List of gairaigo and wasei-eigo terms
Gairaigo are Japanese words originating from, or based on, foreign-language, generally Western, terms. These include wasei-eigo. Many of these loanwords derive from Portuguese, due to Portugal's early role in Japanese-Western interaction; Dutch, due to the Netherlands' relationship with Japan amidst the isolationist policy of sakoku during the Edo period; and from French and German, due to France and Germany's cultural and scientific prominence during Japan's modernization in the Meiji period.
Most come from English, the dominant world language today. Due to the large number of western concepts imported into Japanese culture during modern times, there are thousands of these English borrowings. These English words are informally referred to as having been "Nipponized". A few of them, such as "salaryman", have been borrowed into English, together with their Japanese meanings.
Japanese vocabulary includes large numbers of words from Chinese, borrowed at various points throughout history. However, since the Japanese language has such strong historical ties to the Chinese language, these loans are not generally considered gairaigo.
Many loanwords are pseudo-borrowings: despite their links to foreign language words, the word forms as used in modern Japanese, are not used in the same way in their languages of origin. Many such terms, despite their similarity to the original foreign words, are not easily understood by speakers of those languages, e.g. left over as a baseball term for a hit that goes over the left-fielder's head, rather than uneaten food saved for a later meal as in English—or famikon, ファミコン, from "family computer", which actually refers to the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Examples
Due to the extent of Japanese borrowings, particularly from English, this list focuses mainly on pseudo-borrowings and commonly used loanwords from languages other than English, which are often mistaken for English words in Japan. Most loanwords, and all modern loans, are transcribed in katakana, a Japanese syllabary. Older loans may be written using ateji, with Kanji used to represent their phonetic readings without necessarily inheriting their meaning.In words composed of both a loan and native Japanese, the Japanese can function as a morpheme within a compound, and would generally be written in Kanji if possible, or can be attached to the foreign word to inflect or otherwise modify it, as if it were okurigana, which is written in hiragana.
| Japanese | Hepburn romanization | Origin | Meaning | Language of origin |
| アベック | avec | romantic couple | French | |
| アフレコ | af + recor | postrecording, dubbing | English | |
| アフターサービス | after service | customer service, user support, after-care, service | English | |
| アイドル | idol | idol, pop star | English | |
| アイス, アイスクリーム | ice/Eis, ice cream | ice; ice cream | English / German | |
| アイスキャンディー | ice + candy | popsicle, ice lolly | English | |
| アイゼン | eisen | crampons | German | |
| アーカイブ | archive | archive | English | |
| アメフト | Ame foot | American football | English | |
| アメリカンドッグ | American dog | corn dog | English | |
| アニメ | ' | anima, anime | animation, animated cartoons or films | English |
| アニソン | ani + son | an anime song, most often the theme | English | |
| アンジェル | angel | angel | English | |
| アンケート | enquête | questionnaire, survey | French | |
| アンニュイ | ennui | ennui, boredom | French | |
| アンサー | answer | reply to a question, solution to a problem | English | |
| アンチ | anti- | hater, anti-fan | English | |
| アパート | apart | apartment, flat, though apāto are usually in small two-story wood-structure buildings, not multistory complexes as in the US usage | English | |
| アポ | appo | appointment | English | |
| アップル | apple | apple | English | |
| 〜アップ | up | to upgrade or improve. Coupled with English or pseudo-English nouns that indicate what that something is; e.g., version-up: upgrade, buy the next-better version or model of something, improve the appearance of something; image-up: improve the image of, improve one's outward appearance; "weight-up": to gain weight; manner-up: improve one's manners, learn manners or etiquette; power-up: an object that instantly benefits or adds extra abilities to a video game character; base-up, level-up: take to the next or a higher level of quality; also base-up : to raise the base wage of the workers | English | |
| アロエ | aloë | aloe | Dutch | |
| アルバイト or バイト | or | Arbeit | part-time job | German |
| アールブイ | RV | truck, van, SUV, recreational vehicle | English | |
| アルコール | alcohol, álcool | alcohol, alcoholic beverage | English | |
| アウトコース | out-course | outside | English | |
| バッド | bad | bad | English | |
| バーゲン | bargain | a sale at a store | English | |
