Katakana Words That Are Hard to Learn

Katakana words that are hard to learn

Japanese has 3 official writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.
Hiragana: feminine. Curvy. Cute ( except for "ku" く, right )
Kanji : the Chinese characters the Japanese borrowed from China about a thousand years ago.
Katakana : rough and angular ( the man standing next to Hiragana-san)

Katakana is not easy to master. Katakana is the script the Japanese use to transcribe and write loanwords, or to add emphasis and write onomatopoeia. Many words have foreign origins, yet foreigners themselves often have no idea what a word means when they hear its katakana. Put simply, it has been "Japanified". Below are some katakana words considered "odd" and "brain-melting" because their meaning is very hard to guess (before you learn it) or easy to misunderstand — nothing as simple as インターネット or ペン. But once you have read through them you will find them quite interesting, and you may even grow fonder of this "lad".

The Japanese use katakana a great deal and very often.

ズボン (zubon) : Trousers (the British call them trousers, Americans call them pants).

ピンポン : Ping-Pong! The sound of a doorbell

チョウ (chou) : Very/extremely/super <- a word used for emphasis

ホモ・サピエンス (homo.sapiensu) : Homo Sapiens, human beings.

ワンピース (wan.pisu) : A one-piece dress (One Piece Dress)

パソコン (pasokon) : A personal computer. Combining Personal and Computer, the Japanese shorten it to paso-kon. This kind of shortening is called 和製英語 わせいえいご .

ピエロ (piero) : A clown. The word comes from French and refers to a clown role in mime.

アルバイト (arubaito) : A part-time job (sometimes read バイト). From the German Arbeit, this word is extremely common in Japan.

クレーム (kuremu) : A request, a complaint (from a customer). From the English Claim

サイン (sain) : Many people think it comes from sign (a symbol), but in fact this word means "a signature"

ジョッキ (jokki) : A beer mug

チャック (chakku) : A trouser zip (chuck)

スナック (snakku) : Is it a snack…? No, this word refers to a Snack Bar in Japan. It is a place where men go to drink and chat with the owner and the (female) staff.

キャスター (kyasuta) : A newsreader (newscaster)

コンセント (konsento) : An electrical socket.

シール (shiru) : Stickers!

ウイルス (uirusu) : Virus

ドライバー (doraiba) : A screwdriver ( not a driver!)

トランプ (torampu) : Trump card, playing cards.

バイキング (baikingu) : You might think this means Vikings, but no — it refers to a type of restaurant in Japan that serves buffet style.

マント (manto) : A cloak, a mantle

マンション (manshon) : An apartment. Not a mansion.

アンケート (anketo) : From the French enquête, meaning a survey questionnaire.

ホッチキス (hocchikisu) / ステープラー : A stapler.

ノルマ (noruma) : From the Russian Норма, meaning a quota.

パンク (panku) : punk – punk fashion.

フロント (furonto) : The reception desk at a hotel. Front means in front, and reception is always at the front.

メイク（メーク） (meiku) : Make-up.

レンジ (renji) : range? a long row…? no no, this is a microwave oven!

レントゲン (rentogen) : Tia X, tia Roentgen.

Another important function of katakana is writing onomatopoeia and reduplicated words.

ペチャクチャ (pechakucha) : chattering, the noise of a crowd talking

ピカピカ (pikapika) : sparkling. Remember the yellow electric mouse, Pikachu?

パンパン (panpan) : full up — patting a full belly makes a panpan sound, and the "snap snap" of clicking your fingers is also panpan.

コグコグ (kogukogu) : glug glug. (drinking) in gulps

ニコニコ (nikoniko) : smiling

ペラペラ (perapera) : fluent.

フワフワ (fuwafuwa) : soft, fluffy.

プンプン (punpun) : In anime, when a female character sulks you may see her purse her lips and puff out her cheeks — that is punpun; in other words it is イライラ (irritated)

ブツブツ (butsubutsu) : muttering, mumbling (grumbling about someone?!)

