55 Wasei-eigo Words: Japanese "English" That Native Speakers Won't Understand

💡 Built from English parts but not English. In English, say office worker or he works for a company. English speakers who know Japan may recognize salaryman, but only as a word about Japan.

💡 Probably the most famous false friend. In English, a mansion is a huge, rich house. A Japanese manshon is an ordinary apartment or condo in a concrete building; a smaller wooden building is an apato. Say apartment or condo.

💡 Consent in English means permission, so "Where is the consent?" will confuse people. Say outlet (American) or socket.

💡 From "notebook" plus pasokon. In English, notebook computer exists but sounds old; laptop is the everyday word.

💡 Commonly said to come from the name of an American company that made staplers. English speakers won't know it; say stapler. Some people in Japan also say sutepura.

💡 Short for shapu penshiru (sharp pencil). In English, a "sharp pencil" is just a pencil that has been sharpened. Say mechanical pencil.

💡 PET is the plastic the bottle is made of, not a pet animal. English speakers just say plastic bottle or water bottle. You will see the word on almost every recycling bin in Japan.

💡 In American English, gas station; in British English, petrol station. Nobody says gasoline stand.

💡 Americans say fries or French fries. Fried potato is understandable but is not what anyone orders. At many fast-food chains in Japan people just say poteto.

💡 A sausage on a stick in sweet batter. In the US it is a corn dog, and calling it an "American dog" would puzzle people there.

💡 In English, a one-piece usually means a swimsuit. For clothing like this, just say dress.

💡 In English, a trainer is a person who coaches, or (in Britain) a sneaker. The clothing is a sweatshirt. In Japanese, torena can also mean a coach, so context decides.

💡 In English, a parka is a heavy winter coat with a hood. The light cotton top with a hood is a hoodie or hooded sweatshirt.

💡 In English, roller coaster. It is also used as a metaphor in both languages: jetto kosuta no yo na jinsei, a roller-coaster life.

💡 In English, wake-up call. A morning call in English is just any call made in the morning.

💡 In Japanese, maika is one noun, so you can say "Tanaka-san's my car," which sounds odd in English. Say your own car or a private car.

💡 A personal craze. In English, say I'm really into... or my latest obsession. My boom sounds like a sound effect.

💡 American English says stroller; British English says pushchair or pram. A baby car sounds like a toy car.

💡 Americans say laundromat; British speakers say launderette. Coin laundry is understandable but not the usual word.

💡 In Japanese, sain covers both a celebrity's autograph and signing a form. In English, ask for an autograph from a star, and a signature on paperwork. Sign is the verb.

💡 In English, a claim is a statement that something is true, or a request for money like an insurance claim. For an angry customer, say complaint.

💡 In Japanese it is mostly a gentle word for someone delicate. In English, naive means lacking experience and too trusting, and it can sound like a mild insult. Say sensitive.

💡 In English, smart usually means intelligent. Japanese sumato often means slim or neat-looking. To describe someone's figure in English, say slim or slender.

💡 Tenshon ga takai means excited or hyper, not tense. In English, tension is stress or strain. Say excited, pumped, or in a good mood; hai tenshon is simply hyper.

💡 Usually traced to a Tokyo hotel restaurant that served Scandinavian-style buffets in the late 1950s. In English, buffet or all-you-can-eat. A Viking is only a Norse sea raider.

💡 Originally a phone company's service name that became the everyday term. In the US, toll-free number, often an 800 number.

💡 English uses after-sales service, customer support, or warranty service. After service alone sounds unfinished.

💡 A cluster of national holidays from late April to early May. English speakers won't know the name, so explain it: a string of national holidays in early May when much of Japan travels.

💡 It can be praise (relaxed, independent) or a soft complaint (slow, ignores the group). In English, he does things at his own pace or he marches to his own beat.

💡 In English, bedroom community or commuter town. Bed town would be understood with some thought, but it is not a real English term.

💡 In English, sleeveless or a tank top. No sleeve sounds like a description of something missing.

💡 In Japanese it is warm and ordinary, often about parents and children. English has no match: say physical affection or being touchy-feely.

💡 Not English at all: it comes from the German word Arbeit, meaning work. Often shortened to baito. In English, a part-time job.

💡 Often mistaken for wasei-eigo, but it comes from the Dutch ransel, a kind of backpack. English speakers will need a description: the sturdy backpack Japanese elementary school kids carry.

💡 Usually shortened to gesen. In English, arcade or video arcade.

💡 In Japanese, homu peji often means the whole website. In English, a homepage is only the front page. Say website.

💡 A handy word with no English equivalent. In English, explain it: I have a license but I never drive.

💡 In English, custom-made, made-to-order, or tailor-made for clothes. Order made is not used.

💡 In English, reform means changing a system or a person's behavior. For houses, say renovate or remodel. In Japanese, rifomu can also mean altering clothes.

💡 From the English cunning (sly), but English never uses it for tests. Say cheating.

💡 Usually explained as coming from "white shirt," though it now covers shirts of any color worn with a suit. In English, dress shirt or button-down.

💡 A Japanese blend often explained as jeans plus pants. Younger people are more likely to say denimu. In English, jeans.

💡 From seal, but in English a seal is something that closes an envelope or an official stamp. For the thing kids collect, say sticker.

💡 In English, a handle is the part of a door or cup you hold. For a car, steering wheel; for a bike, handlebars.

💡 In American English, windshield; in British English, windscreen.

💡 In English, rearview mirror. The mirrors on the side are side mirrors.

💡 Key holder exists in English but usually means a rack for keys. The decorative thing on your keys or bag is a keychain.

💡 From vinyl, but most bags are not actually vinyl. In English, plastic bag. At shops people also say fukuro or rejibukuro.

💡 In American English, a stove is for cooking. Japanese sutobu is a room heater, often kerosene. Say heater or space heater.

💡 Short for denshi renji. In American English, a range is a stove with an oven. Say microwave.

💡 In Japanese, sabisu often means "free extra." In English, service is the work staff do. For a free extra, say on the house or complimentary.

💡 Borrowed from boxing, where a ringside doctor ends a fight, and now used for any health-related order to stop. In English, doctor's orders.

💡 Made from night plus -er. In English, night game.

💡 In English, talent means ability, or performers as a group. A Japanese tarento is a person who appears on variety shows, whatever their skill. Say TV personality or celebrity.

💡 In English, a trump is the winning suit in some card games. The deck itself is playing cards, or just cards.