| バイキング | viking | smorgasbord, buffet. | English | |
| バイク | bike | a motorcycle, but not a bicycle | English | |
| バカンス | vacances | holiday, vacation | French | |
| ブルー | blue | blue | English | |
| ブックカバー | book cover | dust jacket | English | |
| バックミラー | back mirror | rear-view mirror | English | |
| バックナンバー | back number | back issue, back number | English | |
| バックネット | back net | a backstop | English | |
| バンパー | bumper | a horizontal bar fixed across the front or back of a motor vehicle to reduce damage in a collision or as a trim | English | |
| バリアフリー | barrier-free | accessible facilities for handicapped persons | English | |
| バリカン | Bariquand et Marre | hand-operated or electric hair trimmer | French | |
| バスジャック | bus jack | a bus hijacking | English | |
| バター | butter | butter, sometimes used on food packaging for margarine | English | |
| バッティング | batting or butting | Swing the bat in baseball; or, to project forward or propose competitively on business or others by two or more parties, like "butting heads" by animals. | English | |
| ベビーカー | baby car | stroller, pushchair or pram | English | |
| ベッドタウン | bed town | bedroom suburbs, bedroom community, dormitory suburb, commuter town | English | |
| ベジタリアン | vegetarian | vegetarian | English | |
| ビー玉 | vi + 玉 | marbles | Portuguese + Japanese | |
| ビジネスホテル | business hotel | budget hotel | English | |
| ビロード | veludo | velvet | Portuguese | |
| ビル | buil | building | English | |
| ビール | bier | beer | Dutch | |
| ボンベ | Bombe | a steel canister for storing pressurized gas, such as a propane tank | German | |
| ボールペン | ball pen | a ballpoint pen | English | |
| ボタン | botão | button | Portuguese | |
| ブラセラ or ブルセラ | or | bloo sailor | panty fetishism, especially with teenage girls wearing school outfits and bloomers. | English |
| ブレザー | blazer | blazer, or a Japanese school uniform that includes that garment. It usually has buttons down the front and a vest under it with a white collared shirt. | English | |
| ブルマ | bloomers | short pants worn for exercise by girls, usually in PE class in high school | English | |
| キャビンアテンダント | cabin attendant | A flight attendant | English | |
| チャージ | charge | to top up, to add value, used for e-payment | English | |
| チャームポイント | charm point | most attractive feature | English | |
| チャンプルー | campur | stir fry dish from Okinawa | Malay / Indonesian | |
| チャレンジ | challenge | duel, contest, competition | English | |
| チェンジレバー | change + lever | gearshift, gear lever, gear stick | English | |
| チェリーボーイ | cherry boy | a male virgin | English | |
| チアガール, チアマン, チアリーダー | cheer girl, cheer man, cheerleader | , cheerleader | English | |
| チンキ | tinktuur | tincture | Dutch | |
| チューハイ or 酎ハイ | 酎 + high(ball) | a kind of alcoholic drink from Japan | Japanese + English | |
| コラボ | collab | collaboration; crossover | English | |
| コンピューター or コンピュータ | or | computer | computer | English |
| ダブル, ダブる. Also: "W" | double | double; double-breasted, or turn-ups on trousers; to be redundant or doubled | English | |
| ダンス | dance | dance | English | |
| ダンプカー | dump car | dump truck, dumper | English | |
| ダストボックス | dust box | rubbish bin, garbage can | English | |
| ダストシュート | dust chute | garbage chute | English | |
| ダッチワイフ | Dutch + wife | sex doll | English | |
| ダウンロードオンリーメンバー | download-only member | a computing leech | English | |
| 〜ティック or 〜チック | or | "-tic", as in tic, tic | -esque, attached to a noun. For example, a product with cute character illustrations may be considered "Akihabara-chikku". | English |
| デッドボール | dead ball | hit by a pitch | English | |
| デフォルト | deforuto | default | ordinary option | English |
| デコレーションケーキ | decoration cake | a fancy cake | English | |
| 電子レンジ or レンジ | or | 電子 + range | a microwave oven | Japanese + English |
| デパート | depart | department store | English | |
| デパ地下 | depa + 地下 | a shopping area, often focused on food and located adjacent to train stations, found in major cities in Japan | English + Japanese | |
| デリバリーヘルス | delivery health | a form of prostitution, essentially a call girl or escort service | English | |
| デッサン | dessin | line drawing, sketch | French | |
| デスク | desk | an editor for a certain section of a publication. A desk. | English | |
| ドアカット | door + cut | selective door operation | English | |
| ドイツ | Duits, Deutsch | Germany | Dutch, German | |
| ドクター ストップ | doctor stop | a doctor's order / advice / recommendation to a patient to cease doing something | English | |
| ドンマイ | don mi | "don't worry about it", "don't pay any mind", "it's/I'm OK", "no problem". Used when something goes wrong. | English | |
| ドライバー | driver | a screwdriver; motor vehicle driver | English | |
| ドライブイン | drive in | rest area, motor lodge, drive-in | English | |
