Engrich
Forget “Engrish.” We get it already: sometimes Japanese copywriters are not very good at writing within the English language. You’ve just repeated the same joke 10,000 times.
Let’s try something new: Engrich. Instead of showing the mistakes of Japanese working within English, let’s hunt for examples of brilliant cross-linguistic creation.
The first example: “Frank Zakka.” This Shibuya arty-accessories store’s name is a pun on the musician Frank Zappa and zakka (雑貨) — the Japanese word for accessories. But you already knew that.
March 12, 2008 at 11:36 am
I do dig the concept of Engrich and “Frank Zakka” sounds brilliant, but I don’t believe it to be a very accurate example.
I’m going to search the city for examples that “engrich” common English words, rather than proper names.
March 14, 2008 at 1:27 am
GOD DOG,the canine accessory shop
http://www.god-dog.com/
March 14, 2008 at 1:37 am
KIT KAT gets huge sales during entrass exam season for the pun of きっと勝つ
http://winxwincollabo.livedoor.biz/archives/50514099.html
March 14, 2008 at 2:59 am
Because the education system in Japan is evidently based on competition towards positions within a fixed hierarchy.
March 14, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Because the education system in Japan is evidently based on light, crispy wafers within a sweet chocolate coating.
(fixed your post for you.)
March 14, 2008 at 2:06 pm
How’bout ”ググる”for googling?
March 14, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I meant to do a whole post on the Katakana Eigo verbs like ダブる, パロる etc. But yeah, they’re pretty fun.
March 14, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I’ve always like the chain of bars in Kobe called “In Shock Ten”
March 14, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Saw a (Japanese run) Mexican place called Taberuna! (in hiragana) – Taverna in Spanish or “don’t eat!” in Japanese (which all of the regulars here know but these comments are not exactly always guest friendly).
March 15, 2008 at 5:02 pm
david, i’m pretty desperate to reach you (emails don’t seem to have worked so far) – could you write me at my other mail adress – odot.lamm@wanadoo.fr – when you have some time? merci!
March 16, 2008 at 7:16 pm
my favourite users of ‘engrich’ are probably sixties-themed Johnny’s group ‘THE GOOD-BYE’, whose song titles were full of cross-language puns like ‘YOU惑MAY惑’ (yuuwaku/meiwaku, ‘temptation/nuisance’) and ‘とLOVEるジェネレーション’ (ie ‘toRABUru generation’, i.e. ‘trouble generation’). One of their albums was called ‘GOOD VIBRATIONS’: just thinking about this fact makes me really happy.
March 24, 2008 at 8:51 am
Hang-o-bar in Roppongi. (Scroll)
March 24, 2008 at 1:10 pm
ダブる=W
thats genius.
November 27, 2008 at 7:58 am
My friend and i liked the idea of doing a Mexican restaurant with the name, “Aji Wow!”