” in Japanese Slang

彼はいつもハイテンションだ
He’s always excited, energetic, hyper.

マザコン (mazakon, “mother complex”)

Meaning: mummy’s boy, a man (esp. an adult) who loves his mother way too much

マザコン (mazakon) is short for the Japlish phrase “mother complex”, where complex comes from the psychoanalytic term “Oedipus complex”. It is often used negatively to describe a man who loves and depends on his mother too much, like talking about his mother every single minute. Likewise, ファザコン, i.e. “father complex” describes a woman who loves her father too much; シスコン “sister complex” a man who loves his sister(s) too much; and ブラコン “brother complex” a woman who loves her brother(s) too much. The term “コンプレックス” itself is used as “a sense of inferiority” in Japanese, as in “自分(じぶん)の容姿(ようし)にコンプレックスがある” meaning “I have a complex (a sense of inferiority) about my appearance”.

付(つ)き合(あ)ってから彼氏(かれし)がマザコンだとわかった
I found out that my boyfriend was “マザコン” (a man who loves his mother way too much) after we got in a relationship,

ドンマイ (donmai, “Don’t Mind”)

Meaning: “That’s OK”, “Next time!”, “Bad luck!”

It is short for the Japlish phrase “don’t mind”, but it is actually used when you casually cheer up or sympathise with your friends who made a mistake, especially in sports. Note that since this word has a very light vibe, you shouldn’t use it when you really feel sympathetic with someone (in which case, it’s better to say “それは残念(ざんねん)だね” meaning “That’s a pity”).

A: あー宿題 (しゅくだい) を家(いえ)に忘(わす)れちゃった (Ah, I left my homework at home).

B: ドンマイ (Oh bad luck!)

ノートパソコン (nōto pasokon, “notebook personal computer”)

Meaning: “laptop”

ノートパソコン is short for “notebook personal computer”, and further abbreviated as “note PC”, which means “laptop” in English.  The term “laptop” is rarely used in Japanese.

パワハラ (pawahara, “power harassment”)

Meaning: Harassment by taking advantage of one’s authority

One common example of pawahara is bullying at work by a boss towards his/her subordinate. Similarly, there are also セクハラ (sekuhara, “sexual harassment”); アカハラ (akahara, “academic harassment”): abusing one’s authority in academia; and アルハラ (aruhara, “alcohol harassment”): harassment by forcing someone to drink.

NG (short for “No Good”)

Meaning: inappropriate, unacceptable, prohibited

In Japanese, NG is short for “No Good” and means “inappropriate”, “unacceptable” or “prohibited”. Although it is regarded as an antonym of “OK”, you cannot use it to show one’s disagreement, i.e., you cannot say “NG” to mean “I can’t”.

1. 彼女は彼とは共演 (きょうえん) NGだ

For her, it is unacceptable to co-act with him. (She never co-acts with him.)

2. デート中NGな行動 (こうどう)

Unacceptable behaviour during a date

OB, OG (short for “Old Boys/Girls”)

Meaning: Male/Female alumnus

OB/OG are short for the Japlish phrases “Old Boys/Girls” and mean “male/female ex-members of a group”. For instance, 部活 (ぶかつ) のOB/OG means “male/female ex-members of one’s club”

English Loan WordsPronounced Differently in Japanese

  • ウイルス: virus
  • ビール: beer
  • テーマ: theme (cf) テーマパーク: theme park
  • シュール: surreal
  • サドンデス: sudden-death round (in sports)
  • ドライブスルー: drive-through shops

*  In Japanese, “th” sound does not exist and therefore it is usually pronounced as “s”.  Incidentally, “スルーする” means “ignore something”, and “既読 (きどく)スルー” means “ignore a message after you’ve read it (on messaging apps like LINE and Messanger, where a sender can see whether the receiver has read the message or not)”. Sometimes, 既読スルー(kidoku surū) is abbreviated as “ks”, not “kt” (kidoku through).

English × Japanese

ステルス値上げ [Slang]

ステルス (“stealth”) + 値上げ (neage, “price increase”)

Meaning “to covertly reduce the amount of a product (esp. food) while maintaining its price”

あのスーパはステルス値上げをしていると非難(ひなん)されている
That supermarket is criticised for doing “stealth price increase”.

死亡フラグ [Slang]

死亡 (shibou, “death”) + フラグ (“flag”)

Meaning: a clichéd event or line in a story which suggests that someone is doomed to death in the near future.

See the post below for more details:

Meaning of “Death Flag” (死亡フラグ, Shibou Furagu) in Japanese

とんかつ (tonkatsu)

豚 (ton, “pork”) + “cutlet”)

Meaning: pork cutlet

 

 

 

 

結果オーライ

結果 (kekka, “result”) + “all right”

Meaning: go well in the end

迷(まよ)ったけど、いい店(みせ)を見(み)つけられて結果オーライだね
Although we got lost, it was “結果オーライ” as we could find a good shop.

電子レンジ

電子 (denshi, “electric)” + “range (in the kitchen)”

Meaning: microwave oven

ブラック企業

ブラック (“black”) +  企業 (kigyou, “company”)

Meaning: A company that makes its workers work very long (and underpays them)

ブラック企業 consists of “ブラック (black)” + “企業 (kigyou; company/corporation)” and describes an evil company where people are forced to work long hours (and usually underpaid). On the other hand, ‘ホワイト企業’ meaning ‘white company’ describes a stress-free company where people can go home at around 5 pm every day.

