How to study · 4 min
Katakana you can read on day one in Japan
Katakana alone unlocks a surprising share of Japanese signage, because most of it came from English.
Say it out loud and the meaning appears
Most katakana words are loanwords, so knowing how to read them often hands you the meaning for free.
The trick is not to read character by character. Run the whole thing together at speed: コーヒー as "kō-hī" rather than "ko-o-hi-i", and you hear coffee.
The ー mark usually sits where the source word had a long vowel or the stress. Stretching there gets you closer to the original.
At a restaurant
| Katakana | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| メニュー | menyū | menu |
| ランチ | ranchi | lunch |
| セット | setto | set meal |
| ライス | raisu | rice (on a plate) |
| サラダ | sarada | salad |
| ビール | bīru | beer |
| テイクアウト | teikuauto | takeout |
| レジ | reji | register, checkout |
Out on the street
| Katakana | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| コンビニ | konbini | convenience store |
| エレベーター | erebētā | elevator |
| エスカレーター | esukarētā | escalator |
| トイレ | toire | toilet |
| チケット | chiketto | ticket |
| ホテル | hoteru | hotel |
| タクシー | takushī | taxi |
| バス | basu | bus |
Clipped words are everywhere. コンビニ is コンビニエンスストア with the back half cut off. スマホ (smartphone) and リモコン (remote control) work the same way.
English words that changed meaning
Watch out for words that came from English but mean something else in Japan. These are called wasei-eigo (和製英語).
- マンション (manshon) — not a mansion; an apartment block.
- バイキング (baikingu) — not a Viking; a buffet.
- サービス (sābisu) — service, but very often meaning "free of charge".
- クレーム (kurēmu) — not a claim; a complaint.
- スマート (sumāto) — not clever; slim.
- コンセント (konsento) — not consent; an electrical outlet.