| ドラマ | drama | TV drama, soap opera | English / Spanish / Latin | |
| ドリフト | drift | drifting | English | |
| エアコン | air con / con | air conditioning or air conditioner | English | |
| AV | or | wasei-eigo AV | adult video; audiovisual | English |
| エキス | ex | extract | Dutch | |
| エネルギー | Energie | energy | German | |
| エネルギッシュ | energisch | energetic | German | |
| エンスト | en sto | stall | English | |
| NG | n + g | not good or no good, acronym | English | |
| エレベーター | elevator | elevator, lift | English | |
| エロ | ero | erotic | Greek / English / Spanish | |
| エログ | ero + log | erotic blog, adult-oriented blog | English | |
| エログロ | ero gro | an artistic movement featuring "erotic grotesque nonsense" that emerged in Japan in the early 20th century | English | |
| エール | yell | to cheer on a player in a sports competition; to express support for a candidate in an election | English | |
| LLC | acronym for "long-life coolant" | antifreeze coolants | English | |
| エスケープ | escape | run away | English | |
| エステ | esthé | beauty salon, esthetic clinic | French | |
| ファイナル | final | last | English | |
| ファイト | fight | often used to mean "Do your best!" or "I'll do my best." | English | |
| ファミコン | ' | fami com | the Nintendo Entertainment System, known as the Family Computer in Japan. Also a catch-all term by the older generation for any gaming console. | English |
| ファンファーレ | Fanfare | a musical fanfare | German | |
| ファンタジック | fantasy + -ic | fantastic | English | |
| ファッションヘルス | fashion health | a form of brothel | English | |
| フェッチ | fetch | To fetch an instruction from main memory when a microprocessor executes a command | English | |
| ～フェチ | feti | fetish | English | |
| フィリピンパブ | Philippines + pub | a bar with Filipino staff | English | |
| フォアボール | four ball | base on balls | English | |
| フライ | fly | fly ball | English | |
| フライ | fry | deep frying | English | |
| フライパン | fry + pan | frying pan | English | |
| フライドポテト | fried potato | french fries, chips | English | |
| フライング | flying | premature start, breakaway | English | |
| フライングゲット | flying get | to purchase an item before its official release date | English | |
| フリーダイアル or フリーダイヤル, フリーコール | or | free dial, free call | toll-free call | English |
| フリーサイズ | free size | one-size-fits-all | English | |
| フリーター | free Arbei or: free time | underemployed young adults, people who opt to work part-time jobs rather than engage in permanent employment | English + German | |
| フロント | front | the reception desk, e.g. at a hotel or a sentō | English | |
| フロントガラス | front glass | windshield, windscreen | English | |
| フルベース | full base | bases loaded | English | |
| ガードマン | guard man | a security guard, a person who directs traffic around work sites | English | |
| ガラス or 硝子 | glas or glass | glass | Dutch / English | |
| ガソリンスタンド | gasoline stand | gas station, petrol station | English | |
| ガタパーチャ | getah perca or gutta percha | a hard tough thermoplastic substance which is the coagulated latex of certain Malaysian trees | Malay / Indonesian via English | |
| ガッツポーズ | guts pose | fist pump, victory pose, named for boxer Guts Ishimatsu | English | |
| ガーゼ | Gaze | gauze | German | |
| ゲームクリエーター | game creator | game developer | English | |
| ゲームセンター or ゲーセン | or | game centre | video arcade | English |
| ゲームセット | Game, set(, match) | announcement for the conclusion of a competition. Used in sports, as well as some video games | English | |
| ゲレンデ | Gelände | ski slope | German | |
| ギブ | give | to give up | English | |
| ギプス or ギブス | or | Gips | cast | German |
| ゴム | gom | rubber, eraser, rubber band | Dutch | |
| ゴールデンアワー or ゴールデンタイム | or | golden hour or golden time | prime time in Japanese television | English |
| ゴールデンウィーク or ゴールデンウイーク | or | golden week | A week of holidays in Japan, Golden Week. | English |
| ググる | Goog + -ru | to google | English + Japanese | |
| グラビア | gravure | glamour photography | English | |
| グラス | glass | drinking glass | English | |
| グロ | gro | grotesque | English | |
| ギャラリー | gallery | an art gallery, audience, or a pool of celebrities on a program. | English | |
| ギャル | gal | a young woman who belongs to the gyaru subculture | English | |
| ハイカラ | high colla | a person who was devoted to Western fashions, trends and values. E.g., manga/anime Haikara-san ga Tōru. | English | |
| ハイネック | high neck | A turtleneck style shirt or sweater | English | |
| ハイオク | high octane | high-octane gasoline | English | |
| ハイタッチ | high touch | high five | English | |
| ハッカー | hacker | refers specifically to a computer black hat | English | |
| ハモる | harmo + -ru | to harmonize | English + Japanese | |
| ハンバーグ | hamburg | Salisbury steak | English | |
| ハンチング帽 | hunting + 帽 | deerstalker cap, hunting cap | English + Japanese | |
| ハンドル | handle | steering wheel or bicycle handlebars | English | |
