【No. 1832】Surī Saizu (スリーサイズ - Bust/waist/hip measurements)
A loanword from English, surī saizu (スリーサイズ - "three sizes"), is used in ordinary speech in Japan.
The three sizes refer to the dimensions of the three parts of the body: bust (chest for men), waist, and hip.
It is called "bust/waist/hip (body) measurements" or "viral statistics" in English.
Surī Saizu is usually used for women, but please be careful not to ask a woman about her three sizes casually.
The women may be offended, and you may be treated as hentai (変態 - "pervert").
Incidentally, many of the three sizes of celebrities listed on web pages such as Wikipedia are considered to be unreliable.
日本では「スリーサイズ」という和製英語が使われます。
「スリーサイズ」は、バスト（男性の場合はチェスト）・ウェスト・ヒップの3部分の寸法のことを表します。
英語では "bust/waist/hip (body) measurements" または "vital statistics" と呼ばれます。
主に女性に対して使われる言葉ですが、安易にスリーサイズを訊ねないよう気をつけてください。
聞かれた女性は気分を悪くし、あなたは変態扱いされるかもしれません。
ちなみに、Wikipediaなどのウェブページで公開されている芸能人のスリーサイズは、ほとんどあてにならないと考えられています。
Corrections (1)
- Surī Saizu
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
- A loanword from English, 'surī saizu' (スリーサイズ - "three sizes"), is used in ordinary speech in Japan.
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A loanword from Based on English, 'surī saizu' (スリーサイズ - "three sizes"), is used in ordinary speech in Japan.
The Oxford dictionary defines a loanword as "a word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification", but in this case "three sizes" is a phrase, not a word, and it is not used as a phrase in English and nobody would understand what was meant by it. So, maybe "Based on English,", or "Borrowing English words,"?
- The three sizes refer to the dimensions of the three parts of the body: bust (chest for men), waist, and hip.
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The three sizes refer to the dimensions of the three parts of the body: bust (chest for men), waist, and hips.
Confusingly, we'd refer to a "hip measurement", and indeed later you correct use the terminology "bust/waist/hip measurements", but this sentence lists parts of the body not measurements, so you must say "hips" (plural).
- It is called "bust/waist/hip (body) measurements" or "viral statistics" in English.
- It is called "bust/waist/hip (body) measurements" or "viral vital statistics" in English.
- 'Surī Saizu' is usually used for women, but please be careful not to ask a woman about her three sizes casually.
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
- The women may be offended, and you may be treated as 'hentai' (変態 - "pervert").
-
The women woman may be offended, and you may be treated as 'hentai' (変態 - a "pervert").
Because your last sentence said "ask a woman" (singular), and you've used "The" - it's probably best to use "The woman" (singular) here. It would still be correct to use "Women may be offended, ..." - just leaving off the initial "The", as there is no specific group of women that the reader will understand you to be talking about.
If you last sentence had concluded "...not to ask women about their three sizes casually.", then you could use "The women" to start this sentence; the reader would know you mean the women from the last sentence.
- Incidentally, many of the three sizes of celebrities listed on web pages such as Wikipedia are considered to be unreliable.
- Incidentally, many of the three sizes measurements of celebrities listed on web pages such as Wikipedia are considered to be unreliable.
So horrible to reduce people - even celebrities! - to their body measurements. In the west, this used to be done in soft-core porn magazines like Playboy and Penthouse, to emphasise how sexy the women were. It would be incredibly rude to talk about someone that way unless you were their tailor, seamstress or similar.
Thank you so much for the correction and explanation!
I learned something new.
> So, maybe "Based on English,", or "Borrowing English words,"?
I think both correctly represent what I was trying to say. :)
I also think "Derived from English," could be used as well.
> It would be incredibly rude to talk about someone that way unless you were their tailor, seamstress or similar.
Yes, it is rude and vulgar to talk about スリーサイズ. However, Japanese TV shows often mention スリーサイズ when introducing female celebrities.
Hi Toru-san. Yes, "Derived from English," would work too.
I wonder if Japanese TV shows like to be a bit risqué! Wake up the viewers ;-).
Cheers,
Tony