My first katakana word is ポッキ (Pocky). Pocky is the very famous asian snack that consists of a biscuit stick that is coated with chocolate or strawberry. Pocky originated in Japan, and its name is an onomatopoeia of the sound it makes when you bite into it (the snapping of the Pocky stick). For this reason, expressing the word in katakana would make the most sense since one of the uses of the writing system is to represent onomatopoetic sounds. Nowadays, however, the brand is usually written with the English alphabet version of the word (Pocky) instead of the original katakana version (ポッキ). This was probably done because English words stand out much more as a brand than a word written in any of the three Japanese alphabets.
My second katakana word is ロイヤルミルクテ (Royal Milk Tea). This is a Japanese brand of milk tea drink. Using katakana to represent the name of the drink in this way might seem like these are loan words. However, milk and tea both have native words in Japanese that are not loan words from English (ぎゅうにゅう and ちゃ). Using the phonetic representation of these words in katakana shows that it was probably used as emphasis. Katakana are more noticeable than hiragana as brands (because of their blockiness) and also shows sophistication when representing western words.
Different textbooks sometimes have different explanations for the use of katakana. I think the discreprency comes from the changes in the uses of katakana over time. Unlike hiragana and kanji, katakana is used as the writing system for words that do not fit in the uses of the other two systems. For this reason, katakana can have different purposes as new uses are invented. In my opinion, katakana is the most flexible of the three writing systems because writers can effectively use it however they see fit.
-Simon
6 comments:
Very interesting point about ポッキー! When I think of it, I actually don't remember seeing ポッキー written in English when I was in Japan. However, I definitely see it everywhere now in the States. Do you think there is a possibility of changing the writing system as targeted consumers change over the years?
とてもおもしろかったです！ I have seen a old package written in katakana on TV, and I felt really old at that time. I think that English alphabet make the snack new.
I haven't thought I can express ロイヤルミルクティー in Japanese, ぎゅうにゅう and ちゃ. If I express “royal milk tea” in Japanese, ぎゅうにゅうちゃ, I feel like it's different drink from ロイヤルミルクティー. I think the drink is bad taste.
It's really interesting to think why katakana is used in Japanese in many ways.
Pocky and Royal Milk Teas are like my favorite food.
I have been eating pocky like forever but I didn't know the name originated from the sound that we bite.
In Korea, there is even Pocky day, in Korean language "bbaebbaero day." It is like Valentines day so we give pocky to a person that we love.
サイモンさん,
I think you make a great point about the use of katakana (and foreign loanwords) in product names that have Japanese words to express them. Not only do they emphasize the foreign and therefore possible cosmopolitan qualities of the product but also create a sense of continuity with the characters. Unlike kanji, katakana is a syllabary that creates a clear sense of phonetic emphasis for each syllable. And unlike hiragana, the shape of the characters in katakana is sharp, angular, and perhaps edgy. Those sharp shapes tend to stand out more and are more striking to consumers, which makes them more desirable for use in advertising and product names.
I didn't know that that was where the name "Pocky" came from, that's very interesting! You made a good point that "Royal Milk Tea" is probably not made up of loanwords. To me it seems like the brand was named in English, then changed to katakana to make it easier for the consumers to read. I also agree with you that katakana is the most flexible writing system.
I think your point about the connection between brand names and sophistication through association with foreign words or ideas is interesting. Do you think Japanese tend to view foreign things very postively?
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