| ハンドルキーパー | handle keeper | designated driver | English | |
| ハンドルネーム | handle name | handle, screen name | English | |
| ハンカチ | hankerchie | handkerchief | English | |
| ハンスト | hun st | hunger strike | English | |
| ハッピーエンド | happy end | a happy ending | English | |
| ハウス | house | greenhouse or glasshouse | English | |
| ハザードランプ | hazard lamp | hazard flashers or hazard lights | English | |
| ヘアピンカーブ | hairpin curve | hairpin turn | English | |
| ヘルスメーター | health meter | bathroom scales, scales | English | |
| ヒステリー | Hysterie | loss of control | German | |
| ヒップ | Hips | buttocks, butt | English | |
| ヒップホップ | hiphop | hiphop | English | |
| ヒーリング | healing | healing | English | |
| ホルモン | Hormon | hormone; also offal when served for yakiniku or hotpot | German | |
| ホース | hoos | a hose | Dutch | |
| ホッチキス | Hotchkiss | stapler | English | |
| ホテヘルス | hote + health | erotic massage provided in a hotel room | English | |
| ホテトル | hote + Tur | sexual services provided in a hotel room | English | |
| ホットケーキ | hotcake | a pancake, hotcake | English | |
| ホーム | form | a railway platform | English | |
| ホワイトデー | White + Day | White Day, a month after Valentine's Day | English | |
| イエス | Jesus | Jesus | Greek | |
| イエスー | yes | yes | English | |
| イギリス | *inglês or inglés | English, England or the United Kingdom | *Portuguese and Spanish | |
| イクラ | икра | salmon roe | Russian | |
| イメージ | image | an image, often used to indicate an artist's rendering or a graphic intended to provide a conceptual image of a situation; especially in advertising and design, a conceptual description intended to conjure a mental image of an abstract situation; impression or perception of an entity. | English | |
| イメージクラブ | image + club | a type of brothel in which the staff dress in costumes | English | |
| インスタ | Insta | English | ||
| インフレ | infla | inflation | English | |
| イン・キー | in key | locking one's car keys inside of one's car | English | |
| イラスト | illust | an illustration | English | |
| イスパニア or イスパニャ | or | Espanha or Hispania | Spain | Portuguese / Latin |
| インターネット | internet | internet | English | |
| イヤー・オブ・ザ・コーチ | year of the coach | coach of the year | English | |
| ジャンパー | jumper | jacket, jumper | English | |
| ジャンプ | jump | jump | English | |
| ジェンダーフリー | gender free | gender equality, gender blind | English | |
| ジェットコースター | jet coaster | roller coaster | English | |
| ジンギスカン | Genghis Khan | jingisukan | Mongolian | |
| ジングルベル | jingle + bell | Jingle Bells | English | |
| ジーパン | jea + pan | jeans | English | |
| ジープ | jeep | a small, sturdy motor vehicle with four-wheel drive, especially one used by the military | English | |
| ジュース | juice | juice; soda or energy drinks, regardless of whether they contain any juice | English | |
| カーセックス | car + sex | public sex | English | |
| カチューシャ | Katyusha, a character in the novel Resurrection | Alice band: horseshoe-shaped hairband made of metal or plastic. However, in Russian it is ободок. | Russian | |
| カメラマン | cameraman | photographer or cameraman | English | |
| カモン or カモーン | or | come on | An invitation to join an activity or event. | English |
| カン or 缶 | kan | can | Dutch | |
| カンニング | cunning | cheating | English | |
| カッパ or 合羽 | capa, capa | coat | Portuguese / Spanish | |
| カラン | kraan | faucet, tap | Dutch | |
| カラオケ | 空 + orche | karaoke | Japanese + English | |
| カリウム or カリ or 加里 | or | kalium | potassium | Dutch |
| カルキ | kalk | lime (mineral) | Dutch | |
| カルピス | cal + सर पिस pis | Calpis | English + Sanskrit | |
| カルタ | carta | karuta | Portuguese / Spanish | |
| カルテ | Karte | medical record | German | |
| カシューナッツ | cashew nut | cashew | English | |
| カステラ | Castela | castella, a kind of sponge cake at festivals and a street food in Japan | Portuguese | |
| カタルシス | katharsis | catharsis, purification, purgation | Greek | |
| キーホルダー | key holder | key ring or key chain | English | |
| キリスト or 基督 | Cristo | Christ | *Portuguese / Spanish | |
| キスマーク | kiss mark | hickey | English | |
| キッチンペーパー | kitchen paper | paper towel | English | |
| コード | chord | chord | English | |
| コーヒー or 珈琲 | koffie | coffee | Dutch | |
| コインランドリー | coin laundry | laundromat, launderette | English | |
| コインロッカー | coin locker | coin-operated locker | English | |
| コインロッカーベイビー | coin locker baby | Coin-operated-locker babies, babies abandoned in a coin locker | English | |
| コック | kok | a cook | Dutch | |
| コマーシャルメッセージ or CM | commercial message | television advertisement | English | |
| コミカライズ | comic + -ize | to make a comic strip version of an originally non-comic strip title, such as a novel, movie, or TV show. | English | |
| コンビニ | conveni | convenience store | English | |
| コンビナート | комбинат | combine (enterprise) | Russian | |
