Group 4, Project 1

Introduction

Our team for this project included Dylan Williams, CYW, Shaojie Deng, Hana Nguyen and Hayes Smith.

For this project, our main focus is to distinguish two different web pages between formal Japanese tone and casual Japanese tone. After the first meeting, the team members decided to choose Japanese Red Cross web page and Japanese Domino’s web page as our study subjects.

Japan Red Cross: http://www.jrc.or.jp/

Domino’s Japan: https://www.dominos.jp/

Context

Japan Red Cross Domino’s Japan
Audience Governments
Organisations
Adults
Teenagers
Young Japanese
Tone Serious
Formal
Excited
Uplifting
Casual
Goal Informative
Inspire Actions
Ignite Duty and Responsibility
Promote Products
Word Choice Large amount of Sino-Japanese for precise Information and Formality
Native Japanese for balancing out Sino-Japanese
Foreign Loan Words used only for numerals and バス
Large amount of Foreign Load Words for style and western origin, especially for product names

Both web pages are very opposite from each other. The Japanese Red Cross web page shows the contents about Japanese official medical affair and Japanese local medical news which is very formal Japanese language using. On the other hand, the domino’s represents their foods and delivery system which is more casual Japanese language using. The team focuses on analyzing the three types of words (NJ-Words, SJ-Words and loan words) using in both web pages. Also, the team studied about the functions and purposes of both web pages.


Continue reading

Group 7: Project 1

Our team for this project included: David, Minjing, Rongjin, Shohei, Andie

Our group project consisted of analyzing two websites that used different variations of Japanese words. We as a group wanted to see which website focused more on Sino-Japanese, Native-Japanese, and Foreign Loanwords. With this information we want to explain why these variations were used. The first website is Asahi Shimbun, which is a national newspaper in Japan. The second website we used was TokyoBanana and they sell cakes with cartoonish images on them.

Links:

Asahi Shimbun: https://asahi.com

TokyoBanana: https://tokyobanana.jp

 

www.asahi.com

The www.asahi.com is the website of the Asahi Shimbun, one of the national newspapers in Japan. The kanji of Asahi Shimbun is written as  朝日新聞(あさひしんぶん)which means morning sun newspaper. We found kinds of vocabulary from different fields since Asahi Shimbun is a news website visited by people of all ages. Most news classifications are written with Sino Japanese and loan Japanese. Some news classifications have a topic about the international relationship, politics, society, and economy are always written Sino Japanese which can show a formal tone. Other news classifications like sports, science, culture, fashion, and life are written with loan words and one of the reasons why these news classifications use loan words is these fields is relatively relaxed. Another reason is that some words, like ファッション, originate from western language words so they should be written with loan words which Japanese learn from childhood.

Firstly, the Sino-Japanese words with on reading are lots of contents words in the webpage. And there are some distinguish between them. As the list shows above, the Sino-Japanese words such as人権 and地震  both exist in Japanese and Chinese and express same meaning. The word 強気 that appears in both Chinese and Japanese, but different in meaning. The word不仲 only exist in Japanese which means bad relationship. And the word社会 is a Japan-made word which be adopted by Chinese. Secondly, the Native-Japanese words such asする and申し込み are used for expressing basic meanings in generally. And the examples such as去る and握る represent actions making by body parts. Finally, the examples of Foreign loanwords that list above are direct transfer such asリスク(risk), ニュース一(news) andホテル(hotel). The foreign names for exampleワコール(Wacoal) andトランプ(Trump) also translated directly.

 

 

www.tokyobanana.jp

As a website sells cakes with flavors such as coffee milk, Tokyo banana has many cartoon images and these colorful cartoon images become the mainstream creative element in its website page which close to the taste of young people. Compared with Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo banana has less Sino Japanese and more native Japanese, loan words in the website. In addition, some Sino Japanese are written with native Japanese and some loan words are written with native Japanese and Sino Japanese. For example, 秘密(ひみつ)is a Sino Japanese words that mean ‘secret’. However, it is written with native Japanese ひみつ. We think that Tokyo banana uses native Japanese since their product-coffee milk sells mainly to children and the young girl. It seems easier for kids to read the website and looks so cute with native Japanese. And the seller wants to attract potential purchasers as many as possible so that the seller changes correct writing forms like 東京ばな奈ラッコ( it should be 東京バナナラッコ). It supposed to be thought as a sales promotion. This circumstance mostly happens on a website which sells the product.


