The phenomenon of language borrowing is in no way unique, but it seems to stand out more in the Japanese language than others. And in a way, this presumption is true. Japanese has adopted an astounding number of loanwords. Even the written language, consisting of 3 distinct writing systems, gives way to the amount of borrowing that has gone on over the centuries.

However, borrowing, especially from English, has become even more exaggerated in the post WWII era, almost certainly kicked off by the occupation period. Loanwords are everywhere in Japan. They’re like air. You can’t get away from them.

But are they air? Or are they a pollution in the air? That is the question asked by many people in Japan. Taking in loanwords at such a rate has not been a trouble-free, clean-cut process. In fact, so much borrowing has created a bit of a sticky mess in the language; the whole process has rendered many words elusive to both second language learners and native speakers alike.

Borrowing: A Linguistics Perspective

Swiper no… swiping?

So how has Japan, a relatively isolated country with its own distinct language, been able to borrow foreign words at the rate they have? Actually, Japanese has certain linguistic characteristics that have made borrowing much easier than some other languages.

The main reasons why Japanese has accepted foreign words so easily has to do with the lack of nominal inflections and the presence of a syllabary writing system. In other words, Japanese nouns do not change based on person, number, or gender like many other languages do, and since words are simply separated syllabary particles, it makes it easy to just plop a foreign word in the midst of a Japanese sentence where any native word might appear. As for adjectives and verbs, foreign words can be inserted as な (na) adjectives and する (to do) can convert anything into a verb without any changes to the original word. Magic! (I always wondered why there were so many な adjectives and する verbs in Japanese.)

So, foreign words have had an easy time slithering their way into Japanese language from a linguistics perspective, but that hasn’t stopped them from wreaking havoc across the land in their own special way, plaguing both Japanese learners and native speakers.

Making Changes

“I spy, with my little eye…English words!”

You’d think with number of foreign loanwords floating around in the language, Japanese would sound slightly less like “moon speak” to non-Japanese speakers. However, foreign loanwords have been warped and maimed beyond the point of recognition in many cases, making understanding Japanese all the more frustrating!

When a foreign word is adopted in Japanese, it goes through many changes (like a beautiful butterfly). First of all, loanwords are converted to Japanese characters (usually katakana), changing their pronunciation altogether. On top of that, the meaning of a word may shift, a word may be simplified, and sometimes words will even be completely invented! For me, it is particularly upsetting when I think I understand a loanword from English, when actually I don’t know squat. Basically, I can’t even understand my own language in Japanese a lot of the time. Yep. Let’s take a look at some of the changes foreign words have undergone to become a totally different animal.

Changes in Meaning

“Honey, them times… they are a changin’”

Changes in meaning often happen in the process of foreign borrowing. The meaning of a word may be narrowed, widened, specialized, shifted, downgraded, you name it. At this point, I’ve come to believe that it’s someone’s job to sit in an office and figure out the best way to mutilate the English language before it enters Japan. Honestly, I really want that job.

Narrowing and Specialization

When a word’s meaning is narrowed or specialized, only one aspect of its original meaning is adopted as the new loanword. So in other words, a word that originally has a more general meaning is changed to mean something very specific.

Examples:
ホテル  /  hotel  /  Western-style hotel
ステッキ  /  stick  /  cane
ライス  /  rice  /  rice served on a plate
アルバイト  /  work  /  part-time job (usually student)
ダイエット  /  diet  /  purposely losing weight
ストライキ  /  strike  /  demonstration, strike
ストライク  /  strike  /  strike (in baseball)
ゲイ  /  gay  /  relationship between men only
ドレス  /  dress  /  extravagant dress

Extension

The widening of a word’s meaning is not nearly as common as narrowing, but it does happen. In these cases, a word’s meaning is more generalized, or used to describe a broader range of ideas.