| コンクール | concours | a contest, a competition | French | |
| コンセント | concent | electrical outlet | English | |
| コント | conte | a short comedy | French | |
| コップ | copo | a glass or tumbler | Portuguese | |
| コラーゲン | Kollagen | collagen | German | |
| コロッケ | croquette | croquette, a small fried roll | English | |
| コスプレ | cos play | cosplay | English | |
| クラブ or 倶楽部 | club | a club or society | English | |
| クラクション | Klaxon | horn | English | |
| クランケ | Kranker | patient | German | |
| クラス | class | class | English | |
| クレーム | claim | a complaint | English | |
| クレーンゲーム | crane + game | claw crane | English | |
| クリスタル | crystal | shiny or clear | English | |
| キャバクラ | cabaret club | hostess club | English | |
| キャベツ | cabbage | cabbage | English | |
| キャンペーン | campaign | a sales campaign or sweepstakes | English | |
| キャンピングカー | camping-car | a recreational vehicle. | French-made English | |
| キャッチボール | catch ball | the game of catch or a fast-paced conversation, especially in English | English | |
| キャッチホン | catch phone | call waiting | English | |
| キャッチコピー | catch copy | tagline | English | |
| ランド | land | area of ground | English | |
| マグカップ | mug cup | mug | English | |
| マイナスドライバー | minus driver | screwdriver | English | |
| マイ〜 | my | Someone's own. E.g., mai būmu: personal taste; mai kã: one's own car; mai waifu : one's wife; mai hōmū: one's own house; mai pēsu: doing things at one's own pace, taking one's time. Confusingly for English speakers, this can be used to refer to someone else's car, wife, home, etc. | English | |
| マジックインキ | Magic Ink | permanent marker | English | |
| マジックテープ | magic tape | velcro | English | |
| ママ | mamá | mom | Spanish | |
| マンダラ or 曼陀羅 | मण्डल | mandala | Sanskrit via Chinese | |
| マニア | mania | enthusiasm, enthusiast | English | |
| マンジャカニ | manjakani | a species of oak, bearing galls that used for traditional medicine in Asia | Malay / Indonesian | |
| マンション | mansion | modern concrete apartment / condominium block | English | |
| 満タン | 満 + tan | full tank | Japanese + English | |
| マントル | man + Tur | sexual services provided in a private apartment | English | |
| マロン | marron | chestnut, eye colour | French | |
| マスコミ | mass communication | mass media, the media, the press | English | |
| マザコン | mother com | Oedipus complex, a strong attachment to one's mother ; "girly man" | English | |
| マゾ | masochiste | masochist | French | |
| メーカー | maker | manufacturer | English | |
| メモリ | memory | memory | English | |
| メンヘラ | mental health | a person with a mental disorder | English | |
| メリークリスマス | Merry Christmas | Merry Christmas | English | |
| メール | English | |||
| メールマガジン | mail magazine | e-mail newsletter, ezine | English | |
| メルヘン | Märchen | fairy tale | German | |
| メタボ | metabo | Fat around the middle, big-bellied | English | |
| ミクスチャーロック | mixture + rock | rock music with rap, hip-hop, and reggae influences; also, as a catch-all term to describe such genres as rap rock, nu metal | English | |
| ミニアルバム | mini + album | extended play | English | |
| ミイラ or 木乃伊 | mirra | a mummy | Portuguese / Spanish | |
| ミルク | milk | milk, non-dairy creamer | English | |
| ミシン | machine | sewing machine | English | |
| モバイル | mobile | mobile communications, mobile communications capability, or mobile communications devices, esp. PDAs and personal computers with wireless communications capabilities | English | |
| モバメ | mobile + mail | mobile phone-based mailing list subscription, usually used by entertainers to share their daily activities with fans | English | |
| モボ | mo bo | young men adopting western styles and behaviours | English | |
| モガ | mo gi | young women adopting western styles and behaviours, flapper | English | |
| モーニングコール | morning call | wake-up call | English | |
| モーニングコート or モーニング | or | morning coat | morning coat | English |
| モーニングサービス or モーニング | morning service | breakfast special, complimentary toast, hard-boiled egg et al. that is served at cafes when a cup of coffee is ordered | English | |
| モラトリアム人間 | moratorium + 人間 | a person who, having completed education and other preparations, delays the transition from student to productive member of society, staying in an uncertain limbo of continued education, part-time work, and parental support | English + Japanese | |
| モーテル | motel | recently called as "love hotel". Does not have meaning of English "motel" used by tourists with their own vehicles. | English | |
| ムーディ | moody | nice | English | |
| ムーンサルト | moon + Salto | an artistic gymnastics maneuver. Also used to describe a professional wrestling maneuver. | English + German | |
| ミュージック | music | music | English | |
| ナイター | night + -er | a night game | English | |
| ナンバーディスプレイ | number display | caller ID | English | |
| ネーム | name | manga storyboard, rough draft | English | |
