Japanese abbreviated and contracted words
Encyclopedia
Abbreviated and contracted words are a common feature of Japanese
. Long words are often contracted into shorter forms, which then become the predominant forms. For example, the University of Tokyo
, in Japanese Tōkyō Daigaku becomes , Tōdai, and "remote control", rimōto kontorōrā (remote controller), becomes rimokon. Names are also contracted in this way. For example Takuya Kimura, in Japanese Kimura Takuya, an entertainer, is referred to as Kimutaku.
The names of some very familiar companies are also contractions. For example, Toshiba
is a contraction of "Tokyo Shibaura", and Nissan is a contraction of "Nippon Sangyo".
The contractions may be commonly used, or they may be specific to a particular group of people. For example the "Kokuritsu Kankyō Kenkyūjo" is known as Kanken by its employees, but this terminology is not familiar to most Japanese.
There are also instances in which alternative readings of a particular kanji are used in the contraction. For example, Nagoya's main subway station, Nagoya Station, is referred to by locals as "Mei-eki" (名駅), a contraction of "Nagoya-Eki" (名古屋駅), in which the alternative reading of 'Na' (名), the first character in "Nagoya", is used.
In loanwords and names, the most common pattern is to take the first two mora
e (or kana
) of each of the two words, and combine them forming a new, single word. For example "family restaurant" or famirī resutoran becomes famiresu.
Yōon
sounds, sounds represented using a kana ending in i and a small ya, yu or yo kana, such as kyo count as one mora. Japanese long vowels count as two morae, and may disappear (the same can be said for the sokuon
, or small tsu); Harry Potter, originally Harī Pottā, is contracted to Haripota, or otherwise be altered; actress Kyoko Fukada, Fukada Kyōko, becomes Fukakyon.
These abbreviated names are so common in Japan that many companies initiate abbreviations of the names of their own products. For example, the animated series Pretty Cure
marketed itself under the four-character abbreviated name purikyua.
) takes one kanji (tō) from (Tokyo
) and the other (mei) from (Nagoya
; its pronunciation changes from the kun'yomi na to the on'yomi mei). (Tokyu Toyoko Line) links Tokyo and Yokohama), taking part of its name from each city.
Other examples include:
Sometimes names of this type preserve older place names. For instance, the character is taken from the word (Musashi
), which was once the name of the Japanese province in which the city of Tokyo was located, can still be seen in the company names (Tobu
or "East Musashi"), (Seibu
or "West Musashi"), and in the (Nanbu Line or "South Musashi Line").
Some other examples:
have names that resemble the pronunciations of Japanese words or characters. Japanese people use them in contexts such as advertising to catch the reader's attention. Other uses of letters include abbreviations of spellings of words. Here are some examples:
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. Long words are often contracted into shorter forms, which then become the predominant forms. For example, the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
, in Japanese Tōkyō Daigaku becomes , Tōdai, and "remote control", rimōto kontorōrā (remote controller), becomes rimokon. Names are also contracted in this way. For example Takuya Kimura, in Japanese Kimura Takuya, an entertainer, is referred to as Kimutaku.
The names of some very familiar companies are also contractions. For example, Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
is a contraction of "Tokyo Shibaura", and Nissan is a contraction of "Nippon Sangyo".
The contractions may be commonly used, or they may be specific to a particular group of people. For example the "Kokuritsu Kankyō Kenkyūjo" is known as Kanken by its employees, but this terminology is not familiar to most Japanese.
Patterns of contraction
In contracted kanji words, the most common pattern of contraction is to take the first kanji of each word and put them together as a portmanteau.There are also instances in which alternative readings of a particular kanji are used in the contraction. For example, Nagoya's main subway station, Nagoya Station, is referred to by locals as "Mei-eki" (名駅), a contraction of "Nagoya-Eki" (名古屋駅), in which the alternative reading of 'Na' (名), the first character in "Nagoya", is used.
