Eastern influences

10 Asian words that are part of our daily vocabulary

English vocabulary is riddled with words borrowed from other languages, but we often think about those that come from French, Spanish, or other Romance languages, though we are aware of the influence of Germanic and Nordic languages. But how often do we think about the influence of Asian languages in our everyday words? Asian influence might not be as pervasive as that of some European languages, but it’s much more present than you would think. Here are 10 Asian words that everyone has used at least once.

Several different languages —such as Arabic, Persian, or Greek— have used words with the same roots as ‘typhoon’ to describe strong winds or storms, but the term adopted into English is of Chinese origin.

During the 16th century, Portuguese sailors traveling across China adopted the Mandarin táifēng (in Cantonese, daaihfùng), meaning ‘big wind’, to describe severe storms. They spelled it as tufão, although English adopted it as touffon. Down the line, Greek influences affected the spelling, rendering our modern ‘typhoon’.

Most people know that tofu is an ingredient of Asian origin, but have you ever wondered what this word means? Although English borrowed it from Japanese, its origins are rooted in China.

The Japanese tōfu is a phonetic copy of the Chinese dòufu, a combination of dòu (‘bean’) and fǔ (‘curdled’ or ‘fermented’). However, the Chinese character for fǔ is also related to the character for ‘meat’ or ‘flesh’, and some linguists interpret that its use in ‘tofu’ is also a reference to tofu’s texture.

If we tried the original ketchup, we might not find many similarities with the ketchup we know. Originating from the Fujian region of China, kê-chiap or kôe-chiap was used for a pickled fish brine, but neighboring regions adopted the term to refer to savory dark sauces in general.

English and Dutch merchants picked up the term in Malaysia as kicap or kecap, but spelled it such as catchup, catsup, or ketchup. Initial English recipes relied on mushrooms, walnuts, and oysters to replicate the umami flavor of the original ketchup, but it was the addition of tomato in the 19th century that shifted the term ketchup to its current meaning.

A fairly new word, the term emoji was coined in 1999 by Shigetaka Kurita, the creator of the first telephone emojis. The word is a combination of e (‘picture’) and moji (‘character’ or ‘letter’); this last term is related to words like kanji, the Chinese ideograms used in Japanese writing,

Despite what many people think, emoji is not related to the term ‘emoticon’, a portmanteau of ‘emotion’ + ‘icon’. The fact that emojis and emoticons have phonetic similarities and are used for the same purpose is just a coincidence.

We might not use the word ‘tycoon’ daily, but you might have heard it in reference to wealthy and influential businessmen or politicians. Although it can now carry a slightly negative connotation, it was not negative in its origin. In Japanese, taikun (meaning ‘great lord’) was a title given to the shogun, the Japanese military leader, often more powerful than the Emperor.

When Japan opened to foreign trade in the 19th century, the word was adopted by English-speaking diplomats to refer to the shogun and, later, to other powerful politicians. It was not until the early 20th century that its meaning shifted from politics and came to be used for wealthy and highly influential people.

The term ‘ginger’ comes from an Old French word, but this doesn’t mean its origins are not rooted in Asia. We can find them in the Sanskrit śṛṅgavera, meaning ‘horned shaped’, a description of the antler-like shape of the ginger root.

How did śṛṅgavera become ‘ginger’? It first evolved into siṅgabera, a term adopted into Greek as zingiberis and into Medieval Latin as gingiber. Gingiber became the Old French gingibre, from where Old English got gingifer, later shortened to ‘ginger’.

You might associate ‘curry’ with a specific spice mix, typically used for a dish also named curry. This is not wrong, but is also not exactly right. In the Tamil language, kaṟi means ‘sauce’, ‘relish’, or any spiced meat and vegetables that were eaten with rice.

The word was adopted as ‘curry’ by English and as ‘caril’ by Portuguese traders, who used it as an umbrella term for any Indian spiced stew. By association, they also used the term for a mix of spices, called masala (‘mixture’, ‘blend’) in Indian cuisine. This way, hundreds of dishes and several masalas were grouped under the name ‘curry’.

In Western mentality, the term ‘zen’ is associated with Eastern spiritual practices, or at least with meditation and balance, but its story and meaning are much more complex. ‘Zen’ is a transliteration of the Japanese zen, which in turn comes from the Chinese chán or chánnà, meaning ‘meditation’.

But the roots of zen go deeper. Chánnà is not an original Chinese word, but the phonetic transliteration of the Sanskrit dhyāna, meaning ‘meditation’, ‘contemplation’, or a ‘state of meditative absorption’, a term that originated in ancient India and then travelled to China and Japan as part of Buddhist spirituality.

