Food & Drink0 min ago
Japanese
4 Answers
Why has Japanese borrowed so many basic words from Indo-European languages?
For example:
pen - pen
doa - door
pinku - pink
For example:
pen - pen
doa - door
pinku - pink
Answers
1 to 4 of 4
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In most cases there is already a perfectly adequate Japanese word for whatever it is.
Exceptions might occur where something was unknown in Japan until introduced from outside the country. In this case, the foreign word may be incorporated into the Japanese language. I can give an example in Thai, where the Thai word for a fountain pen (and nowadays also a ballpoint pen) is 'pakaa' (from the Parker pen).
It's really a case of the Japanese looking favourably on western things, which they were denied for a very long time through import restrictions by consecutive governments. Today, many of their products, from cigarettes to household cleaners are produced bearing western names as a form of status.
Exceptions might occur where something was unknown in Japan until introduced from outside the country. In this case, the foreign word may be incorporated into the Japanese language. I can give an example in Thai, where the Thai word for a fountain pen (and nowadays also a ballpoint pen) is 'pakaa' (from the Parker pen).
It's really a case of the Japanese looking favourably on western things, which they were denied for a very long time through import restrictions by consecutive governments. Today, many of their products, from cigarettes to household cleaners are produced bearing western names as a form of status.
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