In loanwords and names, the most common pattern is to take the first two mora
Mora (linguistics)
Mora is a unit in phonology that determines syllable weight, which in some languages determines stress or timing. As with many technical linguistic terms, the definition of a mora varies. Perhaps the most succinct working definition was provided by the American linguist James D...
e (or kana
Kana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
) of each of the two words, and combine them forming a new, single word. For example "family restaurant" or famirī resutoran becomes famiresu.
Yōon
Yoon
is a feature of the Japanese language in which a mora is formed with an added sound.Yōon are represented in hiragana using a kana ending in i, such as き , plus a smaller-than-usual version of one of the three y kana, ya, yu or yo. For example kyō, "today", is written きょう, using a small version of...
sounds, sounds represented using a kana ending in i and a small ya, yu or yo kana, such as kyo count as one mora. Japanese long vowels count as two morae, and may disappear (the same can be said for the sokuon
Sokuon
The is a Japanese symbol consisting of a small hiragana or katakana tsu. In less formal language it is called or , meaning "little tsu". Compare to a full-sized tsu:The sokuon is used for various purposes...
, or small tsu); Harry Potter, originally Harī Pottā, is contracted to Haripota, or otherwise be altered; actress Kyoko Fukada, Fukada Kyōko, becomes Fukakyon.
These abbreviated names are so common in Japan that many companies initiate abbreviations of the names of their own products. For example, the animated series Pretty Cure
Pretty Cure
is a Japanese magical girl anime metaseries created by Izumi Todo and produced by ABC and Toei Animation. The first program Futari wa Pretty Cure debuted in 2004 and has continued with sequels and spinoffs into the current series Suite PreCure♪ airing in 2011 as part of Asahi Broadcasting...
marketed itself under the four-character abbreviated name purikyua.
Long kanji names
| Contraction | Kanji | Original word | Full kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikkei | Nihon Keizai Shinbun | Japan Economic Times | ||
| Nōdai | Tōkyō Nōgyō Daigaku | Agricultural University of Tokyo Tokyo University of Agriculture The , abbreviated as Nodai or Tokyo nodai , is a private university which treats agriculture in Japan.The campus is in three places, Setagaya, Atsugi, and Okhotsk .- Outline :... |
||
| Nyūkan | Nyūkoku Kanrikyoku | Immigration Office | ||
| kōkō | kōtōgakkō | high school | ||
| Odakyū | Odawara Kyūkō Dentetsu | lit. Odawara Express Electric Railway (Odakyū Electric Railway) | ||
| Tochō | Tōkyō-to Chōsha | Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building | ||
| Tōdai | Tōkyō Daigaku | University of Tokyo | ||
Three and four character loanwords
| Contraction | Katakana | Original word | Katakana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| anime Anime is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons.... |
animēshon | animation | ||
| depāto Department stores in Japan Department stores in Japan are referred to as hyakkaten or depāto , an abbreviation of the English term.-History:The first "modern-style" department store in Japan was Mitsukoshi, founded in 1904, which has its root as a kimono store called Echigoya from 1673. When the roots are considered,... |
depātomento sutoa | department store | ||
| eakon | ea kondishonaa | air conditioner | ||
| famikon | famirī konpyūtā | family computer (Nintendo) | ||
| famiresu | famirī resutoran | family restaurant | ||
| konbini | konbiniensu sutoa | convenience store | ||
| nekama | netto ("net"; internet) okama ("male cross dresser") | a male pretending to be female on the net | ||
| puroresu | purofesshonaru resuringu | professional wrestling Professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport... |
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| rabuho | rabu hoteru | love hotel Love hotel A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing couples privacy for sexual activities... |
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| rimokon | rimōto kontorōrā | remote control | ||
| terebi | terebijon | TV (television) | ||
| toire | toiretto | toilet |
Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Japanese | Original word | Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bukatsu | bukatsudō | 部活動 | after-school club (extracurricular) activity | |
| shāshin | shāpupen no shin | シャープペンの芯 | (in colloquial language) lead of a mechanical pencil | |
| kētai | kētaidenwa | 携帯電話 | Mobile phone Mobile phone A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator... |
