外来語

• Reading: がいらいご
• Romaji: gairaigo
• Kanji breakdown: 外 (gai) — outside, foreign; 来 (rai) — come, arrive; 語 (go) — word, language
• Pronunciation: /ɡai.ɾai.ɡo/

Meaning

Loanword; borrowed word; a word adopted into Japanese from a foreign language, typically written in katakana.

A noun that refers specifically to foreign-origin words absorbed into Japanese vocabulary, most commonly from English but also from Portuguese, Dutch, German, and French. 外来語 are distinguished from 和語 (native Japanese words) and 漢語 (Sino-Japanese words). The study of 外来語 is central to understanding how Japanese lexicon has evolved, especially since the Meiji era.

Examples

1. 日本語には英語由来の外来語が数多く存在する。 There are a great many loanwords from English in the Japanese language.
2. 外来語をカタカナで表記するのは日本語の特徴の一つだ。 Writing loanwords in katakana is one of the distinctive features of Japanese.
3. 近年、外来語の使用が増え、若者言葉に浸透してきている。 In recent years, the use of loanwords has increased and permeated youth slang.

Usage Guide

Context: linguistics, language education, lexicology

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Native Japanese compound. 外来 means 'coming from outside/abroad' and 語 means 'word/language'. The term became widely used as Japan rapidly absorbed Western vocabulary from the Meiji period onwards.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal