Wasei-eigo refers to unique Japanese words that have English origins. Many of these words are written in katakana, such as renji (microwave oven), consento (electrical outlet), and baikingu (sometimes spelled 'Viking') (buffet).

The interesting aspect of these words is that most Japanese people believe them to be genuine English words, as they bear similarities to English or certain abbreviations. While Japanese individuals have no difficulty using these words among themselves, foreigners often find themselves puzzled when Japanese speakers communicate with them using such terms.

So, which specific words cause these communication challenges? We reached out to some foreigners to learn more about their experiences with Japanese English.

“We don’t call them PET bottles in America. I didn’t understand it at first, but eventually, I realized they were referring to plastic bottles.” (American, Female, 30)

Plastic bottles are extensively utilized in Japan. The recycling label on these bottles bears the term "PET," which is responsible for their name. Although it may SOUND English, it is, in fact, not. PET is actually an acronym for polyethylene terephthalate, and while the term exists in English, it is often pronounced as an initialism. Consequently, most foreigners associate the phrase with a bottle as a pet.

“Also, ‘vinyl’ (bini-ru) is the material used for plastic bags, right? Why did they have to use such a complicated word when they could simply call it a plastic bag? It's quite peculiar.”

Another Japanese English term widely employed in Japan. Interestingly, the Japanese do not perceive the word as particularly intricate. Some of them are unaware that "vinyl" refers to the material of the bag.

“In Japan, when they say ‘sābisu shimasu,’ does it mean they'll do it for you free of charge, right? I was quite surprised when I first heard it because that's definitely not the case in English.” (American, Male, 30)

“The word ‘service’ is also used in China. We Chinese really appreciate free stuff, so we're totally fine with the Japanese version of the word (laughs). However, in English, the word simply means to offer something, so it's important to add the word ‘free’ if you're using it.” (Chinese, Male, 30)

In English, the term "service" itself does not imply "free of charge." However, in Japan, the Japanese English phrase often carries the nuance of receiving something for free. This leads to frequent misunderstandings among Japanese people, as they tend to assume they are receiving something without cost whenever they hear the word "service."

“I often get confused due to how many commonly used Japanese words are just shortened versions of English words like ‘Pasokon’, ‘Rimokon’, or ‘Eakon’. There are some Japanese who believe them to be actual English words too.” (Spanish, Male, 40)

Originally, the words “Pasokon”, “Rimokon” and “Eakon” referred to “personal computer”, “remote controller” and “air conditioner” respectively. In Japan, words are often abbreviated for ease of communication. Some examples include fakkusu, akuseru, and apāto. The actual words, however, are “facsimile”, “accelerator”, and “apartment”. If you one day come across a word that you really don’t understand, but it feels like a shortened version of a word, try thinking out of the box and decipher the code!

“Cosmetics in Japan are called ‘keshōhin’ in Japan, but it’s really cute how they shorten so many of the words like ‘rippu’ from lip balm!” (Indonesian, Female, 20)

Cosmetics in Japan are often used without much thought, but their namesake in Japan, “cosume”, is really just the front syllables of the original word. While Japanese people know the original word as “lip cream”, the actual original word is “lip balm”.

For words like “blush”, Japanese call it “cheek” in reference to the area you apply it on. Even though words like “eyebrow” and “concealer” are pretty much the same both in Japanese and English, why only “blush” was changed is a mystery even to the people here.

“Once, I got stuck in a conversation with a Japanese when they used the word ‘arubaito’. The word ‘Arbeit’ means a proper full-time job in German, but here in Japan it just refers to a ‘mini job’.” (German, Male, 30)

“Arubaito” is falls completely under wasei-eigo, with the original being the German word “Arbeit”. The word in Japan means the same as the English word “part-time”, and while the image of “part-time” is usually a short period of work, in Japan part-time jobs even include those which require working 5 days a week, 8 hours a day.

Other than “part-time work”, Japan has other forms of employment including “pāto”, contract employee, and regular employee. However, the classification is not really strict, and often changes depending on the wages, working conditions, and even the context in which you’re using the word.

Japanese normally think of foreign words when they encounter katakana, so many are mistaken about the English meaning of the words, to say nothing of the intonation. English-speaking foreigners are thus prone to confusion when faced with these phrases.

Nevertheless, these words are essentially Japanese and it would be wise to treat it as such. As a bonus, you could also kindly let the Japanese speaker know that the word isn’t English, but actually wasei-eigo.