Shorter, Cuter?
Japanese Catch Phrases

Reference Pages Index -- Oniko Goes To Japan Main Page


There seems to be an obsession in Japan to reduce long words and phrases down to simplier four character words; I don't know if there is a particular term for this practice, but it's common enough for me to be intrigued by it. Both foreign and Japanese words and phrases are simplified in this way... below is a list of the terms I've encountered so far.

Short Phrase ... What the heck it means!

AMeYoKo = "Ame-Yoko" ... shortened name for "Ameya-yokochou" -- "Candy-shop Alley" -- a well-known shopping district near Ueno Park in Tokyo.

CoMiKeTo = "Comi-Ket" ... nickname for the popular "Comic Market" comic book convention in Tokyo.

PoKeMoN = "Pocke-Mon" ... short for "Pocket Monsters", the actual name of the Pokemon cartoon from Japan; but American producers didn't think the original English name would be popular with parents, eh?

PuReSuTe = "Play-Stay" … short for "Playstation", an extremely well-known home video game system.

PuRoReSu = "Pro-Wres" ... short for both "Professional Wrestling" and a "Professional Wrestler". In case you didn't know it, japan has it's own wrestling leagues, and they tend to be more brutal than the stuff shown on TV in the States.


Back to the Index & Reference Page - Back to Oniko Goes to Japan Main Page! - Back to Top!


All illustrations in these pages are copyright (c)2002/2015 Garth Haslam, and shouldn't be used without his permission. To contact him Click Here!