Neither ‘brain’ nor ‘to wash’ are words of Chinese origin, so how can ‘brainwashing’ be a Chinese term? It is because ‘brainwashing’ is a calque, meaning a word-for-word translation, of the Chinese xǐnǎo, which means ‘to wash the brain’.

The term xǐnǎo became popular in Chinese to describe political re-education policies used by the Chinese Communist Party. How did it enter the English vocabulary? It was translated and adopted by American journalist Edward Hunter to explain the actions of some American prisoners during the Korean War, claiming that they had been ‘brainwashed’ into adopting their captors’ ideologies or into making false statements.

Most Americans will understand ‘chop chop’ as slang for ‘hurry up’, but did you know that it comes from Chinese? The phrase comes from 19th-century Guangzhou (also known as Canton), where English and Cantonese had mixed to form a pidgin or contact language between two distinct languages.

Chinese language often reduplicates words for emphasis; in this case, the word sù, meaning ‘fast’, is reduplicated to make sù sù, ‘hurry up’. American and British sailors heard this phrase in the Guangzhou ports, and adopted it as the pidgin ‘chop chop’.

Crazy atlas

8 demonyms that'll leave you shaking your head

Image: Dariusz Sankowski

Prepare for a linguistic rollercoaster as we dive into the peculiar world of demonyms —terms used to describe people from a specific place. While some are straightforward, others take unexpected and intriguing turns, reflecting the rich diversity and idiosyncrasies of cultures worldwide. Join us on a linguistic journey as we uncover unusual demonyms that are bound to leave you shaking your head in bewilderment.

Image: Liv Cashman

Stemming from "Oxonia," the Latin name for Oxford, this curious demonym seems to go hand in hand with the city's enduring intellectual legacy and academic prominence, home to one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world. The city, initially settled by the Anglo-Saxons, was called Oxnaford in Old English and Öxnafurða in Old Norse. The name literally originated from "oxen's ford," signifying a shallow river crossing for cattle.

Image: karimjy LOULOUA

Venture to the captivating island of Madagascar, and you'll discover the term Malagasy used to refer to its diverse inhabitants. This demonym is derived from the Malagasy language, spoken by the islanders, and a part of the Malayo-Polynesian language family.

The local language is also known for having incorporated loanwords of African and Arabic origin, brought over the years by traders and new settlers.

Image: Tobias Negele

In Halifax, Canada, residents proudly go by the moniker Haligonians. While the city was originally named after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, the demonym is actually older, combining the root Hali- with the suffix -onian, likely influenced by the medieval Latin name Haligonia of Halifax, England. The Native American name for Halifax is Kjipuktuk, and means "Great Harbour" in the Mi'kmaq language.

Image: Joe Cook

The city of Phoenix in Arizona lends its name to a rather surprising demonym – Phoenician. While it might evoke images of the ancient maritime civilization, today's Phoenicians in Phoenix are more likely to be found enjoying the sun-soaked southwestern lifestyle than navigating the seas. Furthermore, the term used for the inhabitants of the city of Phoenix is not related to the Mediterranean civilization but to the mythical phoenix bird. In the 19th century, American settlers envisioned their new town rising from the ashes like the legendary creature, giving rise to the unique demonym used today.

Image: Neil Martin

Nestled by the River Mersey, Liverpudlians embrace a unique identity woven not just by geography but also by their atypical demonym. The term Liverpudlian surfaced playfully in the 1830s during a sports team name alteration, replacing "pool" with "puddle" and adopting the -ian suffix. They are also known as Scousers, derived from "lobscouse," a traditional stew rooted in the city's maritime history.

Image: William McCue

The denizens of the vibrant city of Manchester proudly carry the demonym Mancunian, a term that echoes back to its Roman roots. The city's ancient history begins with the founding of Mancunium, a Roman fortification strategically positioned on a rocky cliff near the convergence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell in AD 79. While rooted in antiquity, Manchester's rich history is equally marked by the rapid pace of development during the Industrial Revolution, propelling it to the distinction of being the world's first industrialized city.

Image: Tom Jur

It might be hard to believe, but the demonym Bajan is directly derived from the word Barbadian. In the local language, the word sounded more like ‘Barbajan’ and it was eventually shortened to just Bajan.

Barbados is a true melting pot of cultures, shaped by diverse influences. Initially inhabited by Kalinago and Arawaks from South America, Barbados saw Spanish raids in the 16th century, prompting Kalinago to migrate to other Caribbean islands. The arrival of English colonists and Africans during the slave trade further enriched the cultural mosaic of present-day Barbados.

Image: JR Harris

Venture to the northeast of England, and you'll find Novocastrians —the lively inhabitants of Newcastle. As with many English cities, the term is derived from the Latin Novum Castrum, meaning "New Castle." Interestingly, this demonym also extends its reach to inhabitants of various cities named Newcastle, including the one in New South Wales, Australia.