GRCON — GRA CON? GRCN? Why not just say “Ground Control”?
When I was scrolling Instagram, I came across this funny and interesting video.
This account introduces many fun tips about Japanese. From a Japanese perspective, we’d say: “I totally get them, but I never really cared about these things.”
Yes, we do love abbreviations. Maybe it’s because we’re a little lazy — I won’t deny that — but we also enjoy wordplay. I found an article explaining why Japanese people use abbreviations. If you have some time, please check it out:
Like Haiku, Tanka, and Waka, we are used to shortening words or adjusting them to fit the sounds from old times.
To create stronger bonds within communities or between generations.
I feel the second reason is more familiar to us than laziness.
We can also find many abbreviations in the advertising industry:
CREDEN — Credentials
PRESEN — Presentation
APO — Appointment
BRESTO — Brainstorming
CONSAL — Consultant
SUBSCU — Subscription
INFRA — Infrastructure
…When I hear a PRESEN full of abbreviations, it can either sound interesting or make absolutely no sense at all. That’s because they sometimes change the meanings as well. It means I have no clue what they’re saying! I worry that changing both the sounds and the meanings could make learning English from Japanese even harder.
I also heard from a friend that only 16.8% of the Japanese population have passports! Does that mean they don’t care about learning English? I looked it up, and one article said that only 7% of Japanese are above B2 level (CEFR).
…Just contact us anytime if you need our help!
Rina