| ナンバープレート | number plate | number plate, license plate | English | |
| ナトリウム | Natrium | sodium | Latin via German | |
| ナイス | nice | nice | English | |
| ニュース | news | news | English | |
| ニート or NEET | Not in Employment, Education or Training | underemployed young adults, akin to freeter | English | |
| ノー | no | no | English | |
| ノイローゼ | Neurose | neurosis | German | |
| ノークレームノーリターン | no claim, no return | sold "as is" | English | |
| ノルマ | норма | quota, minimum requirement | Russian | |
| ノート | note | a notebook | English | |
| ノートパソコン | note + perso + com | laptop | English | |
| ニューハーフ | new-half | A transgender individual that has undergone a sex change operation. | English | |
| オーバー | over | overreaction to a situation or the end of a dating relationship | English | |
| オーバーライド | override | override | English | |
| オブ | of | of | English | |
| OB, OG | old boy, old girl | alumnus, alumna, former student; furthermore used for former sport team members, employees, politicians etc., for former members of any kind of organisation likewise | English | |
| オーダーメード | order + made | bespoke | English | |
| オーディエンス | audience | group of people who participate in a show | English | |
| オードブル | hors-d'œuvre | hors-d'œuvre | French | |
| オーエル | O.L. | female office worker, usually in a clerical or support job | English | |
| オフ | off | a sale at a store; e.g., a "big summer off" | English | |
| オフヴォーカル | off + vocal | backing track, instrumental | English | |
| オイルショック | oil + shock | oil crisis | English | |
| オージー | orgy | an orgy | English | |
| オナニー | Onanie | masturbation | German | |
| オンリーワン | only one | one-of-a-kind or unique; e.g., オンリーワン技術 or オンリーワン商品 | English | |
| オペ | OP | surgical operation, minor surgery | German | |
| オープンカー | open car | convertible | English | |
| オーライ | a righ | all right, OK | English | |
| オレンジ | orange | orange | English | |
| オルゴール | orgel | a music box or any instrument that operates off of a music roll, such as a calliope | Dutch | |
| オートバイ | auto-bi | motorcycle, motorbike | English | |
| パイプカット | pipe cut | vasectomy | English | |
| パイン | pine | pineapple | English | |
| パーマ | perma | perm | English | |
| パン | pão, pan | bread | Portuguese / Spanish | |
| パネリスト | panelist | panelist | English | |
| パンク | punc | flat tire | English | |
| パンスト | pan + sto | pantyhose | English | |
| パソコン | perso com | PC | English | |
| パーソナルコンピューター | personal computer | personal computer | English | |
| パンツ | pants | underpants | English | |
| パパ | papà or papá | dad | Italian / Spanish | |
| ペチカ | печка | Russian stove | Russian | |
| ペアルック | pair look | matching outfits | English | |
| ペンギン | "penguin" | Penguin | English | |
| ペニス | penis | the penis | English | |
| ペンション | pension | a resort hotel / chalet / cottage | French | |
| ペーパーカンパニー | paper company | dummy company, shell company | English | |
| ペーパードライバー | paper driver | a person who has a driver's license but does not usually drive | English | |
| ペパロニ, ペッペロニ | pepperoni | Pepperoni | English | |
| ペーパーテスト | paper test | written examination/test | English | |
| ピエロ | pierrot | a clown | French | |
| ピーマン | piment | sweet bell pepper | French | |
| ピッケル | pickel | ice axe | German | |
| ピクニック | pikunikko | picnic | meal outside | English |
| ピザ, ピッザ | pizza | pizza | Italian | |
| ピンサロン | pink + salon | sex parlor | English | |
| ピンチ | pinch | potentially disastrous situation | English | |
| ピンセット | pincet | tweezers | Dutch | |
| ポエマー | poema + -er | a poet | English + Spanish | |
| ポケベル | pocke bell | beeper, pager | English | |
| ポケモン | pocke mon | Pokémon | English | |
| パンチ | punch | punch | English | |
| ポンプ | pomp | pump | Dutch | |
| ポシェット | pochette | a small bag | French | |
| ポスト | post | a mailbox, a postbox | English | |
| ポテチ | potato + chips | potato chips | English | |
| プラスアルファ | plus alpha | in addition, a little bit more, with something else | English + Greek | |
| プラスドライバー | plus driver | Phillips screwdriver | English | |
| プレー, プレイ | play | play | English | |
| プレイ | pray | pray | English | |
| プレイガイド | play + guide | ticket agency | English | |
| プリクラ | Print Club | Photo booth | English | |
| プロ | professional | describes a business professional or professional sports | English | |
| プロフィール | profil | a profile | French | |
| プロレス | pro wrest | professional wrestling | English | |
| プッシュホン | push phone | push-button telephone. A genericized trademark first registered by the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation | English | |
| ラブドール | love + doll | a sex doll made of silicone | English | |
| ラブホテル | love hotel | love hotel | English | |
| ライバル | rival | A fellow competitor or an enemy | English | |