This website uses mostly hiragana and katakana to to describe the product which is coffee creamer. As well as there are a lot of words in English that are placed around the website. Especially the links to learn more about the company are all in English. The name being the most prominent part is ‘Tokyo Banana Racco’ is written in English. There are a mix of Sino-Japanese and Native-Japanese. I think that they use more Katakana, hiragana and English because the ad is targeted toward young women. Young people in Japan find the use of foreign loan words and English to be cool and trendy so using them in their ad would attract more young people to their product, coffee flavored cake. They also use brighter colors and they have less words in the ad than it would if it was a news article or a scholarly article which would use more sino-Japanese.

 

The percentage of hiragana, katakana, kanji, and english characters on each website. It is clear that the Asahi Shimbun page has less hiragana and katakana characters while having significantly more kanji characters. The amount of english characters on each page were similar. (It is also important to note that the overall number of characters is much more on the Asahi Shimbun website.)

 

Project 1 Group 2

 

          Our group members consisting of Casey, Andrew, Tianqi, Alex, and Ted decided to analyze two different retailers’ websites. First was Mandarake, a large retailer specializing in selling anime and manga related goods. The second, Nishikawa, a store specializing in futon and other bed related merchandise. With two very different products being sold to different markets, we believe the contrast of word usage would prove to be insightful.

To begin with Mandarake, a lot of the loan word usage on their homepage comes from different products from different anime series they are advertising. Aside from that, there is no over-abundance of load words or words being written in katakana. Loan words are really only used when it needs to be; for words such as auction (オークション), credit card (クレットカー), and website (サイト). These words are always written in katakana as opposed to having a kanji variant like 煙草and 硝子(タバコand ガラス respectively) which where presumably brought into Japan before the standardization of using katakana for loan words. The usage of Sino-Japanese versus native Japanese appears to be mostly divided into Sino Japanese for nouns and native Japanese for verbs and adjectives. If the verb has a verbal noun counterpart (a noun plus the verb する) then the more formal verbal noun would be used. This can be seen with the usage of 購入する over 買う.This makes sense as Mandarake is first and foremost a business. They are expected to put on an air of formality when presenting themselves to their customers, hence the more formal Sino-Japanese words in addition to their various use of keigo or more polite speech. The more formal Sino-Japanese used on their homepage over the more familiar and casual native Japanese can be attributed to what was mentioned earlier about the business, and by the fact that in order to purchase something from the website you need a credit card, something that disqualifies a more younger customer base which may not care as much for more formal Japanese.

By comparing the recruitment information in the above picture, we can see that, unlike the furniture sales page, Mandarake’s recruitment page uses more Native Japanese and Sino Japanese. According to analysis, the furniture sales page is generally more widely available, and both adults and children have access to such purchase interfaces. Not only that, but it is also closely related to fashion and popularity. According to textbooks, foreign words usually carry images and perceptions that express the “modern”, “western” and “complex” meaning. Therefore, in order to deepen the public’s impression of the “fashion” and “modern” of the furniture webpage, it uses most foreign words. For example, product and sales, instead of Native Japanese it replaces them with プロダクト and セールス. The Native Japanese word “product”(製品) expresses only a common product and is like a very monotonous word. But if we express it in a foreign language, it will subtly make the reader feel that these products are not so mediocre, thus accelerating people’s desire to buy.

In contrast, Mandarake’s recruitment page uses almost no foreign language, but uses a lot of Native Japanese and Sino-Japanese, such as finishing and adjusting(整理し、调整します). These sino vocabulary makes the overall effect of the page a little more formal and serious, but the original words add some gently feelings to the page. As far as I know, the target people of mandarake are basically aimed at young people, or more meanly, for the “Otaku”. Logically speaking, in order to attract their attention, the webpage should use more foreign words to arouse the youth’s resonance of the “modern” impression. However, the manager has ingeniously used a more formal tone to make the page look professional and dignified. I think this has some connection with the 中二病(ちゅうにびょう). It is a common saying that is used to describe the special words and deeds that the teenagers in Japan are too self-righteous. The webpage deliberately uses high-end vocabulary and sentences to express information, in order to satisfy the youngsters who are still childish and pretend to mature. Words such as “Mood and Sorrow” and “God’s Grace”(“喜怒哀楽”、“神の恩寵”), we can feel that feeling from it.

