Kakataka is a set of Japanese syllabary mainly used for “loan words” from Western languages. To identify correct spelling of katakana, you should consult dictionaries first.
In recent years, due in major part to globalization, Japanese mass media and people are exposed to the influx of English-originated katakana words, such as “Internet” “Smart V,” “compliance,” “athlete,” and “globalization.” To find how the Japanese are using these terms in katakana, I recommend that you should use wikipedia. The procedure is below.
- Go to wikipedia page and search the term: ex. “globalization.”
- Click “日本語” on the left column of the page under “languages”
- Voila! You can find the correct spelling of globalization: “グローバリゼーション”
You can do the same for names. Try some names of American actors/actresses, singers, and U.S. presidents.
Katakana Words we will use in class:
ニューヨーク (New York) ニュージャージー (New Jersey)
マンハッタン (Manhattan) ブルックリン (Brooklyn)
クイーンズ (Queens) ブロンクス (Bronx)