| ライブアクション | live-action | animated or comic form stories made into TV shows/movies involving real actors. It's the opposite of komikarizu | English | |
| ライブハウス | live house | club with live music, rock bar | English | |
| ライフライン | lifeline | infrastructure | English | |
| ラッコ | rakko | a sea otter | Ainu | |
| ラムネ | lemona | Ramune | English | |
| ランドセル | ransel | a hard schoolbag, worn on the back, carried by young children to school | Dutch | |
| ランジェリーパブ | lingerie + pub | a public house in which the waitresses work in their underwear | English | |
| ランニングホームラン | running home run | an inside-the-park home run | English | |
| ランニングシャツ | running shirt | a sleeveless T-shirt | English | |
| ランサ | langsat | Lansium parasiticum | Malay / Indonesian | |
| レジュメ | résumé | a resume, an outline | French | |
| レントゲン | Röntgen | X-ray, X-ray medical imaging | German | |
| レースクイーン | race queen | umbrella girls | English | |
| レストラン | restaurant | restaurant | French | |
| リベンジ | revenge | return match, rematch, chance for redemption after a failed attempt | English | |
| リーチ | reach | One step away from winning. Usually used in mahjong. | English | |
| リードオンリーメンバー | read-only member | an internet lurker, thought to be a pun on "read-only memory" | English | |
| リフォーム | reform | remodel, renovation | English | |
| リモコン | remo con | remote control | English | |
| リンクフリー | link free | free to link | English | |
| リニューアル | renewal | remodeling | English | |
| リサイクルショップ | recycle shop | secondhand shop | English | |
| リセマラ | reset marathon | uninstalling and reinstalling a game in order to re-roll certain starting items or statistics until a desirable result is achieved | English | |
| リストラ | restru | restructuring, but with emphasis on lowering headcounts as in downsizing, termination as a redundancy; to downsize, lay off or terminate as a redundancy. When used in the passive, to get or have been made redundant, downsized | English | |
| ロードショー | roadshow | premiere, especially of a film | English | |
| ロケーションハンティング, ロケハン | location hunting | location scout | English | |
| ロマン | roman | novel, something that rouses one's dreams / longings | French | |
| ロマンスグレー | romance grey | silver-gray hair | English | |
| ロマンスカー | Romancecar | deluxe train | English | |
| ロンパリ | Lon + Paris | slang for strabismus, alluding to one eye looking toward London while the other looking toward Paris | English + French | |
| ロープウェー | ropeway | ropeway | English | |
| ロリコン | Loli com | sexual attraction to fictional and real underage girls, or ephebophilia. | English | |
| ロスタイム | loss time | added time, additional time | English | |
| ルー | roux | roux, most commonly used in describing the sauce of the popular dish, curry rice | French | |
| ルポ | repo | reportage | French | |
| リュックサック | Rucksack | backpack, rucksack | German | |
| サービス | service | service, often used to describe something as being free of charge | English | |
| サボる | sabo + -ru | to slack off, to shirk one's duties | French + Japanese | |
| サド | (Marquis de) Sade | sadist | French | |
| サイドブレーキ | side brake | hand brake, parking brake, emergency brake | English | |
| サイダー | cider | a kind of soda unrelated to actual cider | English | |
| サイコ | psycho | psychopath | English | |
| サイン | sign | signature, autograph | English | |
| サインペン | sign pen | marker, Trade name of Pentel's | English | |
| サンドイッチ or サンド | sand | sandwich | English | |
| サンドバッグ | sandbag | punching bag | English | |
| サラダ | salada or salad | salad | Portuguese / English | |
| サラク | salak | Salacca zalacca | Malay / Indonesian | |
| サラリーマン | salaried man | salaryman: a salaried office/white collar worker | English | |
| サイエンス | science | science | English | |
| セックス | sex | sexual intercourse | English | |
| セフレ | se + frie | casual sexual partner | English | |
| セクハラ | sex hara | sexual harassment | English | |
| セメダイン | ceme dyne | glue, adhesive. A genericized trademark of Cemedine Co., Ltd. | English | |
| センス | sense | understanding of subtleties | English | |
| セレブ | celeb | a rich person, whether or not they are famous | English | |
| セツナ or 剎那 | क्षण | moment | Sanskrit via Chinese | |
| シャボン玉 | xabon + 玉 | soap bubble | Spanish + Japanese | |
| シャープペンシル or シャーペン | or | Shar pencil | mechanical pencil | English |
| シャッターチャンス | shutter + chance | the perfect opportunity to take a photograph | English | |
| シーエム | C.M. | television commercial | English | |
| シール | seal | sticker, decal | English | |
| シルバーシート | silver seat | priority seating on public transportation. | English | |
| シュークリーム | chou crème | a cream puff | French, English | |
| シュプール | spoor | trail from/for skis | Dutch | |
| シュプレヒコール | Sprechchor | chant | German | |
| シュラーフ / シュラーフザック | Schlaf / Schlafsack | sleeping bag | German | |
| ソファー | sofā | sofa | a sofa | English |
