ハイカラ

Japanese

Etymology

Shortened from ハイカラー (haikarā), from English high collar,[1][2] referring to the high collars of Japanese men imitating the Western fashion of the late 19th century.

Pronunciation

Adjective

ハイカラ (-na inflection, rōmaji haikara)

  1. (dated) trendy and Western
  2. (dated) fashionable, stylish
  3. (dated) modern, new
  4. (dated) Westernized
  5. of a style characteristic of the Western influence in the Meiji and Taisho periods

Usage notes

Originally coined as a derisive term for Japanese people who imitated Western trends and fashions, the word then gained positive connotations of stylishness and modernity by those who saw Westernization as the way forward for Japanese society. In modern Japanese the term is somewhat dated and evokes an earlier time when everything Western was still exotic and progressive.

Inflection

References

  1. 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
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