Japanese 'style' English: Smart isn't smart! 🤔

Hello everyone, after living and working here for over 10 years, I've realized that one of the most "sweet" traps for Japanese learners is Wasei-eigo (和製英語) - or in other words, "Japanese-style English."

These are words borrowed from English, written in Katakana, that look very familiar but their meaning is... completely off! 😅 It's precisely because of this familiarity that we can easily use them incorrectly without even realizing it.

Today, let's go over some of the most "disastrous" words so you can communicate more accurately!

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1. スマート (Sumāto)

• ❌ What you think it means: Smart (intelligent, clever)
• ✅ What Japanese people use it to mean: Slim, slender, or stylish.

When I first heard my boss praise 田中さん、スマートだね！ (Tanaka-san, sumāto da ne!), I thought he was praising Tanaka-san for being smart. But no, he meant that he has a slim figure and is well-dressed. If you want to praise someone for being smart, use 頭がいい (atama ga ii)!

2. テンション (Tenshon)

• ❌ What you think it means: Tension (stress, pressure)
• ✅ What Japanese people use it to mean: Energy level, mood, excitement.

This is an extremely common word. When a Japanese person says テンションが上がる！ (tenshon ga agaru!), they are very excited, "hyped up." Conversely, テンションが下がる (tenshon ga sagaru) means "down in the dumps." It has nothing to do with stress at all! 🎉

3. クレーム (Kurēmu)

• ❌ What you think it means: Claim (a demand, request - e.g., insurance claim)
• ✅ What Japanese people use it to mean: Complaint.

In a business environment, if you hear お客様からクレームが入った (Okyakusama kara kurēmu ga haitta), it means "There's a complaint from a customer," not that the customer is making an insurance claim. 😡

4. サイン (Sain)

• ❌ What you think it means: Sign (a signpost, a signal)
• ✅ What Japanese people use it to mean: Autograph (a celebrity's signature) or Signature (on a contract).

If you say to an idol サインをください！ (sain wo kudasai!), they will happily give you their autograph. But if you're lost and ask a passerby this question, they will be very confused. ✍️ To ask about a "sign," use the word 標識 (hyoushiki).

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✨ My advice

When you encounter a Katakana word, don't automatically assume it has the same meaning as in English. Treat it as a completely new Japanese word and learn how native speakers actually use it in daily life.

Paying attention to these small details will help you avoid awkward situations and make your Japanese much more natural and subtle. Good luck!