 

Looking at two products on Mandarake, it is very clear that the website prefers to have a formal tone. About half of the words are Sino-Japanese with comparatively few foreign words. Many of the words written in katakana and romaji are not foreign but the title of the anime and producer from which the product came. Furthermore, the website uses 敬譲語(けいじょうご)to further drive the formal mood. Even in the products’ pages, Mandarake wants shows they are a serious business worthy of one’s respect, almost as if in spite of the otaku image of their merchandise.

 

The Nishikawa homepage has a good variety of Sino-Japanese words (SJ words), native-japanese words (NJ words) and foreign-loanwords (FL words). However even though there is a mix of all types, SJ words are the most common. This is unsurprising because the website predominantly carries products that cater to adults 30-35+ years of age (formal/luxury bedding products etc.). Like any other retailer, this website has to cater to their customers. In this particular case, Nishikawa believed their customers would have better responses if SJ words are used in the descriptions of their products. Perhaps this is because they are selling fine/luxury products, and SJ words are associated with formallness and sophistication. Some examples of SJ words describing products are 素材 ‘material’ and 機能性 ‘functionality’. However, the website does not truly take a formal tone all-together.

NJ words were the second most frequent word type on the homepage. Some products were still described with NJ words, but not with the frequency of the SJ words. Mostly the NJ words were used when the descriptions wanted to be a little more personal with the customer (自信を持ってお届けする ‘deliver with confidence’). In these cases, NJ words are perfect for adding that human touch to sell a product.

Nishikawa’s home page also had a lot of FL words as well. The homepage had a noticeably larger number of FL compared to the listings page for individual products. This was because a lot of the FL words on the homepage did not regard the products, but rather helped organize and navigate the website, such as カスタマーサポート ‘customer support’, ブランド ‘brand’, and セール ‘sale’. When FL words were used in the descriptions of products, the products were typically western products like pillows and sheets from Canada and the United States. This causes the website to have a modern and sleek look, while also trying to be functional. Also, in some cases, FL words are used alongside NJ words to create a personal, energetic sentiment (アイテムなどがお買い得!’items are a bargain!’).

 

We compared two products in Nishikawa website which are towel and pillow respectively. As can be seen from the statistics, for the towel, the description of this product uses native japanese vocabulary most then comes to sino-japanese vocabulary like(素材感,高品質,柔軟剤), loan foreign loanwords(タオル,タオルブランド) have lowest amount in this product description. The idea of description of product is aim to let people read easily. Also, since this is a website for selling bedclothes. Consumers are more likely over 30 years old. Using the combination of native and sino japanese words let them read more simply, cause some old generations are not familiar with too much foreign loan words. However, depending on the product, the result comes differently. For the pillow, the amount of foreign loan words take most among other kinds of vocabulary. The next is sino-japanese words, native words come to the end. Most foreign loanwords are used in component(組成) such as ナイロン/ポリエチレン, パイプ and size part サイズ. The function was described by using both native and sino vocabulary.

 

The total data below tells the whole story. Mandarake uses less than half the amount of gairaigo as Nishikawa despite both websites being retailers, 13.5% versus Nishikawa’s 30.6%. Mandarake is designed to sell anime and manga merch, among other things, so one might expect them to have a larger foreign influence. On the other hand, Nishikawa deals in Japanese bedding, so they should be able to sell their product without much assistance from foreign loanwords. Instead, the reverse is true. This complete difference in the usage of gairaigo can only be attributed to a calculated style preference: Mandarake wants to appear formal and Nishikawa wants to appear fashionable and functional.

Group 6, Project 1

Group 6 Members: Ryan A, Courtney C, Kevin H, Sergio G, Quinton S

The goal of this project was to compare and contrast each Japanese vocabulary type can be utilized through the comparison of two Japanese websites. Our team decided to analyze two Japanese clothing company websites. The sites we chose were こどもの森 (a Japanese kids clothing company) and GAP: Japan. By analyzing these two completely different websites, we were able to distinguish key differences between their choices in vocabulary, tone, and overall imagery. From there, we developed a deeper understanding of how these choices portrayed a certain image and personality that tailored to each website’s target audience.

