PreviousNext
If some singular English words have been borrowed into Japanese as plurals (9), at least one normally plural word has had its plural suffix stripped off in Japanese: "manners" and マナー. Any others?
(Later: A correspondent offers these: サングラス, パンティー, イヤホン, ヘッドホン, プライヤー, ニッパー, グラフィックアート, ビジュアルアート, ブリーフ, サスペンダー, トング, チャート in the meaning "hit charts," and ボーイスカウト and ガールスカウト as collective nouns referring to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.)
(January 10, 2003)