BMW
bīemudaburyū
The English phrase "bmw" is expressed in Japanese as BMW (bīemudaburyū).
Meaning: colloquial names and pronunciations, apart from the romanised "BMW" (name)
How do you pronounce it?
bīemudaburyū
Did you know?
- While 'BMW' is a German name, Japanese speakers pronounce the letters using English-based phonetic approximations rather than German ones.
- In Japanese car culture, BMW is often grouped with Mercedes-Benz as 外車 'gaisha', a term that literally means 'foreign car' but implies high luxury.
- Because the Japanese alphabet is syllabic, the 'W' in BMW is rendered as ダブリュー 'daburyū', making the three-letter acronym a seven-syllable word.
Examples in context
- あのBMWはかっこいいですね。Ano BMW wa kakkoii desu ne.That BMW is cool, isn't it?
- 彼はBMWに乗っています。Kare wa BMW ni notte imasu.He drives a BMW.
- 新しいBMWが欲しいです。Atarashii BMW ga hoshii desu.I want a new BMW.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about cars at a cafe.
- 陽太 YotaあのBMW、すごく高いよ。Ano BMW, sugoku takai yo.That BMW is really expensive.
- 結衣 Yuiでも、デザインが素敵だよね。Demo, dezain ga suteki da yo ne.But the design is lovely, isn't it?
- 陽太 Yota結衣さんはBMWが好き？Yui-san wa BMW ga suki?Yui, do you like BMWs?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、大好きだよ！Un, daisuki da yo!Yes, I love them!