See more explanations at ブラック企業 (black kigyō): The Root of All “Karoshi” in Japan

See also

Confusing English Loan Words Used in Japanese with Different Meanings

Confusing English Loan Words Used in Japanese with Different Meanings

Filed Under: Japlish (Japanese-made English), Slang

Related Posts

  • 闇鍋 (yaminabe): Meaning “Dark Hot Pot” with Random Ingredients

  • Japanese Slang ブーメラン (Boomerang) Meaning “Hypocritical”

    Japanese Slang ブーメラン (Boomerang) Meaning “Hypocritical”

  • Essential Japanese Words About Alcohol/Drinking

    Essential Japanese Words About Alcohol/Drinking

  • 引く (hiku) Meaning “Be Put off” as Japanese Slang

  • 20 Japanese Twitter Slang Words in 2010s/2020s

    20 Japanese Twitter Slang Words in 2010s/2020s

Featured Posts:

  • Japanese Conversation Practice to Master 気-related Idioms
  • “Gakkī Loss”: Meaning of ロス (“Loss”) in Japanese
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very”: Synonyms of とても (totemo)
  • 40 Ways of Saying "Many" in Japanese (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, and More...)
  • 8 Funny and Cute Japanese Cat Idioms
  • Success Story of Ichiro Suzuki: What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans

Popular Posts:

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • Funny Japanese Gaming Slang Terms
  • Meaning of Kenja Time (賢者タイム, kenjataimu) in Japanese Slang
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning of ぼっち (Bocchi) and クリぼっち (Kuri Bocchi) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • あけおめ (Akeome): Casual Japanese New Year’s Greeting
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • 凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji
  • 40 Japanese Words Meaning “Many/Much” (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, …)
  • 40 Funny Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound like Oyaji (Old Men)
  • 50 Japanese Words and Idioms about Love & Relationship
  • とにかく (Tonikaku) Means More Than “Anyway”
  • List of Similar and Confusing Kanji With Different Meanings
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning ‘Go-Home Club’
  • Japanese and English Words that Rhyme in Both Languages
  • Meaning of “Paper Driver” in Japlish (Japanese English)
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • 闇鍋 (yaminabe): Meaning “Dark Hot Pot” with Random Ingredients
  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very” and Their Nuances
  • Meaning of あかん (akan), the Essential Kansai-Dialect Word
  • Meaning of 相合傘 (ai ai gasa): Lovely Dream of Japanese Kids
  • List of Japanese Abbreviated Words and Phrases
  • Meaning of “Three-Day Monk” (三日坊主, mikka bouzu) in Japanese
  • ヤンキー (yankee) Means “(Old-Fashioned) Loutish Youths” in Japanese

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ブログランキング・にほんブログ村へPVアクセスランキング にほんブログ村

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

Trending Posts

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • Meaning of ぼっち (Bocchi) and クリぼっち (Kuri Bocchi) in Japanese Slang
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 5 Meanings of 気 (ki) and 30 気-related Japanese Phrases
  • Funny Japanese Gaming Slang Terms
  • List of Similar and Confusing Kanji With Different Meanings
  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Real and Unknown Meanings of “Hentai” in Japanese
  • 40 Japanese Words Meaning “Many/Much” (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, …)
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • 50 Japanese Words and Idioms about Love & Relationship
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • 凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very” and Their Nuances
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning ‘Go-Home Club’
  • Meaning of Kenja Time (賢者タイム, kenjataimu) in Japanese Slang
  • List of Confusing “Japlish/Janglish” (Japanese English)
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • Meaning of あかん (akan), the Essential Kansai-Dialect Word
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • List of Japanese Abbreviated Words and Phrases
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • 40 Funny Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound like Oyaji (Old Men)
  • List of 50+ Japanese Words to Describe Personality
  • What’s 合コン (gōkon) and 街コン (machikon) in Japanese
  • 20 Japanese Twitter Slang Words in 2010s/2020s
  • ヤンキー (yankee) Means “(Old-Fashioned) Loutish Youths” in Japanese
  • Meaning of 相合傘 (ai ai gasa): Lovely Dream of Japanese Kids

Popular Posts

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 40 Funny Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound like Oyaji (Old Men)
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • Meaning of Kenja Time (賢者タイム, kenjataimu) in Japanese Slang
  • 30+ Essential Japanese Words to Describe Food
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • 十八番 (ohako) Meaning “The Song You Sing Best”

Words by Theme

  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 40 Funny Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound like Oyaji (Old Men)

Idiom

  • 十八番 (ohako) Meaning “The Song You Sing Best”
  • How The Japanese Word 神 (Kami, ‘God’) Is Used Metaphorically
  • Japanese Idiom “Put on a Cat”, 猫をかぶる (neko wo kaburu)

Japlish

  • 深夜テンション (shinya tension) Meaning “Midnight High” in Japanese Slang
  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • Meaning of “Paper Driver” in Japlish (Japanese English)

Slang

  • 女たらし (onna tarashi) Meaning ‘Lady’s Man’ in Japanese
  • Toka, Kana, Kamo: Japanese Vague Expressions
  • Japanese “活 Words”: 婚活 (Konkatsu), 就活/終活 (Shūkatsu)

Column

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • イチロー (Ichiro): What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans
  • Meaning of 遠慮 (enryo) and 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu)

Grammar

  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Slang Meaning of 全然 (Zenzen) Without ない (Nai)
  • Ageru, Kureru, and Morau: Meaning, Grammar and Difference

日本語記事

  • 韻を踏むお茶目な英語表現、単語、フレーズ、イディオム30+
  • 頭に情景が浮かぶ面白い英語フレーズ、イディオム30+
  • many, much, a lot ofの類語、 言い換え英語表現50+の使い分け
  • 直訳すると変な英語表現、イディオム12
  • 「開き直る」の2つの意味と英訳

Categories

Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved