aide: (山ピ → Peace Out Bitch)
Heather ([personal profile] aide) wrote2008-10-21 08:09 pm

Oshiete, sensei!

I just got this sudden idea after reading the label of my Nivea chapstick. Things you might find handy to know if you ever come to Japan! What is this mutant English they have created!?

Lip cream [リップクリーム]: chapstick/lip balm. Which is funny, because neither of those are creamy in the slightest. Guys wear chapstick/lip balm. Guys lips get chapped. Lip gloss on the other hand? Not unless you gay.

Pie sheet [パイシート]: pie crust. They come in frozen square sheets so... I guess that kind of makes sense.

Gasoline stand [ガソリンスタンド]: gas station

Toilet [トイレ]: washroom/bathroom. That's pretty much the same in most Asian countries I've been to, whereas for us, a toilet is just the porcelain throne.

Skinship [スキンシプ]: physical contact. They say the Japanese are not big on touching each other (unless you're familiar) but that's a load of bull. I see kids in my schools sitting on each other and wrestling all the time. I guess this one comes from skin + relationship; it took me about a month to figure out what the heck this one meant.

Mansion [マンション]: apartment (complex). A (usually) concrete apartment block is called a mansion and the units are also called mansions. Houses are houses and really big houses are still just houses. I could really give some people the wrong impression if I said I lived in a mansion.

I can't remember anymore right now, but I'll try and do this every once in a while; it's interesting don't you think?

[identity profile] genki-grandma.livejournal.com 2008-10-21 11:42 am (UTC)(link)
Sensei, sensei! I have questions! What is lipstick for women called? Is pie popular in Japan? Are there mutant French or mutant Italian words? ありがとございます!

[identity profile] maiaide.livejournal.com 2008-10-21 11:46 am (UTC)(link)
They call lip gloss just gloss, but I'm not sure about lipstick because I don't wear it. Pies as we know them, aren't so popular. No big rack of them sitting in the bakery section at the supermarket here. Cream puffs are called shuu-cream (from French cheux-creme); bread is pan (from Portuguese), they call pasta pasta. They are pretty good at keeping Italian words with the same meaning, weirdly.

[identity profile] genki-grandma.livejournal.com 2008-10-21 01:20 pm (UTC)(link)
If pies aren't popular, what do they use パイシート for? I can't imagine chicken pot pie being a big deal there but maybe Kentucky Fried Chicken sells those, too?

[identity profile] iaoiua.livejournal.com 2008-10-21 04:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm always amused by Jun's affinity for pasta - he seems to name them all by type and dish - is that the norm?