Created words
Many abbreviations, especially four-character words, have been created for particular products or TV shows.| Contraction | Japanese | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bokutai Boktai Boktai is a video game series developed by Konami for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS handheld consoles. The title is an abbreviation of the series' full Japanese title Bokura no Taiyō or Our Sun. They are recognized for using a solar sensor that is a key element of gameplay... |
ボクタイ | Bokura no Taiyou (Our Sun) | The first video game series that use a solar sensor. |
| Pokémon Pokémon is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video... |
ポケモン | poketto monsutā (Pocket Monster[s]) | The well-known video game and animation franchise. |
| purikura | プリクラ | purinto kurabu (Print Club) | An automated photograph machine |
| tatakon | タタコン | tataku kontorōrā (controller) | A controller used for the game Taiko Drum Master by Namco Namco is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of... |
| mukku | ムック | "magazine + book | A cross between a magazine and a book |
| Sukisho | 好きしょ | "Suki na Mono wa Suki Dakara Shōganai | A BL Yaoi In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by... video game series and anime |
Contractions of names
| Contraction | Japanese | Name | Japanese | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burapi | Buraddo Pitto (Brad Pitt Brad Pitt William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one... ) |
Hollywood actor. | ||
| Dikapuri | Reonarudo Dikapurio (Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television... ) |
Hollywood actor. | ||
| Fukakyon | Kyōko Fukada Kyoko Fukada is an actress and singer. In Japan, her name is sometimes contracted to the nickname Fukakyon. She won the award for Best Actress at the Yokohama Film Festival for Kamikaze Girls.- Career :... |
Japanese idol Japanese idol In Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g... and actress. |
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| Hashiryū | Ryūtarō Hashimoto Ryutaro Hashimoto was a Japanese politician who served as the 82nd and 83rd Prime Minister of Japan from January 11, 1996 to July 30, 1998. He was the leader of one of the largest factions within the ruling LDP through most of the 1990s and remained a powerful back-room player in Japanese politics until scandal... |
politician. | ||
| Kimutaku | Takuya Kimura Takuya Kimura , nicknamed , is a Japanese singer and actor. He is also a member of the Japanese idol group SMAP. Most of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan... |
SMAP SMAP SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori... star |
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| Matsuken | Ken Matsudaira Ken Matsudaira is a Japanese actor from Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan. His real name is Sueshichi Suzuki .- Career :Active both in television and on stage, he also sings. Matsudaira is most widely known for jidaigeki roles, having made his debut with Shintaro Katsu in an episode of the television series Zatoichi... |
Jidaigeki Jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular... actor, famous for Matsuken samba. |
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| Shimuken | Ken Shimura Ken Shimura , is a Japanese comedian and actor. He co-starred with Masashi Tashiro, Nobuyoshi Kuwano in the Japanese variety show "Ken Shimura no Bakatono-sama".... |
television performer and actor. | ||
| Shuwa-chan | Ānorudo Shuwarutseneggā (Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011.... ) |
Hollywood actor and politician. | ||
| Yamataku | Taku Yamasaki Taku Yamasaki is a Japanese politician, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan. Born in Dalian, Manchukuo, he is a graduate of Waseda University. He worked at Bridgestone.He lost his vision in one eye in childhood.... |
politician. |
Highways and railway lines
Many highways and railway lines have names that are contractions of the names of their endpoints. For example, (Tomei ExpresswayTomei Expressway
The is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. It is a part of Asian Highway Network -Naming:The word Tōmei is an acronym consisting of two kanji characters...
) takes one kanji (tō) from (Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
) and the other (mei) from (Nagoya
Nagoya, Aichi
is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
; its pronunciation changes from the kun'yomi na to the on'yomi mei). (Tokyu Toyoko Line) links Tokyo and Yokohama), taking part of its name from each city.
