If you’ve ever washed your clothes in Japan, you might have faced the troubles of not knowing which buttons to press. With the various courses and settings, pressing buttons randomly might result in ruined shirts and pants. You wouldn’t want to ruin the new shirt you just bought by having the washing machine intensively rinsing your shirt. We have combined the basic functions of Japan washing machines that you will need the next time you wash your clothes!
Vocabulary:
コース (ko-su) Course
おまかせ (omakase) Automatic course
念入すすぎ (neniri susugi) Intensive rinse
ナイト (naito) Night (less noise)
毛布 (moufu) Blanket
おうちクリーニング (ouchi kuri-ningu) Home laundry (gentle)
水量 (suiryou) Water level
洗い (arai) Wash
すすぎ (susugi) Rinse cycle
脱水 (dassui) Spin time
お湯取 (oyutori) Use hot water
電源 (dengen) Power
スタート (suta-to) Start
Now that you know the basic of washing machines, I believe that your clothes will surely be nice and clean. If you need to know how to deal with molds, check this out!
Interested in learning more daily practical Japanese? Check out our courses here.
There are many Business Japanese Katakana words that are difficult to guess their meanings just by pronouncing them.
Which is strange because there are so many examples of Katakana words being easy to understand. For example, “ハンドル” comes from the English word ” handle” and “ミルク” comes from the English word ” milk”
However, some Katakana words are usually expressed in short forms which make them difficult to understand just by looking at them.
Moreover, some words mean differently from how it sounds like.
Just started learning Japanese? Head to our main article about the Japanese writing system for a more comprehensive guide!
Let’s look at 10 Interesting Business Katakana Words! – Can you guess their meaning?
１. ダブルブッキング
ダブルブッキング means “schedule conflict”. E.g: 予定がダブルブッキングします。 Yotei ga daburubukkingyu shimasu There is a schedule conflict.
2. プレゼン (プレゼンテーション)
プレゼン is the short form of the word “プレゼンテーション”. It originates from the English word”presentation” E.g: 明日プレゼンをします。 Ashita purezen o shimasu I will make a presentation tomorrow.
3. ブレスト (ブレーンストーミング)
ブレスト is the short form of the word “ブレーンストーミング”. It originates from the English word”brainstorming” E.g: ブレストしてみましょう。 Buresuto shitemimashou Let’s brainstorm
4. サラリーマン
The word サラリーマン refers to office worker, it is originated from the English words “salary” and “man” E.g: 私はサラリーマンです。 Watashiwa sarari-man desu. I am an office worker.
5. クレーム
The word クレーム refers to complaint. It is originated from the English word “claim” Be careful to avoid using クレーム for claiming something. E.g: クレームを受けた Kure-mu o uketa I got a complaint.
6. コピペ (コピーアンドペースト)
コピペ is the shortform of コピーアンドペースト. It means to copy and paste. E.g: テキストをコピペしてください Tekisuto o kopipeshite kudasai Please copy and paste the text
7. コスパ (コストパフォーマンス)
コスパ is the short form of the word コストパフォーマンス, it refers to cost performance E.g: コスパがとてもいいです Kosupa ga totemo iidesu The cost performance is very good.
8. ソフト (ソフトウェア)
ソフト is the shortform of the word ” ソフトウェア, it refers to software. ソフトalso means softcream(ソフトクリーム) E.g: ソフトをインストールしてください。 Sofuto o instu-ru shitekudasai please install the software.
9. アポ (アポイントメント)
The word アポ is the short form of the word アポイントメント, it refers to appointments. E.g: アポをとりました。 Apo o torimashita I made an appointment.
10. アンケート
アンケート refers to questionnaires, it is originated from the France word “enquête”. E.g: アンケートに答えてください。 Anke-to ni kotaete kudasai Please answer the questionnaire.
You can read and download the Powerpoint slide of these infographics here.
Now that you are familiar with these interesting business Katakana words, try to use these words when talking to your friends and colleagues to impress them!
Expand your Japanese Knowledge by reading other interesting blogs written by Coto Language Academy bellow –
Nowadays more and more people go to the gym regularly to have a healthy lifestyle. This infographic describes what each button on a Japanese treadmill means, it will help you understand how to operate a Treadmill when you go to a gym in Japan.
Vocabulary:
心拍数: (shin paku su-) Heart rate
カロリー : (karori-) Calorie
スピード: (supi-do) Speed
スタート: (suta-to) Start
ストップ: (sutoppu) Elevation
速度: (sokudo) Speed
上げる: ( ageru) Increase
下げる: (sageru) Decrease
速く: (hayaku) Faster
遅く: (osoku) Slower
プログラム選択: (puroguramusentaku) Select Program
プログラムコース: (puroguramuko-su) Program Course
ノーマル: (no-maru) Normal
ハード: (ha-do) Hard
エクストリーム: ( ekusutori-mu) Extreme
時間: (jikan) Time
距離: (kyori) Distance
Now you are familiar with how to use a Japanese Treadmill, check out other interesting blogs to expand your knowledge! (さらに…)
Here are 2 infographics that teach you the meaning of the Japanese food label! If you are a health-conscious person, you should definitely learn this!
