和製英語 — English Made in Japan

 

Japanese is full of words that look and sound English but were actually created in Japan. These expressions are called Wasei Eigo (和製英語), literally “Japanese-made English.”

 

Here are some examples:

 

サラリーマン — Salaryman
オフィスレディー — Office Lady
コンセント — Consent, but actually means an electrical outlet
ノートパソコン — Note + Personal Computer, meaning a laptop
ガソリンスタンド — Gasoline Stand, meaning a gas station
モーニングサービス — Morning Service, usually a breakfast special
ペーパードライバー — Paper Driver, someone licensed but rarely driving
ベビーカー — Baby Car, meaning a stroller
スキンシップ — Skinship, meaning physical closeness or bonding
コスプレ — Costume + Play

 

Cosplay is especially interesting. The English words “costume” and “play” were combined and shortened in Japan into “cosplay.” The Japanese-made word then traveled back into English and became internationally understood.

 

Japan has a long history of borrowing ideas from abroad, adapting them, and making them its own.

 

Wasei Eigo shows that language does not simply travel.

 

Sometimes it leaves home, changes abroad, and comes back as something completely new.