Examples:
レジ  /  register  /  cash register, cashier
ハンドル  /  handle  /  car steering wheel, bike handlebar, any other handle

Shifts in Meaning

It’s a fairly common occurrence for a word’s meaning to be shifted when it is enters another language. This means that the original meaning of a word is completely changed, and all hope of the foreign language’s speakers understanding it is lost. “What? サイダー (cider) means soda?!” Check it out:

Examples:
アベック  /  avec (with)  /  a romantic couple (old saying)
フェミニスト  /  feminist  /  a man who indulges in women; a gentlemen
マンション  /  mansion  /  large apartment complex
アイス  / ice  /  ice cream
カニング  /  cunning  /  cheating
バイキング  /  Viking  /  all-you-can-eat-buffet

Of course, Koichi’s post “These Words Are English, But You Won’t Understand Them” goes over even more examples.

Downgrading

“Downgrade? Honey, I only do upgrades.”

The meaning of a word can sometimes be downgraded, too. Downgrading is the lowering of importance or rank in terms of the social significance a word holds.

The examples below clarify this phenomenon.

Examples:
ボス  /  boss  /  the head of a group of politicians or gangsters
マダム/ママさん  /   Madam/mother  /  owner of a drinking establishment

Inventing Words

“Mathmatical!”

Just as many words were created in Japan from Chinese characters in the past, today many new “foreign” words are just inventions. I don’t know about you, but the concept of new English words being created in another language makes me feel both amazed and downright strange.

Often times new foreign words are created in Japanese by combining two or more already existing terms to make a completely new one. Sometime only parts of words such as the -er suffix are used. Some of the most bewildering words are invented by creating acronyms from foreign phrases. As you can imagine, this renders “foreign” words completely unrecognizable to speakers of the word’s language of origin. Mama mia! Invented words are so numerous, it would be insane to list as many as I could here, but here’s a nice sampling:

バックミラー  /  back + mirror  /  rearview mirror
テーブルスピーチ  /  table + speech  /  dinner speech
オーエル  /  OL  /  office lady
オールドミス  /  old + miss  /  an old, childless woman
ヘルスメーター  /  health + meter  /  a bathroom scale
ソープランド  / soap + land  /  a brothel
アイスキャンディース  /  ice + candy  /  popcicle
マイホーム  /  my home  /  a privately owned home
マイカー  /  my car  /  a privately owned car
パートタイマー  /  part-timer  /  someone who works part-time
ナイター  /  nigher  /  a night baseball game

Simplification

Taking words directly from another language is often times not the most convenient thing, especially when the word is 100 letters long and no one can pronounce it (antidisestablimentarianism? Riiiiighht). So, why not make it shorter? The Japanese have a tendency to shorten words more so than other languages. Four syllable abbreviations seem to be preferred, but you may also see other variations.

Examples:
アルミカン  /  aluminum can
セクハラ  /  sexual harassment
プリクラ  /  print club (purikura)
テレビ  /  television
トイレ  /  toilet
パソコン  /  (personal) computer
リモコン  /  remote control
エアコン  /  air conditioner
デジカメ  /  digital camera
ワープロ  /  Word processor

Confusion at Home

“English? You have wrong number.”

If learning loanwords is confusing for foreigners, it’s really not that much better for the Japanese population themselves. Since foreign loanwords are not written in Chinese characters anymore, Japanese people can’t easily guess their meanings if they don’t already know them. On top of that, foreign words are being poured into Japan at such a rate that even natives don’t understand them anymore. It is also difficult to learn these words because they are often introduced and then dropped faster than a hot potato, leaving no time for full absorption into the language.

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) conducted a multiple choice survey to see just how well foreign adopted words are understood by people in Japan. The results turned out to be very mixed and depended largely upon respondent groups. In other words, comprehension of foreign words depends largely on factors such as educational and occupational background. The survey also showed that foreign words were mostly understood in their Japanized forms, not in the context of their language of origin. It’s no wonder learning English can be difficult for Japanese students, they know a completely alternate version of it!

Movements have been made (mainly by angry old men) to stop the flow of foreign words into Japanese at the rate it’s been happening, but the madness continues. Stopping such a formidable force is no small feat, and language purist are undoubtedly fighting a losing battle as the “foreigners” take hold of their language. In fact, one 71 year old tried to sue NHK Broadcasting for the “mental distress” caused upon him because of all these foreign words.

