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Japanese borrowed many words from German particularly medical words from the study of medicine in Germany by Japanese doctors during the Meiji period (1868-1912). Also common are words related to mountain climbing and skiing, such as gerende for "ski slope".
These German words often sound confusingly like the equivalent English word. For example, enerugii for "energy".
| Japanese (katakana) | Japanese (romanized) | German | Meaning of Japanese word in English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| アドレナリン | adorenarin | Adrenalin | adrenalin | |
| アレルギー | arerugii | Allergie | allergy | |
| アルバイト | arubaito | Arbeit | Part-time work | The original meaning of Arbeit is just "work", but in Japanese it signifies a casual part-time job. |
| アスピリン | asupirin | Aspirin | aspirin | |
| バウムクーヘン | baumukūhen | Baumkuchen | Baumkuchen | A cake in the form of tree rings, very popular in Japan. |
| ベクトル | bekutoru | Vektor | vector | |
| ビールス | biirusu | Virus | virus | |
| ボンベ | bombe | Bombe | gas cylinder | In modern German, the word "Bombe" means "bomb" rather than gas cylinder. |
| チフス | chifusu | Typhus | typhus | |
| ダックスフント | dakkusufunto | Dachshund | dachshund (dog breed) | |
| デマ | dema | Demagogie | demagoguery | |
| ディーゼル | diizeru | Diesel | diesel engine | The fuel is called keiyu (軽油) in Japanese. |
| デーモン | dēmon | Dämon | demon | |
| ドーベルマン | dōberuman | Dobermann | doberman (dog breed) | |
| エネルギー | enerugii | Energie | energy | |
| フォルクスワーゲン | forukusuwāgen | Volkswagen | Volkswagen | |
| ゲノム | genomu | Genom | genome | |
| ゲレンデ | gerende | Gelände | ski slope | |
| ギプス | gipusu | Gips | plaster cast; cast | Some sources also claim this word is from Dutch. Reference 1 gives it as from German. |
| グミ | gumi | gummi | gumdrop | |
| グルッペ | guruppe | Gruppe | group | |
| ガーゼ | gāze | Gaze | bandages | |
| ハルン | harun | Harn | urine (medical) | |
| ヘゲモニー | hegemonii | Hegemonie | hegemony | |
| ヘルペス | herupesu | Herpes | herpes | |
| ヘット | hetto | Fett | tallow | |
| ヒステリー | hisuterii | Hysterie | hysteria | |
| ホルモン | horumon | Hormon | hormone | |
| ヒュッテ | hyutte | Hütte | mountain hut | |
| ハーケン | hāken | Haken | piton (climbing tool) | |
| ハーケンクロイツ | hākenkuroitsu | Hakenkreuz | swastika | This refers to the Nazi swastika rather than the Japanese symbol. See What are the symbols on Japanese maps? |
| イデオロギー | ideorogii | Ideologie | ||
| インポ | impo | Impotenz | impotence | |
| ウィンドヤッケ | indoyakke | Windjacke | anorak | |
| ジフィリス | jifirisu | Syphilis | syphillis | |
| カフェイン | kafein | Kaffein | caffeine | |
| カノン | kanon | Kanon | canon | |
| カプセル | kapuseru | Kapsel | capsule | |
| カリエス | kariesu | Karies | caries, tooth decay | |
| カルテ | karute | Karte | medical records | |
| キンダーガルテン | kindāgaruten | Kindergarten | ||
| コッヘル | kohheru | Kocher | oven | |
| コラーゲン | korāgen | Kollagen | Collagen | |
| クランケ | kuranke | Kranke | (medical) patient | |
| マイスター | maisutā | Meister | master | |
| マゾヒスト | mazohisuto | Masochist | masochist | |
| メルヘン | meruhen | Märchen | fairy tale | |
| メルヘンティック | meruhentikku | Märchen | fairy tale-like | This is a Japanese formation from "romantic" and meruhen, not a German word. |
| メルクマール | merukumāru | Merkmal | characteristic | |
| メッセ | messe | Messe | trade fair | |
| マーゲン | māgen | Magen | stomach | |
| ナチ | nachi | Nazi | Nazi | |
| ニコチン | nikochin | Nikotin | Nicotine | |
| ノイローゼ | noirōze | Neurose | Neurosis | |
| オブラート | oburāto | Oblate | Thin disc of starch used for wrapping sweets or as a medicinal wafer. | May originate from Dutch oblaat. See Which Japanese words come from Dutch? |
| オナニー | onanii | Onanie | masturbation | |
| オペ | ope | Operation | (surgical) operation | |
| ピッケル | pikkeru | Pickel | ||
| ポルターガイスト | porutāgaisuto | Poltergeist | ||
| プルス | purusu | Puls | pulse | |
| プードル | pūdoru | Pudel | poodle | |
| レントゲン | rentogen | Röntgen | X-ray | |
| リート | riito | Lied | German song | |
| ルンペン | rumpen | Lumpen | freeloader, tramp | |
| リュックサック | ryukkusakku | Rucksack | rucksack | |
| リューマチ | ryūmachi | Rheumatismus | rhematism | |
| ローレライ | rōrerai | Lorelei | ||
| シャンツェ | shantse | Schanze | ski jump | |
| シュノーケル | shunōkeru | Schnorchel | snorkel | |
| シュプレッヒコール | shupurehhikōru | Sprechchor | speaking in unison | |
| シュラーフ | shurāfu | Schlafsack | sleeping bag | |
| シャーレ | shāre | Schale | petri dish | |
| スピッツ | supittsu | Spitz | Pomeranian (type of dog) | |
| ストック | sutokku | Stock | ||
| トラホーム | torahōmu | Trachom | Trachoma | The English-based term torahooma is now more common. |
| ツベルクリン | tsuberukurin | Tuberkulin | ||
| テーマ | tēma | Thema | topic (of research, etc.) | |
| テーゼ | tēze | These | thesis | |
| ウルトラー | urutorā | Ultra | ultra | |
| ワクチン | wakuchin | Vakzin | vaccine | |
| ワッペン | wappen | Wappen | badge, name tag | The German word Wappen means "armorial bearings, coat of arms, crest, emblem, escutcheon" but the Japanese word is used, for example, for the name tag borne by schoolchildren on outings. |
| ワセリン | waserin | Vaselin | vaseline | |
| ヨーデル | yōderu | Jodel | yodelling | |
| ヨード | yōdo | Jod | iodine | |
| ヨーグルト | yōguruto | Yoghurt | yoghurt | |
| ザイル | zairu | Seil | climbing | |
| ゼミ・ゼミナール | zemi・zemināru | Seminar | seminar | The word zemi is also used as part of the names of cram schools (juku), such as Yoyogi Zemi or Waseda Zemi. |
| ゾンデ | zonde | Sonde | probe |
Thanks to Berthold Frommann, Martin Henke, and Roland Sieker for additions and corrections to this list.
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