Language/Japanese/Vocabulary/Acronyms

This page will introduce some acronyms used very frequently in japanese.

Video Games

• SEGA : SErvice GAme comes from the first activity of the company that consist to rent cash games.

• KONAMI : Is a combination of the four founders of the company : kagemasa KOzuki,yoshinobu NAkama, hiro Matsuda, shokichi Ishihara.

• CAPACOM : CAPsule COMputer

• POKEMON : POCKET MONSTER

Daily life

• KONBINI : Convenience Store

Transportation and payment cards

(in each name "CA" is for card)

• SUICA : SUper Urban Intelligent CArd (Tokyo and Around) / Suica also means watermelon

• ICOCA : IC Operating Card (Osaka and Around) / Iko ka? Here we go? (from verbe iku)

• SUGOCA : Smart Urban GOing CArd (around Kyuushu aera) / In Kyuushu dialect SUGOCA means "better"

• NIMOCA : NIce MOney CArd (mainly in Fukuoka City). Has a mascot on it.

• KITACA : Kita means north in japanese. So this is the card of the north.

• TOICA : TOUkai IC CArd (Nagoya and around) / Toukai is a subregion of the Chuubu region

• MANACA : Man'naka, japanese word which means "center". Used in the region of Nagoya too.

• HAYAKAKEN (Fukuoka and around) : Its name stands for quick (速い, HAyai), friendly (優しい, YAsashii), comfortable (快適, KAiteki), and card (券, KEN). Hayakaken (速かけん) also means "Because it's quick" in Hakata dialect.

And finally, PASMO

To be continued ...