I'm in Tokyo today I've come all this way to teach you 7 English words of Japanese origin.
That's coming up.
Konnichiwa and welcome to LetThemTalk the channel that goes deeper into everything about
the English language. And I've got something special for you today. 7 Japanese words that
we use in English. Now the words I've chosen are really quite interesting and they reflect
something about the Japanese culture but, at the same time they translate well into
English. Some of the words will be familiar to you but some others you might not know
but all of them are original and capture something about modern life and are definitely worth learning
So the first word is EMOJI I'm sure you know what emoji are.
Anyway it comes from Japanese from two Japanese characters - "e" meaning picture and "moji "meaning
character. And they were first created for a Japanese
phone company in 1999 but they became popular around the world when Apple introduced them
to an iphone update in 2011
They said that emoji that help us express the way we feel. Some people would say that
we already something that does that something called "words". But there is no denying that
they are now universally popular.
The next word is KAROSHI Do you work too much? Do you fall asleep on
the last train home at night? and wake up to the sound of chirping sparrows? Do you skip
days off and go into the office to finish that important project, check your professional
email when you're on holiday and even going into the office at weekends.
You don't? Good! neither do I. Because if you do then you would be at risk from karoshi.
The word literally means "death from overwork" that's right "death from overwork". Now if
the Japanese have invented a word then it must be something that happens quite a lot.
And the Japanese Ministry of Labour certainly think so because they've been keeping statistics
on Karoshi since 1987. But before you shake your head in a disapproving way thinking that
all Japanese companies mistreat their workers. Now there are cases all around the world including
in your country too. Which is why the language has entered the English language. So it's
ok to work hard but don't overdo it. You don't want to risk karoshi.
The next word is TYCOON - which comes from the Japanese TAIKUN which means "a prince"
In modern English a tycoon is an extremely rich and powerful businessman.
For example Richard Murdoch is a media tycoon. Armando Ortega the head of the Spanish clothing
chain Zara is a retail tycoon. The Japanese term "originally" was used in
the edo period and referred to a powerful person who did not have royal lineage in Japan.
The next word is OTAKU Do you love playing video games or reading
manga or comics? are you big fan of Star Wars? Do you have some other hobby that you love
but you are becoming a little bit obsessive? You do then you are an Otaku. in Japanese
"otaku" means "your house" "O" is an honorific title so it literally means "your honorable
house". The word is a little bit similar to the English word "nerd" but the otaku loves
to stay at home. So if you do spend too much time on your hobby then maybe you are an otaku
The next word is RICKSHAW
Rickshaw originates from the Japanese word jinrikisha (人力車, 人 jin = human, 力
riki = power or force, 車 sha = vehicle),
A rickshaw is a two wheeled vehicle pulled by a human who is on foot or on a bicycle
it was invented in Japan around 1869. Originally it was mostly used in Asia but increasingly
in big western cities you see bicycle rickshaws for tourists.
The next word is HIKIKOMORI
Are you something of a couch potato? Do you sometimes feel like withdrawing a little bit
from society. Logon to Facebook, watch some films, play some video games, watch some youtube
videos? Your friends call you but you say "sorry I can't go out, I'm too busy these days".
Finally, your friends give up on you. So you're alone. You don't have anybody. But in a way
you're happy. you're happy in your own world. After all the house is warm you've got lots
of entertainment online you don't need anyone. You certianly don't need a nagging girlfriend
or a boyfriend who would just take away from your freedom and independence. You don't need
to take smelly public transportation, or risking getting a disease by mixing with other PEOPLE.
Do you feel like that!? If you do then you are a Hikikomori my friend. Hikikomori are
people who withdraw from society, they become isolated and reclusive. And it's estimated
that in Japan there are 700,000 hikikomori and the average age of 31. But this phenomenon
is spreading around the world which is why the word has entered the English language.
The word HIKIKOMORI literally means pulling inward, being confined
The next word is UMAMI Now if you love cooking you might know that
there are 5 basic tastes that the tongue can recognize Sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami.
Yes Umami. Umami has been recognized by science as the fifth taste since 1985 after if was
first proposed by Kikunae Ikeda a Japanese scientist in 1908. Umami is a kind of savoury,
glutamate taste that you get in many foods such as meat, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese,
marmite if you know the British delicacy. So in cooking you might need the balance of
these basic tastes in the dish. So for example in Chinese food you might add soy sauce rather
than salt because soy sauce has the umami taste which the dish it's deliciousness and
salt doesn't have it. umami literally means "pleasant savoury taste"
So there you are some great words for you use so stay zen I'll see in the next video
arigato gozaimasita.