Hayari Kotoba (Fad Expressions)

[Yoichi Ii]

The following is a sample of faddish expressions used by Japanese
teenagers. I picked them up from a recent issue of Asahi-shimbun.

1. kabu-ku: - to look flashy
- From kabuki. Kabuki actors wear colorful costumes.
- eg. Aitu kabutte iyagaru.

2. sarrute-iru: - to grow the side burns long
- From saru (monkey) -> looks like monkey
- alternative from: monkitte-iru
- eg. 90210 no haiyuu chotto sarruteru nee.

3. sukatan: - to wear skirts shorter than allowed by school regulation
- suka (sukaato = skirt), tan ("on" reading of char. mijikai)
- eg. Chotto ano ko sukatan to chau?

4. eneti: - grotesque, hideous
- From the English words "Not Human" -> N.H. -> enu-eiti -> eneti

5. anbiri: - unbelievable, incredible
- From the English word unbelievable -> unbeli -> anbiri
- eg. Mattaku anbiri!

6. panpii: - ordinary person, average person
- From "ippan people" (ippan=ordinary) -> ipPAN PEople -> PANPE
-> panpii

7. Washington: - restroom
- From W.C. (abbrev. usually used to mean restroom in Japan)
-> "expanded" to "Washington Club" -> Washington
*** Anyone know what W.C. actually stands for?

8. dubbing (rokuon): - go to restroom
- From o-toire (o + toilet) -> oto-ire -> oto (sound) +
ire (put in) -> recording -> dubbing
- eg. Chotto dubbing shitekuru.

9. hama: - restroom
- From o-shikko (pee) -> o-shi-ko -> o-shi-go -> 0-4-5 -> area code
for Yokohama -> 'hama
- eg. Chotto hama ma de itte kimasu.

[Yuzuru Hiraga]

In article <1992Nov17.0...@u.washington.edu> yoi...@carson.u.washington.edu (Yoichi Ii) writes:
>The following is a sample of faddish expressions used by Japanese teenagers.

> ...

>1. kabu-ku: - to look flashy
> - From kabuki. Kabuki actors wear colorful costumes.
> - eg. Aitu kabutte iyagaru.

This is interesting because it has some relevance with the etymological
origin of KABUKI: "kabuku" (vb.i) means to be off beat, off balance,
eccentric, ***...
The founder of kabuki, OKUNI of IZUMO (female) was said to perform
eccentric dances and plays, i.e. it was a "kabuita shibai",
hence it came to be known as "kabuki shibai" (shibai = play).

>3. sukatan: - to wear skirts shorter than allowed by school regulation

Sukatan by itself is also a derogatory term synonymous to BAKA, AHO,
MANUKE...

> *** Anyone know what W.C. actually stands for?

Water Closet.

-YH

[Steven E Barnes]

> 7. Washington: - restroom
> - From W.C. (abbrev. usually used to mean restroom in Japan)
> -> "expanded" to "Washington Club" -> Washington
> *** Anyone know what W.C. actually stands for?

WC == Water Closet.

-steve

[Maiko Covington]

Wow. I'm falling out of style already - don't know most of those
words. ^_^
About "hama" for going to bathroom... in Hawaii there is a similar
thing. When people (esp. old women) have to go to the bathroom they
will say "I gotta five-four-four". Say "5-4-4" in Japanese and it's
"go shi-shi". =^P
Maiko

[Catherine Godfrey - CATS]

Just FYI:

My mother (who is Okinawan) once told me that when public restrooms were
first built (back around WWII), the Japanese placed "W.C." on them to mean
"Water Closet". The American soldiers (most of whom had never heard of
that term) took the initials to mean "Whites/Coloreds", as in it was
acceptable for whites and blacks to use those restrooms.

Cathy