Ten French words used in Japanese フランス語からの外来語

It is through its culture that France has become known and sometimes greatly appreciated by part of the Japanese population. The arts, first painting, and music then cinema, literature, cooking, and fashion have attracted a large number of Japanese.

Many French words related to these areas have been integrated into the Japanese language and transcribed into katakana, the syllabary used to write foreign names. These words are sometimes diverted from their true meaning, and it is with amusement that the French learn their meaning in Japanese, while some Japanese discover with astonishment that terms they thought belonged to their mother tongue are in fact of French origin.

Japanese borrow from the French...

• Appointment

Many words are mostly used by older people. Thus, Rendez-vous ランデブー or randebu was previously often used in the sense of date, and in Japan, you never have an appointment with the dentist!

• Song

After the war, singers and singers of French variety (Piaf, Juliette Greco, Montand, Adamo, and other celebrities) became known abroad and especially in Japan where chanson シャンソン, chanson, designates the French song of that time. The Japanese will be very surprised to hear about "Japanese song". For them, the term chanson only applies to old French songs!

• Competition

During a コンクール konkuru contest, the Japanese public will applaud with great fanfare again アンコール ankōru (understand bis) the lucky winner of a  グランプリ guranpuri grand prize.

• Culinary terms

On the other hand, at breakfast, young and old can do like the French by eating croissants クロワッサンkurowassan, with a cafe au lait カフェオレkafeore. There is even a cooking magazine called "Croissant" (in katakana).

At the restaurant, all generations combined will order, without suspecting their Gallic origins, a gratinグラタンguratan or even croquettes コロッケ korokke with a salad seasoned with mayonnaise マヨネーズ mayonezu. The mayonnaise sold in tubes and manufactured by the Japanese brand Kewpie is in every home and is used in many Japanese dishes such as yakisoba (fried noodles), takoyaki (octopus dumplings), okonomiyaki (a type of large pancake savory), and other popular dishes. So much so that most Japanese are still amazed to discover that this seasoning they have known since childhood is not native to their country. However, the sound of this name is not Japanese!

This small list is just an example, countless other French words punctuate the Japanese language!

English words used in Japanese