#1 About Japanese abbreviations
When I used to send messages to my friends in English, I had always thought. "BRB", "WFH", "BTW", and I often wondered what this person was talking about. I remember being very confused with all the similar abbreviations, especially so because English only has 26 letters in the alphabet. However, as I got used to this, I naturally began to understand it, and it didn't stress me out; in fact, I even began to think of it as energy-saving and easy to understand.
In retrospect, I used to use abbreviations in my mother tongue, Japanese, as a matter of course, and naturally created my own abbreviations.
Now, what are the abbreviations in Japanese? Let's take a look at them and how they are created!
Examples of Japanese abbreviations
Here are some examples of Japanese abbreviations
あけおめ(Ake ome)
[あけ]まして [おめ]でとう(Akemashite Omedetou, Happy new year)
インスタ(Insuta)
[インスタ]グラム(Instagram)
オワコン(Owakon)
[終(お)わ]った[コン]テンツ (Owatta Kontentsu, Outdated contents / it has no future/ it is uncool)
割勘(わりかん, Warikan)
[割(わり)]引(びき)[勘(かん)]定(じょう)(Waribiki Kanjou, Split the bill)
↓A website with a list of abbreviations is attached for reference.
How are Japanese abbreviations created?
Because it is an abbreviation, it is not an abbreviation if it is longer than the original vocabulary.
In Japanese, abbreviations are made using a unit of character called a mora (in Japanese, 拍(はく)haku), which is about the length of two to five moras.
So, let's first understand a little bit about moras.
What is a mora?
A mora is a rhythmic unit.
For example, my name "Taichi" is "ta", "i" and "chi", which is three moras.
If you say "Taichi" while clapping your hands at regular intervals like a metronome, you will understand.
If you say "Singapore", "si", "n", "ga", "po", "o" and "ru" make six moras.
Such as in "チョコレートchocolate", the small "ャュョ(ya,yu,yo)" is not calculated as one mora.
The "cho", "ko", "re", "e" and "to" make five moras.
How common abbreviations are made.
By far the most common are four-mora abbreviations.
For example, all of the above examples are also four-mora abbreviations.
The general rule of thumb is that a word that is a compound of two words, such as "あけまして おめでとう(Happy New Year)", "あけまして" and "おめでとう", is used as a four-mora abbreviation by taking the first two moras of both.
Of course, exceptions can be made for wordiness. "It's against the rules!" Do not think of it as such. Please understand that a language is only as good as its abbreviations if they make it easier for the speaker to say them 😅haha
For example, "携帯電話(keitai denwa)📱". This is a combination of "携帯(けいたい, mobile)" and "電話(でんわ, phone)", so it would be "携電(keiden)", but we usually abbreviate it as "携帯(keitai)📱".
Abbreviations for moras other than four.
These also exist, of course.
For example, "アポ(apo)", which stands for "アポイントメント(appointment)” ; if you make it four moras to "アポイン(apoin)" or three moras to "アポイ(apoi)", we Japanese get the impression that it is kind of uncool. This is also our feeling. Almost all kanji, which came from China and developed into something uniquely Japanese, have one or two moras per word, so we also feel very comfortable with words that have an even number of two or four moras.
With three-mora abbreviations, for example, "アルミ(arumi)". This is an abbreviation for "アルミニウム(aluminium)". If you look at the sides of products made of aluminium in Japan, for example, you will see the word
"アルミ". If you stop by a convenience store, why not buy a can of coffee? Incidentally, the very popular Japanese convenience store 7-Eleven is also called "セブン(Seven)"! This is also an abbreviation for three moras.
Finally, there are abbreviations for the five moras, e.g. "コンタクト(contact)". It is an abbreviation for "コンタクトレンズ(contact lens)". If it is simply "コン(kon)", "コンタ(konta)", "コンタク(kontaku)" or "コンレン(konlen)", on the contrary, it would be difficult to intuitively know what you are talking about. Foreign words from English and other Western countries inevitably become long when written in Japanese, and vocabulary words with long single words tend to be abbreviated to about five moras, which makes the meaning clear until the very last minute and is not too long. It is interesting to discover these abbreviations!
Are you an abbreviation tolerant person?
So, are you of the opinion that it is okay to use abbreviations? Or are you of the opinion that they should be used as little as possible and the correct vocabulary used?
Young people are creating more and more abbreviations, and some adults say, "I really don't know what you mean." "We shouldn't use so many abbreviations!" There are a certain number of people who think that, I guess.
In my opinion, I am in the position of accepting the usefulness of abbreviations, and I do not have a problem if they are used in a TPO(Time, Place, Occasion).
In fact, even in Japanese companies, people talk using abbreviations as a matter of course, and it is a fact that everyone, regardless of whether they are children or adults, use them as they wish. However, it is a good idea to use your imagination when using abbreviations and change the way you speak, thinking of the person you are talking to, for example, "This person would understand" or "Let's talk to this person properly without using abbreviations".
Of course, it would also make sense to avoid using them in official documents and papers if you consider TPO.
Summary
As a learner of Japanese, you will inevitably come into contact with abbreviations. Just as you use abbreviations in your own language.
I hope that when you encounter abbreviations, you will not think that it is a hassle, but rather that you will enjoy learning them with a warm heart, thinking that the Japanese also use abbreviations, just as you do in your own first language.
If anything, if you can use abbreviations, you will feel that your Japanese has improved.
When I used English abbreviations, I actually thought, "How cool am I?" haha
I would also be happy if you continue to be interested in the Japanese language.
Thank you for reading!😆
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