Abbreviated and contracted words are a common feature of
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
. Long words are often contracted into shorter forms, which then become the predominant forms. For example, the
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...
, in Japanese becomes , and "remote control", , becomes . Names are also contracted in this way. For example, Takuya Kimura, in Japanese ''
Kimura Takuya
is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia.
A 1996 television drama series, ''Lon ...
'', an entertainer, is referred to as ''Kimutaku''.
The names of some very familiar companies are also contractions. For example,
Toshiba
, commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure system ...
, Japanese , is a contraction or
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words[Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...](_blank)
, Japanese , is a contraction of .
The contractions may be commonly used, or they may be specific to a particular group of people. For example, the is known as by its employees, but this terminology is not familiar to most Japanese.
Patterns of contraction
Japanese words are spelled using characters that represent syllables (
morae
A mora (plural ''morae'' or ''moras''; often symbolized μ) is a basic timing unit in the phonology of some spoken languages, equal to or shorter than a syllable. For example, a short syllable such as ''ba'' consists of one mora (''monomoraic'') ...
), rather than individual phonetic units (
phoneme
In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language.
For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-west o ...
s) as in the English alphabet. These characters are compiled into two syllabaries:
hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''.
It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contrast ...
and
katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived fr ...
. Japanese also makes extensive use of adopted Chinese characters, or
kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
, which may be pronounced with one or more syllables. Therefore, when a word or phrase is abbreviated, it does not take the form of initials, but the key characters of the original phrase, such that a new word is made, often recognizably derived from the original. In contracted kanji words, the most common pattern of contraction is to take the first kanji of each word in a phrase and put them together as a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words[University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...](_blank)
.
There are also instances in which alternative readings of a particular kanji are used in the contraction. For example, Nagoya's main train station,
Nagoya Station
is a major railway station in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Japan. It is one of the world's largest train stations by floor area (410,000 m2), and houses the headquarters of the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). Much of this space is located in ...
, is referred to by locals as , a contraction of , in which the alternative reading of ''Na-'' (名), the first character in "Nagoya", is used.
In loanwords and names, the most common pattern is to take the first two
mora
Mora may refer to:
People
* Mora (surname)
Places Sweden
* Mora, Säter, Sweden
* Mora, Sweden, the seat of Mora Municipality
* Mora Municipality, Sweden
United States
* Mora, Louisiana, an unincorporated community
* Mora, Minnesota, a city
* M ...
e (or
kana
The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most pr ...
) of each of the two words, and combine them forming a new, single word. For example, "family restaurant" or ''famirī resutoran'' (ファミリーレストラン) becomes ''famiresu'' (ファミレス).
Yōon
The , also written as ''yōon'', is a feature of the Japanese language in which a mora is formed with an added sound, i.e., palatalized, or (more rarely in the modern language) with an added sound, i.e. labialized.
''Yōon'' are represented in ...
sounds, those sounds represented using a kana ending in ''i'' and a small ''ya'', ''yu'' or ''yo'' kana, such as ''kyo'' count as one mora. Japanese
long vowel
In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived length of a vowel sound: the corresponding physical measurement is duration. In some languages vowel length is an important phonemic factor, meaning vowel length can change the meaning of the word, f ...
s count as two morae, and may disappear (the same can be said for the
sokuon
The is a Japanese symbol in the form of a small hiragana or katakana '' tsu''. In less formal language it is called or , meaning "small ''tsu''". It serves multiple purposes in Japanese writing.
Appearance
In both hiragana and katakana, t ...
, or small ''tsu'' っ); Harry Potter, originally ''Harī Pottā'' (ハリーポッター), is contracted to ''Haripota'' (ハリポタ), or otherwise be altered; actress Kyoko Fukada, ''Fukada Kyōko'' (深田恭子), becomes ''Fukakyon'' (ふかきょん).
These abbreviated names are so common in Japan that many companies initiate abbreviations of the names of their own products. For example, the animated series ''
Pretty Cure
, also known as and ''PC'', is a Japanese magical girl anime franchise created by Izumi Todo and Bandai and produced by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, Asatsu-DK, Toei Animation and Bandai. Each series revolves around a group of magical girls kn ...
'' (プリティキュア) marketed itself under the four-character abbreviated name ''purikyua'' (プリキュア).
Long kanji names
Loanwords
Three and four character loanwords
Abbreviations
Created words
Many abbreviations, especially four-character words, have been created for particular products or TV shows.
Contractions of names
Highways and railway lines
Many highways and railway lines have names that are contractions of the names of their endpoints. For example, (
Tomei Expressway Tomei may refer to:
People with the surname Tomei, which is an Italian version of Thomas
*Concetta Tomei, (born 1945), American actress
*Louis Tomei (1910–1955), American racecar driver
*Marisa Tomei, (born 1964), American actress
Other:
*Tōmei ...
) takes one kanji (''tō'') from (
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
) and the other (''mei'') from (
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...
; its pronunciation changes from the
kun'yomi
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequent ...
''na'' to the
on'yomi
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequent ...
''mei''). (
Tokyu Toyoko Line Tokyu may refer to:
* Tokyu Group, a group of companies centered on Tokyu Corporation
** Tokyu Corporation, a Japanese railway company, the largest member and parent company of the group
** Tokyu Car Corporation, a former Japanese railway vehicle m ...
) links Tokyo and
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
, taking part of its name from each city.
Other examples include:
Sometimes names of this type preserve older place names. For instance, the character is taken from the word (''
Musashi''), which was once the name of the
Japanese province in which the city of Tokyo was located, can still be seen in the company names (
Tobu or "East Musashi"), (
Seibu or "West Musashi"), and in the (
Nanbu Line
The Nambu Line ( ja, 南武線,) is a Japanese railway line which connects Tachikawa Station in Tachikawa, Tokyo and Kawasaki Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. For most of its length, it parallels the Tama River, the natural border between Tokyo and ...
or "South Musashi Line").
Some other examples:
Single letters as abbreviations
Many single letters of the
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet or Roman alphabet is the collection of letters originally used by the ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered with the exception of extensions (such as diacritics), it used to write English and the o ...
have names that resemble the pronunciations of Japanese words or characters. Japanese people use them in contexts such as advertising to catch the reader's attention. Other uses of letters include abbreviations of spellings of words. Here are some examples:
*E: /いい (''ii''; the word for "good" in Japanese). The letter appears in the name of the company ''e-homes''.
*J: The first letter of "Japan" (日本) as in
J1 League
The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...
, J-Phone.
*Q: The kanji きゅう ("nine") has the reading ''kyū''. Japanese "Dial Q2"
premium-rate telephone number
Premium-rate telephone numbers are telephone numbers that charge callers higher price rates for select services, including information and entertainment. A portion of the call fees is paid to the service provider, allowing premium calls to be an ...
s start with 0990.
*S, M: used for
sadism and masochism
Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...
respectively, often referring to mild personality traits rather than sexual fetishes. "SM" is also used for
sadomasochism
Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...
, instead of "S&M" used in English, in a more sexual context.
*W: The English word "double." Japanese people sometimes pronounce the letter "double." ダブル For example, ”Wデート” (''W deeto'') means "double date(s)"; "WW Burger" from Freshness Burger has double beef and double cheese.
Longer Romaji abbreviations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Japanese Abbreviated And Contracted Words
Abbreviated and contracted words