Supermarkets and department stores, personal computers and rehabilitation

Today it seems I talked with many people about words from other languages or "loan words"(日本語の中の外来語). When you buy groceries, you usually go to a supermarket (スーパー). It's interesting, because Japanese translate the sound, but Chinese translate the meaning. Instead of スーパー, they say 超吸市場 ("super" and "market"). "Supermarket" might seem like a mouthful at four syllables, so many Americans just say:

• I'm going to the store. Want anything?

Department store in Chinese is 百貨公司, "100 product company", but in Japanese, just the first few sounds are taken -- "デパート". However, if you just say "department" in English, people will think you mean a section in a company or institute, not a place to buy some nice new clothes or with a supermarket in the basement. Here are some definitions from Edict:

• 科 (か) (n,n-suf) (1) department; section; (2) (taxonomical) family; (P);
• 課 (か) (n,n-suf) (1) lesson; (2) section (in an organization); division; department; (ctr) (3) counter for lessons and chapters (of a book); (P);
• 部局 (ぶきょく) (n) department; bureau; section; part; (P);

• × I bought it at a department.
• ○ I bought it at a department store.

Another English word that seems to get shortened in Japanese is "personal computer", which becomes "パソコン", but can be even shorter in English as "PC". Yet another is "rehabilitation", which becomes "リハビリ"; in English, though, it can get down to two syllables: "rehab". One of our students is in rehab now; get well soon!