ドンドン (dondon) : steadily, more and more

ゲロゲロ (gerogero) : ribbit ribbit (the croak of a frog)

パクパク (pakupaku) : munch munch.

Continuing our list:

ガン (gan) : Cancer. Although it has a kanji, this word is usually written in katakana

スマホ (sumaho): smartphone.

ストロー(sutoroo): straw, a drinking straw.

ラボ (rabo) : Lab, laboratory.

ラブホ (rabuho) love hotel.

ラヴレター (rav retaa): a love letter. The Japanese have three words for a love letter; in the past people used 恋文 (koibumi), while today ラブレター and ラヴレター are more common.

エキス (ekisu) : (extract) an extract of something. For example niku-ekisu is meat extract.

ヒフ科 (hifu-ka) : dermatologist. The word for dermatology is written in katakana for simplicity.

マンネリ (manneri) : Mannerism (a style of painting after the Renaissance). It also refers to living or working in circumstances that never change, which gives rise to a feeling of boredom.

カワイイ(kawaii) : Cute, kawaii.

カッコイイ(kakkoii) : Cool, stylish, good-looking.

ウルトラ(urutora) : Ultra! Ultraman!

ヤッタ (yatta) : I did it!

Next, some compound words

サラリーマン (sarariman) : Salaryman (Salary + Man). Everyone surely knows this one.

ダンプカー (dampuka) : Dump truck (Dump + Car). A large lorry, usually carrying building materials

ベビーカー (bebika) : A pram (Baby + Car)

ルームミラー (rumumira) : Rear-view Mirror (Room + Mirror).

スキンシップ (sukinshipu) : skinship (Skin + Ship). Affectionate physical contact, but not the improper kind.

キーホルダー (kihoruda) : (Key + Holder). The little ring we thread several keys onto.

ショートカット(shotokato) : short-cut (Short + Cut). You think this is a keyboard shortcut? No no, it has nothing to do with computers — it means short hair! (just search Google Images and you'll see)

バージョンアップ(bajonappu) : To upgrade (Version + Up).

マンツーマン (mantsuman) : One to One (Man + to + Man). One on one. Open, straightforward.

ナイスミドル (naisumidoru) : A handsome middle-aged man (Nice + Middle).

These are also two words joined into one, but unlike the previous ones the parts are clipped to make the word shorter.

インフラ (irafura) : Infrastructure.

リストラ (risutora) : Re-structure. Restructuring (in Japan this word is usually understood to mean the company will lay off staff or increase workers' hours)

パンチラ (panchira) : A glimpse of underwear when a girl's skirt is lifted

ポケベル (pokeberu) : A pager!

マスコミ (masukomi) : Mass Communication. The mass media.

エアコン – (eakon) : Air Conditioning.

パトカー (patoka) : patrol car. A police car.

パンスト(pansuto) : Panties and Stockings. Tights

ドンマイ (donmai) : Don't Mind! Never mind!

パチスロ (pachisuro) : Pachinko + Slot machines. Japan's classic amusement "games".

NOW FOR THE REAL KATAKANA TERROR!

ウインカー(uinka) : An indicator light. Perhaps because it blinks, the Japanese call it a "winker"

カンニング(kanningu) : This word means cheating in an exam. From cunning, meaning crafty and devious.

ウォークマン (wokuman) a Walkman music player.

バーター(bata) : a sidekick, a support act.

デマ (dema) : A rumour. From the French demagogue.

アラフォー (arafo) : Around 40. Recently used for middle-aged women (around 40)

ネタ – (neta) : Used for hot news or stories that easily catch people's interest and get talked about.

エッチ(ecchi) : Ecchi, meaning sex. It is actually the pronunciation of the letter "H", and "H" is the first letter of "hentai".

クラクション (Kurakushon) : A car horn.

ダビング (dabingu) : Dubbing.

マイカー (maika) : My Car.

メタボ (metabo) : Metabolic Syndrome.

セフレ (sefure) : Sex Friend.