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Non-American-English Foreign Words used in Japan

I don't believe viking refers to a buffet in english though. I had a teacher explain the origin of the word a long time ago but I have forgotten it.
 
Elizabeth said:
Because they also stand for men's briefs? Zubon is from French, right? Although pantsu may be the more standard now. Where did the old word jiipan (jeans) come from?

From what I remember, it came from the first part of the Japanese transliteration of "jeans," "ジー." Then they just added "パン" to emphasize that they were talking about pants. Can anyone confirm this?
 
Heres my rather bad explaination that i only semi remember getting off my hostdad 2 years back: - "viking, because they eat what ever they want!"
Probably not 100% accurate ^_^

pantsu = mens underwear or womens panties. I cause some trouble when talking to girls about their clothes 😊
 
Elizabeth said:
Because they also stand for men's briefs? Zubon is from French, right? Although pantsu may be the more standard now. Where did the old word jiipan (jeans) come from?

I was shocked to hear that "zubon" come from French. When some Japanese first told me that, I denied saying there was no such word in French ("pantalon" being the word). But the dictionary said it came from "jupon", a slightly old fashion word that means briefs or short-skirt ("jupe"=skirt). But, in addition to the error in translation, the pronunciation of "jupon" and "zubon" are so different that I couldn't see the connection first.

PaulTB said:
Only in America. Japan uses the britgo definition of pants - hence the "and cause a bit of a stir" bit.

No. Japanese also use "pantsu" for "trousers". And not just in "jiipan" or "sho-topantsu".
 
Maciamo said:
No. Japanese also use "pantsu" for "trousers". And not just in "jiipan" or "sho-topantsu".
Sources appear mixed on this subject; some suggestion that such meaning applies generally to women's trousers or when given with トレーニング, 海水 etc.
 
Glenn said:
From what I remember, it came from the first part of the Japanese transliteration of "jeans," "ジー." Then they just added "パン" to emphasize that they were talking about pants. Can anyone confirm this?
I also remember "Jeans-Pants" explanation, but today we're given a more reliable explanation-- "G.I.'s Pants".
 
rquethe said:
I don't believe viking refers to a buffet in english though. I had a teacher explain the origin of the word a long time ago but I have forgotten it.

The proper word that should have been used is "smorgasbord", which is Swedish in origin.

Since most Japanese would probably muck up the pronunciation--like they do with "major" which they say like "measure"--they arbitrarily must have picked "Viking" to imply a Nordic-style meal.
 
Glenn said:
From what I remember, it came from the first part of the Japanese transliteration of "jeans," "ジー." Then they just added "パン" to emphasize that they were talking about pants. Can anyone confirm this?

Correct regarding jeans.

It would be funny if they started saying "anpan" as a combination of andaa pantsu (underpants)

:D
 
kara said:
I also remember "Jeans-Pants" explanation, but today we're given a more reliable explanation-- "G.I.'s Pants".

But since when do Army soldiers wear Levi's as part of their uniform?
 
furangure / Franglais (French) for English words in French

lol I didn't even know Franglais was a real word!
 
First contact the japanese would have had with jeans would have been 100's of american soldiers wearing jeans, or so i think
 
hambaguu vs. hambagaa

These are technically two different words in Japanese. Hambaguu is gairaigo from German, and refers to serving a hamburger on a plate, which is the European style. Hambagaa refers to the American style of serving a hamburger on a bun.

biiru vs. biyaa (beer)

Similar to above. Biiru is from the German. The word biyaa only appears in one situation, in the phrase "biyaa gaaden". That phrase comes from English, but it does not seem to come from American English. Are "beer gardens" common in Britain?
 
I believe that the word
biiru comes from the dutch word 'bier'

Dutch is my native language, so i know that 'bier' means beer. But someone once told me that it came from dutch

right ?
 
kisaragi said:
I believe that the word
biiru comes from the dutch word 'bier'

Dutch is my native language, so i know that 'bier' means beer. But someone once told me that it came from dutch

right ?
Isn't kan カン also Dutch in origin?
 
As well as randoseru and kaban ? The Dutch obviously had a presence in Japan long before the English speaking world so words going back to the 17th or 18th Centuries, like beer, most likely would be directly from Portugal or Holland.
 
Buntaro said:
biiru vs. biyaa (beer)

Similar to above. Biiru is from the German. The word biyaa only appears in one situation, in the phrase "biyaa gaaden". That phrase comes from English, but it does not seem to come from American English. Are "beer gardens" common in Britian?

I think you inverted the 2 words. "biiru" is from German or Dutch (because "r" are stronger in German/Dutch) and biyaa from English (final "r" is silent in standard British English).

Japanese "Bier Garten" are most probably from German. The word "beer garden" is also used in English, but the Japanese ones serve German food and beer, so they definitely mistook if they spell it "biyaa gaaden". They were probably drunk when they wrote it.
 
The Japanese sometimes say "saraba" to mean farewell. This word comes from the same Brazilian Portuguese word which means "Hail!" to Gods used when parting.
 
Golgo_13 said:
The proper word that should have been used is "smorgasbord", which is Swedish in origin.

Since most Japanese would probably muck up the pronunciation--like they do with "major" which they say like "measure"--they arbitrarily must have picked "Viking" to imply a Nordic-style meal.
Tetsuzo Inumaru, who was the general manager of Imperial Hotel back in 1957, was impressed with smorgasbord in Copenhagen. He told the chef Nobuo Murakami (who was training at Ritz in Paris then) to do research, and the first buffet restaurant in Japan called Viking opened when Murakami returned to Japan in 1958.
 
More French derived words... some having slightly changed from their original meaning

グラタン gratin
ショコラ chocolat (trendy these days, for some reason)
アンコール from French "encore" meaning "again" (another call at a concert etc)
アンケート enquete (survey)
プチ petit (small)
カフェ cafe
ルー roux
ピーマン piment (green/red pepper)
バカンス vacances (holiday)
ジャンル genre
デッサン dessin meaning "drawing, drwan picture, sketch" (just "rough sketch" in Japanese)
コンクール contest, competition (more restrictive in jp)

Mostly food-related vocabulary eh :p

Two words actually "mistranscribed" in Japanese:
ミルフィーユ millefeuilles, should be ミルフーユ
シュークリーム chou a la creme, should be シューアラクレーム
 
"Sono シュークリーム dou shitano?"
"Hirota!"

was a joke i used to telll as a kid.
Hint: Hirota was a famous maker of シュークリーム
 
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