But, when foreign words are being adopted, abandoned, changed, and invented the way they are in Japan, it really begs the question: “what is a loanword?” Can I call “back mirror” an English loanword? I honestly don’t know anymore. What do you think about loanwords in Japanese? Have you had trouble learning them? Do you think adopting so many words is advantageous or just silly? Let me know in the comments below, yo.

Read All the Posts in This Series:
Japanese, The Borrower Language Part 1: Where the Japanese Language Came From
Japanese, The Borrower Language Part 2: Twisting Words
Japanese, The Borrower Language Part 3: Why They Do It

The Definition of Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu

The definition of “yoroshiku onegaishimasu” is really hard. It’s one of those words that isn’t really translatable. It’s a concept that’s hard to grasp and hard to define in the English language (not to mention plenty of other languages as well). I’m sure that many of you will have “correct” definitions of yoroshiku onegaishimasu as well (put them in the comments / read the comments, they’re useful!). There are different ways that yoroshiku onegaishimasu is used, as well, depending on the situation. We’ll also take a look at the shorter, more casual yoroshiku, just in case you weren’t sure of the difference.

Let’s take a look at some attempts at “definitions.” Keep in mind, these definitions are clunky at best. We’ll take these and put them into “example situations” as well, so you can get a better understanding of these definitions a little later.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu:

In general, you’ll want to use this one in more formal situations, with people that have a higher status than you, and basically anytime you’re not sure which one to use. It’s more formal that yoroshiku on its own, but it’s also safer, too.

“Be Kind to me”

“I am in your debt”

“I’m counting on you”

“Please help me”

“Please take care of me”

“Nice to meet you”

Yoroshiku

This is pretty much the same thing as yoroshiku onegaishimasu, but it’s not as formal. If you’re not sure whether or not it’s okay to use yoroshiku on its own, you should probably just use yoroshiku onegaishimasu. It means the same things as what’s above.

The problem is that you can (kind of) define these words, but they still don’t really mean anything. How do you use these things? When do you use them? Why do you use them? All that’s important.

I think you probably have to experience using / seeing these things used quite a bit before the definitions start making sense. Why? Because the definitions don’t quite fit… at least not 100%. The English definitions just don’t define the feeling behind the words. Really, they are indescribable. You have to experience them first hand… or, at the very least, see a lot of examples.

Examples Of Yoroshiku Being Used

I’m not saying you’ll become a pro at using this undefinable word just by looking at examples, but it will definitely help. This is a very “situational” kind of word, and the more situations you see, the more you’ll come to understand the feelings behind them (and then come to understand the word yoroshiku as well). To understand these, you’ll have to know at least a beginner’s amount of Japanese (or perhaps even lower intermediate). No matter who you are, though, you can read through the explanations and still get a sense of the word, even if you can’t read what’s being said (just use the translations).

私はコウイチです。よろしくおねがいします。
I am Koichi. Nice to meet you / Please be kind to me

Of course, I’m not actually asking people to be kind because I think they’re mean. I’m saying that I’m happy they’re accepting my introduction, and accepting me. And I’m also saying I know that I’m not very high up, and I am just a small speck compared to everyone else. So, it’s not that I’m really asking them to be kind, at least not literally. I’m just saying that I’m sort of in their hands, and that they can do what they’d like with me. I’m just happy they allowed me to meet them and am hoping that future interactions are good.

ボッビーさんによろしくおねがいします。
Please send my regards to Bobby

I’m literally sending my “yoroshiku onegaishimasu” feelings to Bobby (ボッビーさんに). In this case, I’m just sending “my regards.” In this context, I’m not saying “nice to meet you” (I obviously know Bobby already), but I’m sending my regards to him. It’s kind of like saying “Say ‘hi’ to Bobby for me!”

You give something to a co-worker to do for you / a coworker is doing extra work for you

When you are heading out, you might say yoroshiku onegaishimasu to the co-worker, because he/she is helping you out with a project, or something. It’s like saying “thank you in advance” or “I’m counting on you.” This is more of the “I’m in your debt” kind of definition, though none of them really fit 100% perfectly, I’d say.

今年もよろしくお願いします
Please treat me well this year as well

It also has a feeling of “let’s do a good job again this year” or “let’s work well together again this year.” Really depends on the relationship, I suppose. It could also mean “please help me again this year” (in a very general sense).

