For example: バ (ba) + ス (su) = バス (basu) = bus.
Plus, there are only about 45 basic characters to learn, and the rest are made by adding diacritics to make voiced sounds.
However, using this system to 'import' foreign words and use them in daily life does have its problems. Often Japanese speakers will believe that a loan word is the same as the English word for that term, and they'll have trouble trying to communicate with English speakers. This comes from the fact that, not only do a lot of words come from other languages (like German, French and Portuguese), but many words have been abbreviated for convenience and ease of pronunciation. Some words also end up with incorrect associations.
These factors all give rise to something called wasei-gairaigo (和製外来語, Japanese-made words of foreign origin), or more specifically, wasei-eigo (和製英語, Japanese English). What we end up with are pseudo-Anglicisms: words that English-speaking people don't actually use, or don't use for the same function at all.
Here's an example involving a real case. 'Software,' a fairly new English word, has been converted into katakana and then shortened to ソフト(sofuto - 'soft'). On a young Japanese man's arrival in Australia, he tried to buy some software for his laptop with very limited English, and his repeated requests for 'soft' were met with very puzzled reactions.
Since a lot of my friends are interested in travelling or going on working holidays in English-speaking countries, I've started compiling a list of the most useful (and interesting) Japanese English. Here's part 1.
For pronunciation, click on the English word.
Note: AE = American English and BE = British English
| 日本語 | ローマ字 (romaji) | 説明 (explanation) | 英語 |
|---|---|---|---|
| マンション | manshon | mansion = 大邸宅 | condominium, apartment (AE), flat (BE) |
| サイダー | saidā | cider = シードル | soda |
| ホッチキス | hocchikisu | Hotchkiss (a gun company) | stapler |
| マジックテープ | majikkutēpu | Magic tape = a kind of sticky tape | Velcro (発音） |
| リフォーム | rifōmu | reform = 改良 | renovate (動詞), renovation (名) |
| バイキング | baikingu | Viking = ヴァイキング | smorgasbord, buffet |
| スタイル | sutairu | style does not mean body shape | figure, body |
| アンケート | ankēto | from French enquête | survey |
| カンニング | kaningu | cunning = ずるい、ずるさ | to cheat, cheating |
| クラクション | kurakushon | Klaxon = brand of alarm | horn (AE), hooter (BE) |
| メタボ | metabo | metabolic syndrome = combination of medical disorders | overweight, obese, metabolic syndrome |
| トランプ | toranpu | trump = highest value card in a game | cards, playing cards |
| ノルマ | noruma | from Russian норма | quota |
| ボンベ | bonbe | from German Bombe | gas cannister, gas cylinder |
| ボタン | botan | from Portuguese botão | button |
| ゴム | gomu | from Dutch gom | rubber |
| ホーム | hōmu | (plat)form | platform |
| コンクール | konkūru | from French concours | contest, competition |
| ペンション | penshon | pension = 年金 | resort inn, boarding house |
| ピエロ | piero | from French pierrot | clown |
| ピンセット | pinsetto | from Dutch pincet | tweezers |
| リベンジ | ribenji | revenge = 報復、復讐 | rematch |
| セレブ | serebu | celeb(rity) = 有名人 | wealthy person, socialite |
