Turns out trillions of dollars aren’t the only thing the west has borrowed from China; although there aren’t many, some common English words were first uttered in one form or another in eastern lands long before they ever reached the shores of Albion or America.

Languages are fluid, ever-evolving creatures that suck in words and spit them back out refitted, ready for new journeys. Today (March 23rd) is the 170th anniversary of the first time "O.K." appeared in any official media. O.K. was an abbreviation of "oll correct", a slangy spelling of "all correct" similar to the way "jk" and "lol" are used today. The Boston Morning Post used it as a joke but the term was picked up by politicians like Martin Van Buren and is used today by everyone from American presidential candidates to Beijing cab drivers.

While most of the English language is an amalgamation of various western languages, some other flavors got into the pot as well – below is a short list of some English words that, like almost everything else we use nowadays, were made in China.

Photo: mricon

Honcho
Honcho came, like quite a few Chinese words, to the English language by way of Japan. However the original term – meaning leader of a squad – derives from the Middle Chinese words han and cho which meant squad and chief, respectively.

Kowtow
Coming from the Chinese word ke tou (磕头), or ‘bump head’ the term originally described an action of respect – getting on one’s knees and lowering your head until it almost knocked the ground. In English the respectful connotation has been consumed by a derogatory term used to describe someone extremely obsequious – or, to use the vernacular, a real suck up.

Tea
Not surprisingly, almost every word for "tea" comes from China. I know you’re thinking, "But tea in Chinese is cha." That’s correct but the word filtered into English, as well as Dutch, German, French, Malay, and Spanish, through the Fujian dialect where it is pronounced "te". Iranians, Vietnamese, and Japanese all call tea "cha", while Russians and Indians sip "chai".

Photo: justin

Typhoon
A mighty wind, this word arose from the Mandarin "táifēng" (台风) which means… typhoon. The Greek used a similar word – tuphon – to describe the same event, but so far as etymologists know they invented these words separately they were later amalgamated to form "typhoon" which in 2006 became the title of a Korean movie about a pirate who hijacks a ship carrying nuclear missile guidance devices and threatens to start a world (ending) war.

Tycoon
This word arrives by way of Fujian and Cantonese dialects with a bit of Japanese thrown in. It originally sprung from the word "大款" (dàkuǎn) – which now describes someone with a lot of money but in its origina Canonese - "takiun" - meant "great prince". The Japanese used it while trying to impress upon Commodore Perry the stature of their leader, Shogun Tokugawa Iyesada. The term followed the ships back home and is now used to describe extremely successful business men and women.

Ketchup
Although Heinz may have invented the 57 varieties and tomato ketchup seems to be an American invention, the word for this common condiment traces back to China and Malaysia. The Chinese version of the word comes derives from koechiap which, in the Amoy dialect, means fish sauce. Ingredients were added by western visitors and eventually the first tomato ketchup (or catsup) like the kind Americans squirt all over hot dogs and burgers was invented in America during the early 19th Century.

Photo: Nadavspi

Gungho
This Chinese inspired word actually comes from Evans Carlson, a US Marine Lieutenant Colonel during WWII. Impressed by the enthusiasm and work ethic of the Communist soldiers, or the "Zhongguo gongye hezuo shi" (Chinese Industrial Cooperatives Society), he decided he would try to get some of their mojo working on his troops by borrowing the "gong" and "he" parts from their name and using them to describe his own troops. The enthusiasm may or may not have caught on but the term caught fire like the CCTV tower and is used frequently today.

Brainwash
Not quite a borrow word but a literal translation of the Chinese term – 给…洗脑 (gěi …xǐnǎo) – meaning to wash somebody’s brain. The word is thought to have become popular in the English language after its usage in the film Manchurian Candidate and by returning GIs.

Casino
Probably very few of the viewers of the film "Casino" are aware they have China to thank for the name. Quite a few of the Chinese borrow words come via the Fujian dialect and apparently casino does too. Fujian immigrants to the US did quite a lot of rowdy gambling together and before each bet they would shout out "开始了" which means "it begins" - in the Fujian dialect kāishǐle sounds like "casino". Somehow it became the name of gambling houses and the place where "it begins" is – for many – where their money ends.
 

Related Links
Arms Dealers, Armies, a Fashion Icon, and Gambling Tycoon
What’s in a Name? How English is Changing the Way Chinese Choose Names

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.