こどもの森 (https://marutaka-iryo.co.jp/): 

こどもの森 is a store that provides a wide variety of kids clothing from a collection of 10 different brands (both Japanese and non-Japanese). The clothing sizes range from newborns, babies, toddlers, to younger school kids. We noticed a significant usage in Sino-Japanese words and foreign loanwords, some English words, and a few Native Japanese words throughout こどもの森’s website.

This screenshot shows an extensive list of the different clothing items that are available in こどもの森. All except one of the clothing items, 帽子 (hat), are advertised in カタカナ. Many of these words like スカート, カーディガン, and デニムスカート are directly transfered foreign loanwords. They possess the same meaning as those words in English. However, some words like トレーナー (sweatshirts) and ワンピース (dress-like outfits) are foreign loanwords that carry different meanings than those same words in English.

This screenshot was taken at the bottom of the site, showing the different ways to pay, and receive your items. This section is filled with mostly Sino-Japanese words, since the main reader for this website is a Japanese person (a parent, uncle, aunt, or grandparent). Words like, 送料無料 (free shipping) and 配送業 者 (delivery) are used to speak primarily towards their more “sophisticated” audience. There are also very few Native Japanese words being used. The only ones used are primarily action verbs. Some examples include, お届け致します (to deliver) and お問い合わせ (contact us).

This section was displayed towards the bottom of こどもの森’s home page. We thought it was interesting to see how the word “Ranking” and ランキング was chosen as opposed to “Most Popular” or “Our Favorites”. This choice in vocabulary is a great example of Japanized English, and how it’s used to provide Japanese audiences with a more clear understanding of the displayed information. Although the term “Ranking” seems somewhat awkward from a more Western standpoint, Japanese people (parents, aunts, and uncles in this case) are able to better comprehend what the website is trying to advertise in this section. Which is displaying the most current popular items in numerical order.

This screenshot displays more detailed info of one of their clothing products. We’re able to see this section compiles a mixture of foreign loanwords, Sino-Japanese words, and a few native Japanese words. Collectively, they provide more detail and context to their Japanese audience by thoroughly explaining the product’s material, texture, and other characteristics. They also provide their audience with some suggestions on how this product can match with other complementary clothing items. Sino-Japanese words to note are 質感 (texture), 素材 (material), and 裏地 (lining) are used to define key components of the product. While マット (matte) and ポリピーチ (polyphonic) are foreign loanwords used to provide adjective words to further illustrate and advertise the primary components of this product.

GAP : Japan (https://www.gap.co.jp/):

To compare to こどもの森, we have decided GAP Japan, which is also a clothing store, but with foreign origins.  We were curious to compare how two stores which sell similar products can vary in terms of the different types of word styles found on the homepage.  Below is a chart of the some examples of word types found on the webpage:

Native Japanese Sino Japanese Loan Words
知らず 大人気 パファー
盛りだくさん 幼児 ピーコート
超える 予想 ジャケット
選べる 子心地 ガールズ
柔らか 極上 ボーイズ
あったか 定番 BODY インナー
寒さ 色展開 マタニティ
いっぱい 新着 ウィメンズ
入り 永遠 メンズ
今すぐ 速報 FIT スポーツ
伸びる 最終 ベビーガールズ
防寒 べビーボーイズ
スタイル
デニム
コーデュロイ
ワードローブ
ショッピング
ケーブルニット

Based on the graphs and examples, you can see that there are a plethora of foreign loan words found on GAP Japan’s website.  In fact, they make up almost half of the words found on the page. If you include English words, almost two-thirds of the words on the webpage are made up of foreign-originating terms.  It is also obvious that the developers of the website did this on purpose. While some of the words are necessary to be written as foreign loanwords, the terms for men, boys, girls, etc. are all written as such despite being more natural if it was written in native Japanese.  The reasoning behind this is to give the website, and therefore the company, a more foreign feel to them, as GAP is known for being a foreign business. The image below was taken from the GAP Japan website, and shows its choice in using foreign loanwords as opposed to native Japanese.

