Confusable Words #7 Non-English Katakana Words
Some katakana words that are NOT English:
パン bread
アンケート questionnaire
アルバイト part-time job
エネルギッシュ energetic
エネルギー energy (エナージー)
アレルギー allergy (アラージー)
ピーマン green pepper
ウイルス virus (ヴァイラス)
パティシエ pastry chef, confectioner – however, the French word “pâtissier” is sometimes used in English, though not all people are familiar with its meaning.
ズボン trousers, pants, slacks etc.
ホッチキス stapler (apparently Hotchkiss was a manufacturer of staplers, hardly known to English speakers).
トランプ cards, playing cards – though in English “trumps” is the name of a game played with cards.
メタン methane (ミーセーン UK, メセーンUS)
テーマ theme (シーム)
エタノール ethanol (エサノル)
ビュッフェ buffet (バフェイ)
バイキング buffet, all-you-can-eat
メートル metre(UK), meter(US) (ミーター)
シュークリーム cream puff
ドル dollar
ポンド pound (パウンド) (UK currency and measure of weight)
オンス ounce (アウンス)
リトル litre(UK), liter(US) (リーター)
ダース dozen
ピエロ clown
レントゲン X-ray
レンジ microwave oven
ギブス plaster cast
Original Japanese words made from English words:
ベビーカー pram(UK), stroller (US)
キーホルダー keyring, key fob
スマート slim, elegant – though “smart” is used to mean nicely dressed; it doesn’t refer to a person’s figure.
ナイーブ sensitive, gentle, honest… In English “naive” has a negative meaning. Perhaps it has a different use in the original French.
ファイト Do your best, go for it, try
I will add more when I think of them. If you have any ideas, please let me know.