Be Careful How You Use Loanwords (Katakana Words) in Essays and Statements of Purpose!

Last updated: 2025/09/12

This series, [Basics of Writing], introduces the fundamental points of composition that I, Shimeno, an essay and composition instructor, teach in my daily correction and grading guidance.

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(You can see Shimeno's self-introduction here.)

Katakana words (loanwords) that are easy to use but can be used 'without really thinking'

I once saw a sentence like this while correcting a statement of purpose.

When I saw this sentence, I felt a very strong sense of discomfort. This is because it was a sentence that seemed to misunderstand the meaning of the word 'curriculum'.

As mentioned above, a curriculum originally means "the totality of what is learned at which stage, arranged to achieve the final educational goals". For example, in mastering a certain field of study, it refers to "the entire educational program in which what should be learned is arranged in order according to the learning stage", such as what to learn first as a foundation, and then what to learn in an applied manner based on that. However, in the sentence shown at the beginning, the context seems to consider small-group instruction as a curriculum, and that small-group instruction itself cannot be called a curriculum, so the meaning of the sentence is not correctly conveyed to the reader. If I were to say, in this case, "educational system" or "educational system (instructional system)" would be appropriate. Not limited to this, "cases where the meaning of katakana words is used incorrectly" are quite common.

Loanwords (katakana words) are words created by transcribing words or terms that are not originally Japanese. Therefore, their advantage is that they can be easily used in Japanese sentences. However, on the other hand, because they are not 'Japanized' by translating the original words into existing Japanese expressions, they also have the drawback that "they can be used without really understanding their meaning". This time, I would like to discuss how to handle such katakana words (loanwords) in writing.

Overuse of katakana words is strictly prohibited! If it can be replaced with 'pure Japanese', prioritize that!

Not only in essays for examinees, but even among adults, I often see people who "overuse katakana words in their writing". However, the overuse of katakana words should be avoided. The reason is simple. It makes the writing difficult to convey and makes the entire text hard to understand.

The following types of people are assumed to be those who overuse katakana words.

1 is mere vanity. But if you are aware of that and are using katakana words, stop immediately. People who are truly capable or educated will see right through you, and it will actually have the opposite effect. 2 is a case that cannot be helped in a sense. However, if such people study Japanese more, their Japanese vocabulary will expand, and this problem will eventually be solved.

Up to this point, it is not an essential problem. The problem is 3. I think most "katakana word overusers" fall into this category. That's right. Most people who tend to overuse katakana words are "people who lack vocabulary", in other words, people who do not know the Japanese words or idioms that correspond to those terms. As mentioned above, katakana words are easy to use. However, on the other hand, they tend to be overused because of that ease.

　This is a "text heavily using katakana words" created by instructing generative AI. As you can see, while I can sort of understand what it wants to say, the meaning of the sentences is not clear. Now, what happens if we replace many of these obstructive katakana words with "pure Japanese"?

　Also, I had it create this text as well.

　This one, too, has become a text where it is difficult to understand what is being said. Saying things like "achieve sustainable growth" sounds a bit like the way the entertainer Lou Oshiba speaks (laughs). I will try to rewrite this into appropriate expressions as well.

　As you can see from these examples, there are Japanese expressions with the same meaning as those katakana words, so they are all things that do not necessarily need to be used as katakana words. Rather, it is clear from these examples that using many katakana words makes the text difficult to understand. And, to avoid such situations, we can also see that developing vocabulary is essential.

If you must use katakana words, understand their meaning thoroughly before using them!

　However, there are also "times when you must use katakana words". That is "when the thing or concept that the original word signifies does not exist in current Japanese language or culture". There are three conceivable cases for this.

　Regarding 1, just as the Meiji-era enlightenment thinker Nishi Amane translated "philosophy" as "tetsugaku" and the thinker Fukuzawa Yukichi translated "economy" as "keizai," unless a corresponding Japanese word is created and becomes widespread, the word will be used as a katakana transcription. Case 2 is "when it is not impossible to translate into Japanese, but there is no single word in Japanese that expresses it in the same way". For example, "feedback" means "to provide pointers or evaluations in response to the other party's way of thinking or actual behavior," but this is a word with "interactivity" where we return a reaction to an action the other party took toward us, and at present, there is no single Japanese word that expresses this. In such cases, katakana words are used. Finally, case 3 is "when the word has become widespread as a technical term within that industry or world, so there is no need to go out of your way to translate it into Japanese for communication within that industry or world". "Kameriha" (camera rehearsal) in the television industry refers to "camera rehearsal," which is "practice conducted under the same shooting conditions as the actual shoot to confirm the program's progress in advance and ensure it can be carried out as planned." However, because "kameriha" is understood within that industry, it is not translated into "pure Japanese" but circulates as a katakana word (however, since it is not understood by people outside the industry, in that case, it is necessary to translate it into another word and provide supplementary expressions or explanations as appropriate). The above are the cases where it is necessary to use katakana words in text or conversation.

　However, in this case, it goes without saying that you are required to correctly understand the original word. Therefore, do not use such katakana words without accurate and sufficient understanding. Like the "text using the word 'curriculum'" mentioned earlier, it will result in text that does not make sense.

(Of course, creating text after correctly understanding the meaning of words is not limited to katakana words; it is the absolute basic of writing.)

Summary: You should not use many loanwords (katakana words) in essays or statements of purpose. Also, their use requires sufficient understanding.

　As described above, you should avoid the excessive use of loanwords (katakana words). However, for words and expressions in fields newly born overseas, such as IT-related terms, there may be no corresponding Japanese expression, so there are times when you have no choice but to use katakana words. In that case, it goes without saying that if you do not use the katakana word after correctly understanding its meaning, it will not be a text that conveys your message to the reader.

　We are now in an "era of globalization." As many things and cultures flow in from overseas from now on, more and more new katakana words will likely be born. However, I would like to avoid the situation of using those words without sufficient understanding.

〈Reference Material〉
Kotobank

(Many katakana words refer to things or concepts that have newly emerged in recent years. It is also useful to have dictionaries like this.)

For those struggling with "how to write a statement of purpose," we recommend this "Shimeno-style template for creating a statement of purpose"!