| ソフト | soft | video game console or computer software; also used to describe tasks or work requiring imagination, foresight, and intuition | English | |
| ソフトクリーム | or | soft cream | soft serve | English |
| ソーラーシステム | solar system | a solar battery | English | |
| すべた or スベタ | espada | unattractive woman | *Portuguese / Spanish | |
| スイートルーム | suite room | a suite in a hotel | English | |
| スケボー | skabo | skateboard | English | |
| スケルトン | skeleton | translucent | English | |
| スキー | ski | skiing | English | |
| スキンシップ | skin + -ship | skinship | English | |
| スコップ | schop | trowel, spade, shovel | Dutch | |
| スマート | smart | slim, stylish, well-dressed, cool, handsome | English | |
| スマホ | sma + ho | smartphone | English | |
| スムーズ | smooth | When a plan or transaction happens without incident | English | |
| スーパー | super | supermarket | English | |
| スパッツ, スパッツタイツ | spats, spats tights | tights, leggings | English | |
| スペイン | Spain | Spain | English | |
| スペル | spell | spelling | English | |
| スピン | spin | a ribbon or tassel on a book | English | |
| スポイト | spuit | syringe, dropper | Dutch | |
| スリーサイズ | three size | three primary female body measurements | English | |
| スター | star | star, Starr | English | |
| スタイル | style | body shape; style | English | |
| ステップ | step | step, steppe | English/German | |
| ストライキ or スト | or | strike or st | labor strike | English |
| ストレートティー | straight tea | black tea without milk or lemon | English | |
| ストーブ | stove | space heater | English | |
| スーツアクター | suits actor | suit actor, an actor who performs wearing a cartoon-character costume | English | |
| タバコ, たばこ or 煙草 | tabaco | tobacco, cigarette | *Portuguese / Spanish | |
| タイムオーバー | time over | when a time limit has been reached | English | |
| タイムリー | timely | a clutch hit, on time | English | |
| タンク | tank | tank | English | |
| タオルケット | towelket | a type of blanket made of a material similar to a beach or bath towel | English | |
| タレント | talento | TV personality/celebrity | Portuguese | |
| テーブル | table | table | English | |
| テーマ | Thema | theme | German | |
| テレビ | terebi | television | device used for watching | English |
| テンキー | ten key | numeric keypad | English | |
| てんぷら or 天ぷら | tempero and têmpora | tempura. Conflation of Portuguese tempero and têmpora. | Portuguese | |
| テンション | tension | a state of excitement | English | |
| テレビ | televi | television | English | |
| テレビゲーム | televi game | video game | English | |
| テレフォン | telephone | telephone, phone | English | |
| テレカ | tele ca | prepaid card for using public telephones | English | |
| ティーンエージャー | teenager | teenager, teen | English | |
| トーチカ | точка | bunker, Pillbox (military) | Russian | |
| トイレ | toilet | toilet, bathroom, washroom, restroom | English | |
| タン | tongue | tongue | English | |
| トマト | tomato | tomato | Nahuatl via UK English | |
| トンカツ | ton + katsu | pork cutlet | Japanese + English | |
| トップページ | top + page | home page, start page | English | |
| トラブル, トラブる | trouble | trouble, a dispute or altercation; to encounter or experience trouble, to break down or not function as expected | English | |
| トラックメーカー | track maker | music producer | English | |
| トランプ | trump | playing cards | English | |
| トレーナー | trainer | sweatshirt | English | |
| トレーニングパンツ | training pants | pants for toddlers or babies; diaper | English | |
| ツイッター | Twitter app | English | ||
| ウィンカー or ウインカー | or | winker | turn signal, a.k.a. blinker or indicator on an automobile | English |
| ウーパールーパー | wooper looper | Wasei-eigo for axolotl | English | |
| ヴァージンロード | virgin road | the aisle | English | |
| ワイドショー | wide show | talk show | English | |
| ワイシャツ or Yシャツ | Y shirt | dress shirt | English | |
| ワンパターン | one pattern | of uniformity or conformity, lacking of variation. Used to describe behavior and responses as well as objects. Being "in a rut" | English | |
| ワンピース | one piece | dress | English | |
| ワープロ | wor pro | word processor | English | |
| ウォシュレット | washlet | a toilet with a built-in bidet | English | |
| ヨット | yacht | a sailboat or yacht | English | |
| ヤンエグ | youn ex | young executive | English | |
| ヨード | jood | iodine | Dutch | |
| ヨードチンキ | joodtinctuur | tincture of iodine | Dutch | |
| ユニットバス | unit bath | modular bath, prefabricated bath | English | |
| Uターンラッシュ | U-turn rush | the rush of traffic and people, and attendant traffic jams and crowding of transportation facilities, that occurs as everyone returns home after extended holidays, esp. New Year's, Golden Week, and the summer o-bon week. | English | |
| ザイル | Seil | rope | German | |
| ゼミナール or ゼミ | or | Seminar or Semi | seminar | German |
| ゼン or 禅 | ध्यान | a meditation | Sanskrit via Chinese | |
| ゼロ | zéro | zero | French / Italian / Latin | |
| ズボン | jupon | trousers, pants | French |