Gairaigo (words of foreign origin)

There are many words imported from abroad that are used as an established part of the Japanese language. Such “loan words,” which are transliterations of foreign words, are usually written in katakana.

The use of gairaigo can be tricky when translating into Japanese. While they can make meanings easier to understand, overuse can have the reverse effect. Translators need to make an assessment as to what will make things most comprehensible according to the target reader. For example, they need to consider whether it is better to use a gairaigo or to replace it with the appropriate Japanese word.

Furthermore, some readers prefer words to be written in the original Roman alphabet. What is important is to use the form most suitable for target readers.

Japanese Basics
No. 1: About Japanese
No. 2: Gairaigo (words of foreign origin)
No. 3: Differences between Japanese and English
No. 4: Font and Layout
No. 5: Japanese Indices
No. 6: Displaying Japanese on English Versions of Windows or Macintosh Operating Software
No. 7: Can You Imagine Translations Like This Passing?
No. 8: The Applicability of Machine Translations
No. 9: Double-byte and Single-byte Characters
No. 10: Can You Tell the Difference between “カシオ” and ”カツオ”?

Gairaigo (words of foreign origin)

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