Shopping at the grocery store in Japan can be daunting if you don’t know what is in your food. The below charts will help to decipher the meanings you will find for nutritional labeling on Japanese products.
Guide to Japanese Nutritional LabelsGuide to Japanese Nutritional Labels
Now that you already know how to read Japanese food labels, expand your knowledge by checking out other interesting blogs!
Want to master Japanese? Start taking Japanese lessons with us!
With innovative technologies, Japanese rice cookers can do more than just cook rice. This infographic is designed as a handy resource so that you can remember which buttons on your Japanese rice cooker do which functions. We hope this infographic is helpful to you – we also will be publishing guides to other Japanese appliances on this blog in the future – so stay tuned!
Vocabulary:
保温 (hoon) Keep warm
選択 (sentaku) Choice/option
メニュー (menyu-) Menu
とりけし (torikeshi) Reset/cancel
白米/炊きこみ (hakumai/takikomi) White/mix rice
無洗米 (musenmai) Rinse free rice
白米急速 (hakumai kyuusoku) Quick cook
おかゆ (okayu) Porridge
標準 (hyoujun) Normal
高め (takame) High
玄米 (genmai) Brown rice
玄米活性 (genmai kassei) Gaba brown rice
雑穀米 (zakkoku mai) Multigrain rice
時刻合わせ (jikoku awase) Time adjustment
予約 (yoyaku) Timer
炊飯 (suihan) Cooking button
Challenge yourself the next time you visit your kitchen with this cheat sheet! If you need a recipe for fried rice, though, check out everything you need to know about Chahan here! (さらに…)
Finally you’re done with your tasks of the day. The clock is ticking the end of your shift. Among the lucky ones, you are working in a good company. You don’t have to clock in for some 残業 (overtime). Time for you to leave your desk and to get some rest. Be sure to say goodbye to your Japanese colleagues who might not be lucky as you are.
“Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu! お先に失礼します。”
In a Japanese business environment, nothing matters more than salutations. Saying goodbye is a key to get along with everyone. True, you might feel very awkward at first, but you should never skip a polite goodbye.
Meaning of お先に失礼します(Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu)…
Try translating the expression in your mother tongue and you will end up confused. Yes, this is yet another Japanese phrase that loses all meaning if you dare to translate it literally. This is how Japanese workers say goodbye to others when they are leaving the office for the day. But more than saying goodbye, they apologize for leaving before their colleagues. A correct translation would be “excuse me for leaving before you”. From the Japanese culture’s perspective, it shows your care and recognition for others’ work.
For a long time, Japanese workers had to stay in the office until their superiors leave for the day. Times are changing, but the Japanese culture kept the idea that staying at work after your shift is good for the team. Hence the apology for leaving on time, while your colleagues are still working hard.
Osaki ni means “ahead”, “before”. 失礼 means rude or unpolite and the phrase 失礼しますcan be translated as “being rude / doing something rude” depending on the context. For example, when you enter a room you will knock and say 失礼します to apologize for the interruption. If you have to answer an important phone call during a meeting or dinner, you will excuse yourself with 失礼します. Be sure to remember this sentence if you are working in a Japanese company. With Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu, you apologize for going home before your coworkers and you acknowledge that they are still at work.
Replying to Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu…
Your colleague is leaving the office and said goodbye with a graceful Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu. Be a good sport and answer back with a cheerful Otsukaresama desu or Otsukaresama deshita. Yes, even if you have to put up with a late night at the office! As the latter expression means “good work”, be careful not to confuse it with Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu. Such a mistake might deeply offend your coworkers.
Leaving for a Short Trip/Errand…
You are leaving the office to run an errand or to go for lunch? In such cases, of course, you do not need to say お先に失礼します. Instead, you can say 行ってきます (Ittekimasu) or the more formal 行って参ります(Itte Orimasu). Whether you’d like to be precise as to where you are heading or not, one thing for sure is that you should always avoid sneaking out! For example, if you are going to the bank or the convenience store, you will say 銀行/コンビニ (Ginkou/Konbini) に行ってきます/行って参ります.
Those phrases mean “to leave” with the nuance of coming back later. Your coworkers answer back いってらっしゃい (Itterasshai) or the formal いってらっしゃいませ (Itterasshaimase). When you return, politely say ただいま帰りました (Tadaima Kaerimashita)・ま戻りました (Mamodorimashita) or the very formal 戻って参りました (Modotte Orimashita). They will reply お帰りなさい (Okaerinasai) or the formal お帰りなさいませ (Okaerinasaimase).
One advice essential to work with Japanese people would be to mimic the honorific language used by your colleagues in order to be in line with the suitable Japanese etiquette for your company. Remember, you are part of a team now!
Coto Japanese Academy is a unique Japanese Language School in Iidabashi Tokyo, we offer relaxed and fun conversational lessons for all levels of Japanese learner. Coto Japanese Academy prides itself on its community atmosphere and fun lessons that focus on creation of opportunities to speak and learn Japanese. If you are interested in studying Japanese in Tokyo – please visit our contact page here.
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