Other examples include:
| Contraction | Japanese | Origin | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keiyō Line Keiyo Line The is a railway line connecting Tokyo and Chiba, Japan, running mainly along the edge of Tokyo Bay. It is operated by the East Japan Railway Company .It provides the main rail access to the Tokyo Disney Resort and the Makuhari Messe exhibition center... |
Tokyo + Chiba Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture... |
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| Saikyō Line Saikyo Line The is a railway line between Ōsaki Station in Shinagawa, Tokyo, and Ōmiya Station in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It is a part of the East Japan Railway Company network... |
Saitama Saitama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History... + Tokyo |
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| Senzan Line Senzan Line The is a railway line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company system, it runs from Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture to Yamagata Station in Yamagata, acting as a connector between the Tōhoku Main Line/Tōhoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line in southern Tōhoku. It also provides... |
Sendai + Yamagata Yamagata -Places in Japan:*Yamagata Prefecture**Yamagata City, the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture**Yamagata Airport , an airport located in Yamagata**Yamagata Shinkansen, one of Shinkansen lines running between Tokyo Station and Shinjo Station... |
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| Hanshin Main Line | Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... + Kobe Kobe , pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka... |
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| Seikan Tunnel Seikan Tunnel The Seikan Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Japan, with a long portion under the seabed. Track level is about below seabed and below sea level. It travels beneath the Tsugaru Strait—connecting Aomori Prefecture on the Japanese island of Honshu and the island of Hokkaido—as part of the Kaikyo Line... |
Aomori Aomori, Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :... + Hakodate |
Sometimes names of this type preserve older place names. For instance, the character is taken from the word (Musashi
Musashi Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Prefecture, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama...
), which was once the name of the Japanese province in which the city of Tokyo was located, can still be seen in the company names (Tobu
Tobu Railway
is a Japanese commuter railway company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. It operates in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, and Gunma Prefectures...
or "East Musashi"), (Seibu
Seibu Railway
is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbreviation of "west Musashi," referring to the historic name for this area...
or "West Musashi"), and in the (Nanbu Line or "South Musashi Line").
Some other examples:
| Contraction | Japanese | Origin | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sōbu Line | Kazusa Kazusa Province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Kazusa is classified as one of the... /Shimousa Shimousa Province was a province of Japan in the area modern Chiba Prefecture, and Ibaraki Prefecture. It lies to the north of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Shimōsa is... + Musashi |
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| Uchibō Line | Inner + Bōsō Peninsula Boso Peninsula thumb|Locationthumb|Landsat image with high-resolution data from Space Shuttle is a peninsula in Chiba prefecture on Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean.... (= Awa Awa Province (Chiba) was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on the tip of the Boso Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or... + Kazusa Kazusa Province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Kazusa is classified as one of the... ) |
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| Sotobō Line | Outer + Bōsō Peninsula Boso Peninsula thumb|Locationthumb|Landsat image with high-resolution data from Space Shuttle is a peninsula in Chiba prefecture on Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean.... (= Awa Awa Province (Chiba) was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on the tip of the Boso Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or... + Kazusa Kazusa Province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Kazusa is classified as one of the... ) |
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| Jōban Line Joban Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It begins at Nippori Station in Taitō, Tokyo and follows the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi... |
Hitachi Hitachi Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Iwashiro, Iwaki, Shimousa, and Shimotsuke Provinces.... + Iwaki Iwaki Province was an old province in the area that is today Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture.-History:This iteration of Iwaki Province lasted for a brief period of time in Nara period. Established in 718 with the division of Mutsu Province, it was composed of five district of Iwaki , Shineha , Namekata... |
