Foreign travelers in Japan often encounter confusion with certain loanwords (外来語) that have been adapted from English but are used differently or take on new meanings in Japanese. Here are a few examples.

Tradition and Culture
  1. Mansion (マンション): In Japan, a “mansion” refers to a modern apartment building, often upscale, but not necessarily a large luxurious house, as the term means in English.
  2. Viking (バイキング): This word is used to mean “buffet” in Japan, stemming from a restaurant that popularized buffet-style dining. It has nothing to do with Norse Vikings.
  3. Consent (コンセント): In Japanese, “consent” refers to an electrical outlet, whereas in English, it means agreement or permission.
  4. Smart (スマート): While in English, “smart” refers to intelligence, in Japan, it is commonly used to describe someone who is slender or stylish.
  5. Handle (ハンドル): In Japan, “handle” usually refers to a car’s steering wheel, rather than the generic meaning of something you use to grab or control something.
  6. Cunning (カンニング): This word in Japan means “cheating” on a test, while in English, it refers to being clever or sly, often in a tricky way.

These loanwords may seem familiar to English speakers, but their meanings in Japanese are often quite different, leading to occasional confusion!

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