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In Japan, these words are called wasei eigo. Wasei means `made in Japan', and eigo means English. So wasei eigo (和製英語) means `English made in Japan'. One well-known example of this is `walkman' for portable tape player.
Note also that a lot of Japanese gairaigo words actually come from languages other than English. See 4. Words from other languages. The Japanese have also given new meanings to existing English words. See 5.6. What "false friends" are there between Japanese and English?
Here is a partial list of wasei eigo
| "English" | Romanized Japanese | Katakana | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| all back | ooru bakku | オール バック | swept back hair | |
| American coffee | amerikan koohii | アメリカン コーヒー | weak coffee | Note that "koohii" is from Dutch (see 4.4. Which Japanese words originate from Dutch?). |
| American dog | amerikan doggu | アメリカン ドッグ | corn dog (frankfurter on a stick dipped in batter and deep-fried) | |
| baby car | bebii kaa | ベビー カー | pram/stroller | |
| bed town |
betto taun beddo taun |
ベット タウン ベッド タウン |
commuter town | |
| bottle keep | botoru kiipu | ボトル キープ | The practice of buying a bottle of spirits at a bar which is then kept there for the customer | |
| cell motor | seru mootaa | セル モーター | starter motor | |
| consent | konsento | コンセント | electric socket | From concentric plug (an old-fashioned form of electrical plug). |
| cooler | kuuraa | クーラー | air conditioner | |
| cuffs button | kafusu botan | カフス ボタン | cuff link | |
| deep kiss | diipu kisu | ディープ キス | tongue kiss | |
| doctor stop | dokutaa sutoppu | ドクター ストップ | doctor's instructions to slow down | |
| freeter | furiitaa | フリーター | Permanent casual worker | May be formed from English "free" and German "arbeiter". |
| front glass | furonto garasu | フロント ガラス | windscreen/windshield | |
| g-pan | jii pan | ジー パン | jeans | |
| game centre | geemu sentaa | ゲーム センター | video game arcade | |
| golden hour | goruden awaa | ゴルデン アワー | `prime time' television | |
| golden week | goruden uiiku | ゴルデン ウイーク | First week of May, which contains several national holidays | |
| guardman | gaado man | ガード マン | Security guard | |
| health meter | herusu meetaa | ヘルス メーター | bathroom scales | |
| hello work | haroo waaku | ハロー ワーク | job centre | |
| high miss | hai misu | ハイ ミス | spinster | |
| jet coaster | jetto koosutaa | ジェット コースター | roller-coaster | |
| live house | raibu hausu | ライブ ハウス | bar with live music | |
| love hotel | rabu hoteru | ラブ ホテル | hourly-rate hotel | Used by couples for short stays. |
| minus driver | mainasu doraibaa | マイナス ドライバー | usual (not phillips) screwdriver | |
| miss contest | misu kontesuto | ミス コンテスト | beauty contest | |
| morning service | mooninngu saabisu | モーニング サービス | cheaper than usual breakfast combination | |
| my pace | mai peesu | マイ ペース | doing things at one's own pace | |
| my car | mai kaa | マイ カー | owning one's own car | |
| my home | mai hoomu | マイ ホーム | owning one's own home | |
| nighter | naitaa | ナイター | nighttime baseball game | |
| one piece | wan piisu | ワン ピース | dress | |
| one-pattern | wan pataan | ワン パターン | repetitive | |
| only one |
ōnrii wan onrii wan |
オーンリー ワン オンリー ワン |
unique | "Unique" has already been co-opted by the Japanese for the meaning of "unusual" or "original". Hence perhaps the invention of "only one". |
| pair look | pea rukku | ペア ルック | a couple wearing similar clothes | |
| paper driver | peepaa doraiba | ペーパー ドライバ | person with a driving licence who rarely drives | |
| pipe cut | paipu katto | パイプ カット | vasectomy | |
| play guide | puree gaido | プレー ガイド | ticket sales office | |
| plus driver | purasu doraibaa | プラス ドライバー | phillips screwdriver | |
| push phone |
pusshu hon pusshu fon |
プッシュ ホン プッシュ フォン |
touch-tone phone | |
| salaryman | sarariman | サラリマン | male office worker | |
| sharp pencil | shaapu penshiru | シャープ ペンシル | mechanical pencil | Originates from the company "Sharp". |
| side brake | saido bureeki | サイド ブレーキ | handbrake | |
| silver seat | shirubaa shiito | シルバー シート | seat on buses and trains reserved for elderly passengers | |
| skinship | sukinshippu | スキンシップ | close relationship | |
| soap land | soopu rando | ソープ ランド | brothel | |
| soft cream | sofuto kuriimu | ソフト クリーム | soft ice cream | Ice cream from a nozzle, rather than scooped. |
| speed down | supiido daun | スピード ダウン | slow down | False formation by analogy from "speed up". |
| stop the | sutoppu za | ストップ ザ | stop | Often used in slogans where "stop" would be normal in English. |
| symbol mark | sinboru maaku | シンボル マーク | logo | |
| t-back | T bakku | t バック | thong | |
| table centre | teeburu sentaa | テーブル センター | centrepiece of a table | |
| table speech | teeburu supiichi | テーブル スピーチ | speeches at parties | |
| three-size | surii saizu | スリー サイズ | Female body measurements (bust, waist, hip) | |
| title back | taitoru bakku | タイトル バック | film credits | Seems to be an abbreviation of "title background". |
| two piece | tsuupiisu | ツーピース | woman's suit | |
| up | appu | アップ | improvement | Used in various unlikely combinations such as "healthy up" or "slim up" to mean any kind of improvement. |
| video deck | bideo dekki | ビデオ デッキ | video recorder | |
| viking | baikingu | バイキング | buffet | Often used to mean an "all you can eat" buffet. |
| virgin road | baajin roodo | バージン ロード | wedding aisle | |
| white shirt | waishatsu | ワイシャツ | dress shirt | |
| wide show | waidoshō | ワイドショー | `variety' television show |
Thanks to Keiichiro Sugimoto for permission to use the information from his list in the above.
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