If you’re joining a new group, school, company, etc

…saying yoroshiku onegaishimasu means something along the lines of “I’ll do my best through the future” or “I’m sorry, but please help me in future undecided times when you’ll have to help me” or “Please help me out.”

I’m going to stop there – as you can see, there are many different phrases and situations its used in. All of them have different definitions, based on the context. There are a few kind of “feelings” that yoroshiku onegaishimasu has, though.

Looking At Yoroshiku’s Kanji

The kanji for yoroshiku is actually pretty wild. In fact, I didn’t know a kanji for yoroshiku even existed until I saw it on the TextFugu forums (someone posted it up, and I was like… what the heck is that??). This word is almost always written in kana, not in kanji, which is why I thought it was weird. Here’s what it looks like:

夜露死苦

Updates: However, as you folks point out in the comments, there’s a better way to do the kanji – we’ll do both now, for fun.

The better way is this:

宜しく

This is just the adverb form of 宜しい, which means “good” or “alright.” Still don’t think this helps a ton in terms of figuring out a “better” definition for this word, but it helps a little. Couple this with onegaishimasu (お願いします) and we get a little more information, because お願いします means something more along the lines of “please help me” (and its meaning, while still also untranslatable, is a little more consistent… and I mean a little… than the whole phrase yoroshiku onegaishimasu).

宜しくお願いします

“good please help me”

So, this does kind of covers some of the feelings present when you say yoroshiku onegaishimasu. There is the feeling of a good future, and of relying on someone else to help you in some way (even if that help is just future acceptance of your existence). The kanji itself for 宜 means “good” or “best regards,” too, which points us even closer towards more of the contexts of yoroshiku that exist (remember in one of the examples where you “send your best wishes” to someone?). In effect, looking at this particular kanji (not the next one, thank you commenters!) actually does help decipher the meaning of this word just a little bit. It doesn’t give us a “perfect” translation, but it does help to show the feelings behind the word just a little bit better. Yet another reason to learn kanji (and learn it better than me, apparently :)

That being said, there’s an “ateji” version of yoroshiku as well. Ateji basically are kanji that contain the correct sounds used to “spell out” Japanese words. This is mostly done with kana now (especially katakana), but you still see it lingering around a decent bit. Here’s the ateji version of yoroshiku, which you saw briefly earlier:

夜露死苦

If you know a little bit of Japanese, you’ll know that yoroshiku is made up of four separate kana (よろしく). That means that this version consists of one kanji per kana. Wow. When I saw this kanji, I was (incorrectly) thinking… hmmm, I wonder if I can break these kanji apart, take their separate meanings, and come up with a slightly more accurate definition of yoroshiku (compared to all the other so-so definitions out there). I’m not sure if I came up with something better, but here’s a breakdown of the four kanji:

夜: Evening, Night

露: Dew

死: Death

苦: Hardship, Suffering

Usually when you break up jukugo words (combination kanji words), take their individual meanings, and put them together again, you come up with something that makes a good amount of sense. Unfortunately, when you break things up that consist of ateji kanji, they have almost no meaning or relation at all to the actual word itself. Only the sounds correlate, and that’s what happened here. Still though, I thought all these kanji just feel so… poetic… not to mention incredibly emo.

I feel like the first two go together (evening & dew) and the last two go together (death & hardship), but that’s about as far as you can take things. That’s the fun of kanji, I guess…

So, all that being said, I want to know what you think. You’ve learned the definition of yoroshiku. You’ve seen it in action to help you get a better idea of how it’s used and what it means, based on context. We’ve also looked at the kanji, which has helped a little. So, how would you define this word. Can you help come up with a “better” definition? The best answerers will get Tofugu Stickers (yes, they exist).

On top of all this, there are other good “yoroshiku” situations that exist out there… probably a ton more. If you’ve had experience with yoroshiku, share them in the comments below! The more examples people can see, the more they’ll understand the “feeling” behind よろしく, rather than the clunky definitions we try to make up for it.

P.S. Are you following Tofugu on Twitter? よろしくおねがいします!!