Along with the abundance of foreign loanwords, one should also notice the way the creators of this website use English words.  Upon closer inspection, the majority of English words are in a much larger font as compared to the Japanese characters. This is clearly meant for advertisement, as English is known in Japan as “trendy” or “かっこういい”.  Therefore, having large English words on a website for a foreign business is sure to catch the eye of consumers. Below are some examples of large English text found within advertising on the website:

Group 5 Project 1

Group 5: Emilly, Miko, Aining, Yikuan, and Megan

The goal of this project was to compare the vocabulary used between two Japanese websites and analyze the effect each type of vocabulary had on each page. Our group met in person three times. The first time we met, we exchanged our contact information and were all asked to start thinking about websites we could use for our project. The second time we met up, we looked at the various sites we came up with, and ended up deciding on the Japanese Honda car website and the Fukumitsu Sake website. We chose these two because both had much content to analyze, and the two websites had distinct differences in the types of vocabulary used. At first, before choosing the sake website, we were going to use a ラムネ website, but after further analysis, we realized that the website did not include enough vocabulary to make a sufficient analysis. After this meeting, two people were assigned to analyze each website, and the fifth member was given the task of doing the final comparisons between the sites. At our final meeting, we compiled all of our information into a single google document, and finalized it from there.

Honda Website:

In the Honda homepage, the majority of the words used were written in katakana and romaji in order to express loan words or commercial style. For example, instead of 車, they used クルマ to match the aesthetic of the other words in the search bar that also consists of katakana. The rest of the words were in katakana due to the usage of loan words such as バイク、パワープロダクツ、モータースポーツ、etc. They used romaji to represent a product name/title (HondaJet), and the reasoning behind that choice can be speculated by the fact that Japan has a tendency to utilize loan words for certain commercial effects. Lastly, they used kanji for 企業情報, the only kanji seen on the search bar section. Above the search bar however, much more kanji can be seen within the mixture of katakana and romaji. What is missing the most is hiragana, which can only be seen in minor areas on the webpage used mainly as grammatical components (11月11日日). Due to the specific and deliberate format of this webpage, it can be speculated that the target audience consists of foreign and/or older people. The reason being, the frequent usage of katakana and romaji delivers a foreign theme, and the usage of kanji with little hiragana appeals to the older audiences.

Sino Japanese 30%
Native Japanese 20%
Loan 21%
Mimetic 0%
English 29%

https://www.honda.co.jp/news/2018/2181012-goldwing.html

Gold Wing Tour Dual Clutch Transmission<AIRBAG> パールグレアホワイト

これまでリアトランクとサドルバッグ標準装備のGold Wing Tour(ゴールドウイング ツアー)のみにタイプ設定され、優れた燃費性能やショックの少ない変速などにより多くのお客様から好評を得ている、Honda独自の二輪車用「Dual Clutch Transmission(デュアル クラッチ トランスミッション)」を、サドルバッグのみ標準装備のGold WingにもDual Clutch Transmissionを新たにタイプ設定しました。66

 また、全タイプにシャープでエッジの効いたシルエットをより強調し、高級感を醸し出すダークネスブラックメタリックを新採用するとともに、Gold Wing Tour Dual Clutch Transmission<AIRBAG>には、キャンディーアーダントレッド、パールグレアホワイトのカラーリングも追加することで、お客様の期待に応えるバリエーションとしました。132

Gold Wingは、今年1月にモーターサイクルがもつ魅力の原点に立ち返り“走りの高揚感” “操る楽しさ”を提供するため、快適な乗り心地と軽快なハンドリングを実現するHonda独自の二輪車用ダブルウィッシュボーンフロントサスペンションの採用や、軽量コンパクトな車体、新設計エンジンに加え、数々の先進装備を採用するなど、パッセンジャーとともに最上の感動を共有できるモーターサイクルとして、17年ぶりに全面刷新を図り、お客様から支持をいただいております。

Katakana is used a lot more in the Honda website, meaning more foreign loanwords were used.

