Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

Funny Japanese place names: Eromanga??

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
17 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

There are some pretty hilarious place names in the world, like Hell, Michigan, Hookersville, West Virginia or Lord Berkeley’s Knob, Scotland. There are some that sound funny to the Japanese, too. The second largest city in Idaho is Nampa, which happens to be a common slang term that roughly means “girl hunting,” what bored young people in Japanese cities usually do on weekends. The Boyne Valley near Dublin, Ireland causes snickering when rendered into katakana, since boin is the sound of soft, round things going, well, “boing.” In Holland there’s a town called Scheveningen, which comes out sounding like sukebe ningen in Japanese, meaning “depraved human being” (I’m sure they could use some of our T-shirts there). In Texas, Michigan and Alaska there are towns with the name of Onalaska, which happens to sound like onara-suka, which is “Did you have flatulence?” in polite Japanese. The prefecture of Siliana in Tunisia gets more attention than it otherwise would, since it sounds like shiri and ana, a person’s rear end and hole, respectively. The most common “catch-all” Japanese insult is baka, meaning “stupid,” but in Osaka they prefer the term aho, and I’m sure the town of Ajo, Arizona gets at least a few additional tourists each year because of this name. But the strangest accidental place name would have to be Eromanga, a mining town that’s the farthest point from the sea in Australia, with a name that sounds like manga comics that are naughty. Similarly, there’s an island near Australia named Erromango, which got miss-transliterated as Eromanga in the Nintendo Wii weather program, making it an instant legend in the eyes of Japanese gamers.

Tags: Japanese languagemangaNintendo

More Posts Like This

When The Subtitles Substitute Name For Onii Chan
Your Friend in Japan

Onii-chan, No! When Translators Don’t Follow Japanese Naming Conventions

by Peter Payne
6 months ago

How do you feel when you're watching anime and a character uses an honorific like "Onii-chan," but the subtitles use...

Japanese Is Similar To Spanish Blog
Your Friend in Japan

Why Is Japanese So Similar to Spanish? Let’s Compare Both Languages!

by Peter Payne
8 months ago

Everyone knows that Japanese is a hard language to learn, right? But I found it surprisingly easy, partly because it...

What Does Bitch Mean In Japanese

Bitch Means What in Japanese?? Nine Times Japan Changed the Meaning of Words

10 months ago
Shock! Manga Artists Who Also Created Hentai

Shock! 15 Famous Manga Artists Who Also Made Hentai

1 year ago
The State Of The Anime Industry 2023 Blog? New

What is the State of the Anime Industry in 2023?

1 year ago
Watashi No Shiawase No Kekkon

‘My Happy Marriage’ is a Serotonin Boost For Your Brain

2 years ago
Next Post
J-List Default Featured Image

Japanese People think Americans Know Every English Word Ever Made

Trending Today

Please Put Them On Takamine San PV2 5
News

The Power of No Panties, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san

3 months ago
Haite Kudasai, Takamine San Episode 4 Featured Image
Featured

Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san, Episode 4 — Choose Your Own Adventurous Lingerie!

3 days ago
Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
News

Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime and Where to Watch Them

2 months ago
Nin Koro Web Cover
Featured

NinKoro — How to Get Away with Murder Ft Busty & Kawaii Waifus

1 month ago
Happy News! J List's Fiscal Year End Sale Gives You The Best Anime Deals
Your Friend in Japan

Don’t Miss the Best Anime Deals in J-List’s Fiscal Year-End Clearance!

5 days ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
Happy News! J List's Fiscal Year End Sale Gives You The Best Anime Deals
Your Friend in Japan

Don’t Miss the Best Anime Deals in J-List’s Fiscal Year-End Clearance!

by Peter Payne
May 19, 2025

Fighting Words (and Spirit) Are Why You Should Watch Wind Breaker

Yandere Dark Elf, Episode 4 — Reverse Isekai Reunion Jams Up Love Nest!

Can Kowloon Generic Romance Awaken Nostalgia for a Past You Never Lived?

Criminals Beware Detectives These Days Are Crazy!

Makina-san a Love Bot?!, Episode 7 — I Swear It’s Eye Candy

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.