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Jun 22, 2016 · It talks about 8 English borrowed words from Japanese: tycoon, honcho, skosh, kudzu, ramen, futon, rickshaw, and sudoku. My American friends say they've heard of or used them except for "kudzu". How about British people (and other native speakers)?
- Tycoon
- Skosh
- Honcho
- Karaoke
- Emoji
We all know the word tycoon to mean a wealthy and powerful businessman. However, this definition only came into wide use after World War I. Before that, it had a less specific meaning, implying an important person. American statesman John Hay used the word to describe Abraham Lincoln in 1861, and it caught on, becoming a nickname for America’s 16th...
Here’s one that’s been hiding in plain sight. One of the first adverbs Japanese language students learn is sukoshi, a small quantity of something. By now, you’ve probably realized that the English word skosh, which also means “a small amount,” comes from this Japanese word. But how did it make the linguistic leap? According to the Merriam-Webster D...
Another Japanese word that arrived via the military, honcho has a similar derivation story to skosh. While we mostly use honcho to mean a boss or leader (“He’s the head honcho of the company”), the original meaning was slightly more specific. Soldiers captured as POWs during the Pacific War learned a few Japanese words out of necessity. One was han...
Whether you do it on a stage at a bar or privately in a small, rented room, karaoke—singing to an instrumental version of a song—is loved the world over. It’s particularly beloved in Asia, with countries like South Korea, the Philippines and, yes, Japan singing their hearts out regularly. Filipino inventor Roberto del Rosario holds the karaoke pate...
Everyone knows emojis, the pictures and symbols you use to supplement text in messages and emails. And while you may pronounce it “ee-moji” with a long E, like emotion, it’s correctly said “eh-moji” because it’s actually Japanese. When written in Japanese, the word emoji is made up of three kanji (Japanese characters): 1. 絵（え） (e): Picture 2. 文（も） ...
- Adam Douglas
Definition: a person who is in charge of other people : boss, big shot; also : hotshot. Head honcho Simon Cowell was back behind the judging table, having missed much of the 2020 contest after breaking his back in an e-bike crash. — Michael Hogan, The Telegraph (London, Eng.), 16 Apr. 2022.
Mar 13, 2017 · Honcho in English is an "英製和語" term derived from 班長【はんちょう】. In Japanese 班長【はんちょう】 refers to the head of a small group/team, and it's not really a big word.
Jan 25, 2014 · Let’s take a look at Japanese words, like “honcho” (as in “head honcho”) and “tycoon” (as in “oil tycoon”), that we use in English. Futon Origin: 布団 (futon) First known use: 1876
- Japan Today
Nov 10, 2023 · Honcho (as in head honcho) – from the Japanese hanchō (班長), meaning ‘group leader’ or ‘squad leader’. Judo – from the Japanese jūdō (柔道) literally “gentle way”. Jujutsu (a.k.a. jiu jitsu) – from the Japanese jūjutsu (柔術) Kamikaze – from the Japanese kamikaze (神風), literally “divine wind” or “spirit ...
Sep 6, 2024 · From Japanese 班 (はん) 長 (ちょう) (hanchō, “ squad leader ”), from 19th c. Mandarin 班長 ／ 班长 (bānzhǎng, “ team leader ”). Probably entered English during World War II: many apocryphal stories describe American soldiers hearing Japanese prisoners-of-war refer to their lieutenants as hanchō .
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