Fukumitsuya Website:

In the Fukumitsuya website, the majority of the words used were in kanji and hiragana. That is probably because their target audience is more sophisticated, and the branding of the product is also representing the traditionality of the beverage. For example, they’d use formal words ending in 〜ます to show respect and attract those sophisticated audiences. In contrast, they’ve only used three words in katakana, the last one being the only loanword of the whole section: チカラ、カビ、and メートル. チカラ is being written in katakana to emphasize the power it has in the nature, where they collect the ingredients. As their target audience is not a younger clientele or foreigners, the brand name is also written in kanji: 福光屋. 酵母 is also used to make give the product a more classic presentation. The first section’s introduction: 冬、辺りが冷気に包まれる頃 gives it a poetic sound, and the use of  冬 could indicate that the sake warms you up when you have a sip. The website in general has a serious and minimalist tone with almost no romaji other than in the menu section. The rest is written mainly in kanji. Its tone is serious and sophisticated. It uses a lot of Sino Japanese words, making it appeal more to an older audience. Sake is also a national alcoholic beverage that is mainly sold as it is, classic and unique.

Sino Japanese 40%
Native Japanese 52%
Loan 1%
Mimetic 0%
English 7%

As can be seen from both websites, the type of vocabulary used can help give off a certain feel for the page, as well as help the sites appeal to different audiences. Since Honda is a international company, it makes sense that their website would use more foreign loanwords. They are trying to appeal to a foreign audience, and the frequent use of katakana gives the page a more “かっこいい” vibe. As for the Fukumitsuya Sake, their website uses a lot more traditional Japanese vocabulary to give off the feel of sophistication and tradition. Sake is a traditional Japanese beverage, and as it is alcohol, most buyers of the product are older. Their vocabulary usage appeals to a more mature audience, and the use of more kanji helps them to achieve this.

Group 3; Project 1

Group 3 : Samuel Roberts, Amber Walker, Jason Tseng, Haochen Huang, Daniel Grisby

Site 1: DMM Games

 

Sino Japanese:
漢字:20
温泉、満喫、基本、無料、有料、放題、湯気、友達、利用、可能、確認、所持、交換、艦隊、開催中、突破、拘束

Native Japanese: ひらがな:11
女のこたち、録りおろし、すぐ、これくしょん、来た、好きな、
必ずもらえる、おゆばに、この、から、まで
Katakana: 28
ゲーム、トップ、リーグ、コミュニティ、メッセージ、ヘルプ、ボイス、
メンテナンス、メダル、ポイント、チャージ、ダウンロード、チッピ、コミュ、
ピックアップ、ハイパー、チーム、バトル、バスタオル、チュートリアル、
トリック オア プリン、ハロウィン、パーティー、イベント、プリンセス、コネクト
Romaji: 9
DMM Games, New, PUBG, Flower Knight Girl, Cygames Inc.

A large portion of the terms present are given in katakana, which is understandable for a games website. Katakana text is used very often in games as labels for items (メダル, チッピ) as well as other game based terms (イベント, ヘルプ). A number of katakana words could have easily been shown via hiragana and/or kanji, but were instead purposefully chosen to be written in katakana, such as ヘルプ or ボイスThis allows these often relevant terms to stand out, sort of like using Italics, and also gives off the casual vibes that gaming is often known for. While there are nearly twice as many Sino-Japanese words than there are Native Japanese words, these words are mostly located in titles and headlines, where conservation of space was likely taken into account on the designers end.

Site 2: Uniqlo

Sino Japanese: 12
店舗, 検索, 会員, 登録, 限定値, 新作, 今週, 期間, 限定, 価格, 商品, 消費税
Native Japanese: 15
お問い合わせ、お気に入り、下げ中、見る、まで、軽い、いろいろ、すっきり、とした、楽しめる、使える、これ、暖かい、薄い、値下げ
Katakana: 10 ラインナップ、カート、デザイン、レイヤード、ウルトラ、ライト、ダウン、ベスト、アウター、インナー
Romaji: 10
Women, Men, Kids, Baby, Company, Ultra Light down, XS – 3/4XL

Nearly half of the words on this particular screenshot are given either in Katakana or are English words in Romaji. This is likely both because, as a clothing website, Uniqlo wants to have a particularly international style as well as because they may receive traffic from users in other countries being that they are a major clothing brand. As for the Sino/Native balance, they are mostly balanced in usage, which seems to show that the words are used for technical, literary purposes rather than to show a particular style.

