Table of Contents
Is Katakana used for borrowed words?
片仮名 (かたかな) — Katakana is a Japanese writing system used to transcribe foreign words, sound effects, titles and loan words into readable and writable Japanese words. Katakana is also used for writing loanwords or 外来語 (がいらい ご) — gairaigo, which are words from other languages that become a part of the Japanese language.
Can English be written in Katakana?
The reason you aren’t aware of this as an English person, is because the English didn’t create a system to denote a loanword, they just simply wrote it into their own language and it gives no clue to the English reader that it’s not English in origin. The Japanese use Katakana for transcribing all foreign words.
What is it called when Japanese words are written in English?
When Romanizing Japanese (that is, writing Japanese words with English letters, also called romaji), you will only use the vowels a, i, u, e, o. The sounds in the Japanese alphabet are one thing that makes Japanese easier for English speakers to learn than for Japanese speakers to learn English.
Why are some native Japanese words in katakana?
In Japanese, sometimes a word is written with katakana instead of kanji or hiragana. So using katakana makes more sense, as that way it’s easier to tell the words apart. Given this, western loan-words, the gairaigo, are normally katakanized so they can be written in with the Japanese alphabet.
When should you use katakana?
Katakana is more frequently used in loan words, while hiragana is used for native words.
- Hiragana is used to write okurigana (kana suffixes following a kanji root) to form words with kanji.
- Katakana is frequently used in scientific words, animal names, foods, and company names.
How do you write in Katakana?
To type directly with the computer keyboard:
- add the sign = to type a small Katakana; example: : a=, i=, u=, e=, o= & tsu= (or q)
- Type â, î, û, ê, ô for the long vowels or type the underscore _ after the vowel.
Why are some native Japanese words written in katakana?
How many loan words are there in Japanese?
45,000 loanwords
There are reportedly over 45,000 loanwords in the Japanese language, 90 percent of which have come from English.
What are some examples of loan words in Japanese?
In fact, many loan words have existing synonyms in Japanese. For example, the Japanese word for “business” is “shoubai 商売”, but the loan word “bijinesu ビジネス” is also used. Another example is “gyuunyuu 牛乳 (Japanese word)” and “miruku ミルク (loan word)” for “milk.” Loan words are generally written in katakana, except the ones of Chinese origin.
What are katakana words?
Before we dive into the list of words, there are some things to remember about katakana. Katakana words are often used as stand-ins for words that don’t exist in Japanese. For example, since there’s no word for “supermarket” in Japanese, katakana must be used.
Where did the Japanese language get its borrowing words from?
The Japanese language has borrowed many words from foreign countries, firstly from China as early as the Nara Period (710-794). Gairaigo (外来語) is the Japanese word for “loan word” or “borrowed word.”
How are loanloan words pronounced?
Loan words are generally written in katakana, except the ones of Chinese origin. They are pronounced using Japanese pronunciation rules and Japanese syllables. Therefore, they end up quite different from the original pronunciation.