Konbini, Arubaito, Manshon — Everyday Japanese Loanwords

When studying Japanese, you'll quickly notice that katakana words (カタカナ語) are everywhere. Most come from English, but plenty come from German, Dutch, Portuguese, and even French. To make things trickier, many words mean something completely different from their source language! These are called wasei-eigo (和製英語) — "Japanese-made English."

This article breaks down the most common everyday loanwords, organized by topic, so you can master them all at once.

Housing: マンション Is NOT a Mansion!

Let's start with housing-related loanwords. This group has one classic trap:

新しいマンションに引っ越しました。 → I moved to a new apartment.

Note: In English, "mansion" means a grand, luxurious house. But in Japanese, マンション is just an ordinary concrete apartment building. If you tell a Japanese friend "I live in a mansion," they'll picture a regular apartment — nothing fancy.

The difference between マンション and アパート is mainly the building structure: マンション is typically RC (reinforced concrete), more upscale; アパート is usually wooden or light steel, with cheaper rent.

Work: アルバイト Comes from German

大学生のとき、コンビニでアルバイトをしていました。 → When I was a university student, I worked part-time at a convenience store.

アルバイト comes from the German word Arbeit, meaning "labor." In Japanese it's often shortened to バイト, which is more common in everyday speech. Interestingly, in German, Arbeit refers to a regular job, while Japanese uses it exclusively for part-time work.

サラリーマン and OL are both Japanese-made "English" — native English speakers wouldn't understand them at all.

Shopping: コンビニ, デパート, スーパー

コンビニでお弁当を買いました。 → I bought a bento at the convenience store.

All three are shortened versions of longer English words. Japanese speakers love abbreviating loanwords — just take the first few syllables and you're done.

Transportation: ホーム Doesn't Mean "Home"

ホームで電車を待っています。 → I'm waiting for the train on the platform.

ホーム comes from the latter part of "platform" and specifically means a train station platform in Japanese. If you want to say "home," use 家 (いえ/うち). However, in compound words like 老人ホーム (nursing home), ホーム does mean "home" — so context matters.

Daily Items: テレビ, エネルギー, ガラス

テレビを見ながら、ご飯を食べます。 → I eat while watching TV.

This group is particularly interesting: テレビ comes from English, エネルギー comes from German (not English "energy"), and ガラス comes from Dutch (not English "glass"). These words reflect how Japan absorbed knowledge from different countries across different eras.

False Friend Alert: Looks Like English, Means Something Else

The most dangerous loanwords are these "false friends" — they look like English but mean something different:

彼女はナイーブな性格です。 → She has a sensitive personality. (NOT "naive"!)

テンションが高い！ → So excited! (NOT "so tense"!)

Loanword Origin Summary Table

Here's a summary of all the loanwords covered in this article, organized by source language:

Summary

• マンション means apartment, not mansion; アパート is also apartment but lower-grade construction
• アルバイト comes from German Arbeit; it means part-time job, often shortened to バイト
• Japanese speakers love abbreviating loanwords: コンビニ, デパート, スーパー, エアコン
• ホーム at train stations means platform (from "platform"), not "home"
• Watch out for false friends: ナイーブ = sensitive, スマート = slim, テンション = excitement
• Loanwords don't all come from English — German and Dutch traces are everywhere

Practice Quiz

Q1. Does Japanese マンション mean the same thing as English "mansion"? What does it actually refer to?

Q2. What language does アルバイト come from? What does it mean in Japanese?

Q3. If your Japanese friend says「テンションが高い」, are they saying "I'm so tense"?