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| Nippō Main Line Nippo Main Line frame|Nippō Main LineThe is a railway line in Kyūshū, in southern Japan. Part of the Kyushu Railway Company system, it follows the east coast of the island. The line originates at Kokura Station in Kokura, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka... |
Hyūga Hyuga Province was an old province of Japan on the east coast of Kyūshū, corresponding to the modern Miyazaki Prefecture. It was sometimes called or . Hyūga bordered on Bungo, Higo, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Province.The ancient capital was near Saito.-Historical record:... + Buzen Buzen Province was an old province of Japan in northern Kyūshū in the area of Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bungo Province. Buzen bordered on Bungo and Chikuzen Provinces.... /Bungo Bungo Province was a province of Japan in eastern Kyūshū in the area of Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Buzen Province. Bungo bordered Buzen, Hyūga, Higo, Chikugo, and Chikuzen Provinces.-History:... |
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| Hōhi Main Line Hohi Main Line frame|tight|Hōhi Main LineThe is a railway line on Kyūshū, in southern Japan. Part of the Kyushu Railway Company system, it connects the west coast and the east coast of the island... |
Bungo Bungo Province was a province of Japan in eastern Kyūshū in the area of Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Buzen Province. Bungo bordered Buzen, Hyūga, Higo, Chikugo, and Chikuzen Provinces.-History:... + Higo Higo Province Higo Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. It was sometimes called , with Hizen Province. Higo bordered on Chikugo, Bungo, Hyūga, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Provinces.... |
Single letters as abbreviations
Many single letters of the Latin alphabetLatin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
have names that resemble the pronunciations of Japanese words or characters. Japanese people use them in contexts such as advertising to catch the reader's attention. Other uses of letters include abbreviations of spellings of words. Here are some examples:
- E: (ii; the word for "good" in Japanese). The letter appears in the name of the company e-homes.
- J: The first letter of "Japan" as in J.League, J-Phone.
- Q: The kanji ("nine") have the reading kyū. Japanese "Dial Q2" premium-rate telephone numberPremium-rate telephone numberPremium-rate telephone numbers are telephone numbers for telephone calls during which certain services are provided, and for which prices higher than normal are charged. Unlike a normal call, part of the call charge is paid to the service provider, thus enabling businesses to be funded via the calls...
s start with 0990. - S, M: used for sadism and masochism respectively, often referring to mild personality traits rather than sexual fetishes. "SM" is also used for sadomasochism, instead of "S&M" used in English, in a more sexual context.
- W: The English word "double." Japanese people sometimes pronounce the letter "double." For example, ”Wデート” (W deeto) means "double date(s)"; "WW Burger" from Freshness Burger has double beef and double cheese.
Longer Romaji abbreviations
| Contraction | Japanese spoken form | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CM | シーエム (shī-emu) | commercial message | a single commercial or a commercial break |
| GW | ゴールデンウィーク (gōruden uīku) | Golden Week | Golden Week is a series of four unrelated holidays within one week at the beginning of May |
| NEET | ニート (nīto) | not currently engaged in education, employment, or training | A NEET NEET NEET is a government acronym for people currently "not in education, employment, or training". It was first used in the United Kingdom but its use has spread to other countries, including Japan, China, and South Korea... is someone who is unable or unwilling to work, and typically lives at home supported by his parents. |
| NG | エヌジー (enu-jī) | no good | Often used as the opposite of “OK”; a mis-take while filming a scene for film or TV |
| OL | オーエル (ōeru) | office lady | OL Office lady An office lady, often abbreviated OL , is a female office worker in Japan who performs generally pink collar tasks such as serving tea and secretarial or clerical work. Like many unmarried Japanese, OLs often live with their parents well into early adulthood... s are low-level female corporate employees |
| PV | ピービー (pībī) | promotional video | The term is generally used to describe Music Videos. |
| SP | エスピー (esupī) | special | a TV special, a special episode of a particular TV series |
| VTR | ブイティーアール (buitīāru) | video tape recording | a video clip shown during a TV program for members of a panel to comment on |
| W杯 | ワールドカップ (wārudokappu) | World Cup | Used to refer to the FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body... for soccer |