 

 

Group 1, Project 1

Our group consists of Simon, Pablo, Li, and Qixuan. We decided to compare a Japanese news website (https://www.nikkei.com/economy/) and a website for a Neko Café (http://xn--y8jh7dsa1f.jp/?page_id=2335) in Japan. The two websites show completely different things, so we thought it would be interesting to compare the differences.

Nikkei Website

Native Japanese : 26%

Sino Japanese : 69%

Loan Words: 5%

Below are a few examples of the types of vocabulary used in the article:

Native Japanese Sino Japanese Loan Words
高い 経済産業省 イブニングスクープ
取り 過去 コスト

 

認めた 価格  
下げる 太陽光発電  
始めた 稼働  
受けた 施設  
込み 発電  
開く 方針  
見直し 年度  
法に 認定  

The article has a lot of Sino-Japanese words than Native Japanese and Loan words. Because it is a news website, the article has a very serious tone and more formal and complex vocabulary is used. The website is intended to be read by those who have a good grasp on the language and those who received higher education and can understand high-level grammar. For instance, it contains complex Sino-Japanese words like 経済産業省(けいざいさんぎょうしょう), 太陽光発電(たいようこうはつでん), 固定価格買(こていかかくばい). The sheer number of Sino-Japanese words used in this article further show that seriousness and the professional tone set by the news website instead of using a western loan word to simplify the content. 太陽光発電 could easily have been simplified to ソーラーパワー. 経済産業省 is also another complicated kanji compound that could have been simplified to METI, which is an acronym for Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. For the sake of seriousness and direction towards a sophisticated Japanese audience, Sino-Japanese words were used instead. The website doesn’t use many colors and is very straight to the point. However, the content is more complex. Only 5% of the words are loan words which shows that this page is intended for a Japanese adult audience.

 

Neko Café

Below are a few examples of the types of vocabulary used in the article:

ative japanese Sino-Japanese Loan words
ねこ 都内 カフェ
じつ 店舗 ランキング
ごぞんじ 以上 デート
軽い 気持ち ゴールイン
思いつい 全店制覇  ランキング
はや 種類
せっかく 家族
行き
まくっ た
作っ て
み まし た

The Neko Café website is much different in comparison with the Nikkei website. The Neko café website has soft colors and a very laid-back feel. It has a more playful image which is intended for a younger audience. There are also character illustrations displayed on the website which is a big difference from the Nikkei website that only has thumbnails relating to their new stories. The Neko café page is also 65% Native Japanese words, which is a big difference compared to the 26% on Nikkei’s page. The Neko café page is more eye catching but the content is simpler. カフェis a foreign loan word and it seems more exotic or fun than 喫茶店 which is the Japanese word for café. There is also the use of ランキング as opposed to  位 which is the Japanese word for ranking. The Sino-Japanese word 家族 is better than a native Japanese word as it shows the writer’s intended meaning. The word 家族 means family, which includes both children and elders. There is no native Japanese word that has the same meaning. In the case of the native Japanese word せっかく means ‘much trouble’, and the word ぜひ means ‘certainly’ or ‘without fail,’ they portray a personal feeling. If a Sino-Japanese or a loan word were used instead of the native Japanese words, the readers would not have understood the writer’s specific feeling or emotion that they want to portray in the article. Native Japanese words are the best way to show a person’s feeling or emotion, which is one of the reason why they are the highest amount of vocabulary used in the website. Also included on the website, is an interaction between two characters who use a sentence ending particle にゃー which is copying the sound that a cat makes in Japanese. It is supposed to be cute and funny. Such a thing wouldn’t appear on a news website.

Test Post

Hello all! I figured out how to post, but I apologize, I do not have a Japanese keyboard like the rest of you~

-Megan

こんにちわ

こんにちわ、鈴木ミコです。ポートランドから引っ越しました。私は大学三年生です。よろしくお願いします。

はじめまして

こんにちは、ケーシーです。趣味は日本語を勉強すること。もう三年間ぐらい勉強してきました。それに読書することも好きです。最近、詩や哲学に興味があってEmily Dickinsonと宮沢賢治の作品を読んでいます。両親の家では猫を三匹と犬を二匹飼っています。

よろしくお願いします