Quiz on things whose names differ between the past and now. Differences between old terms and modern terms.

Italian cuisine

“Ita-meshi” is read as “itameshi,” and some of you might picture “fried rice” (itame-ta meshi), i.e., chāhan. But the correct meaning is Italian cuisine. It’s a term that became popular during Japan’s bubble era and referred to dishes like pasta and pizza. Italian food itself spread and became trendy around that time, and nowadays it’s widely established in Japan; people rarely abbreviate it, and generally say “Itaria ryōri” or “Italian.”

flour

Meriken-ko is synonymous with wheat flour. As terms like “hakurikiko” (cake flour) and “chūrikiko” (all-purpose flour) became more common, the word fell out of use. By the way, it’s said that “meriken” came from a mishearing of “American.”

Best

A chōkki is a sleeveless garment worn under outerwear; it’s synonymous with a vest. Its origin is said to be either from the Japanese term meaning “directly worn” (chokugi) or from the Portuguese word for jacket, “jaqueta.” It’s interesting to consider how the term became established.

turtleneck

“Tokkuri” got its name because its shape resembles a sake flask called “tokkuri.” On the other hand, “turtleneck” is named because it resembles a turtle stretching its neck out from its shell. Both names are metaphors based on shape.

chalk

The reading of 白墨 is “hakuboku.” It’s made by kneading calcined gypsum with water and letting it harden. Incidentally, most chalk used today falls into two types: those that use calcined gypsum and those that use calcium carbonate. In other words, strictly speaking, not all of them are the same.

nursery teacher

In the past, women were called hobo and men hofo, but even so, hobo was used as the official qualification title. For that reason, it’s said that even men would write hobo on documents when listing their occupation or qualification. The use of the character for “mother” (母) is believed to reflect that most practitioners at the time were women. However, with the 1999 amendment to the Child Welfare Act following the revision of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, the title was standardized to hoikushi to be gender-neutral.

Own goal

An own goal refers to accidentally putting the ball into one’s own team’s net in soccer. Because it adds to the opposing team’s score, it used to be called a “suicide goal” in the past. However, in 1994, after the Japan Football Association designated the term “own goal,” the name was changed and has remained in use to this day. “Own” is spelled O-W-N and means “one’s own” or “done by oneself.”