if these cars are imported why is the writing on the switches in english ??? just asking like !

- (#8593) smoggie, 17 Feb 04 06:00

Japanese writing is ancient, a bit like Egyptian hieroglyphics. To give you an example, if I remember correctly the symbol they use for Hydrogen has a literal translation to “Water molecule”. Now if you have never seen the “Water molecule” symbol before, and no one has told you that it means “Hydrogen”, then you have no way of working it out.

There are something like 3,500 characters in the Japanese alphabet, and to complicate that further, there’s more than one alphabet. As its an ancient form of writing, much of today’s technology will have no symbol to represent it, so you either have to invent a new symbol, or use some other language. They have become somewhat westernised in the last 50 years, and all Japanese children are taught basic English at school, so it makes sense to use that to describe modern things that have no symbol.

Hope that answers your question
dave Bright (Bournemouth)

- (#8593) dave Bright (Bournemouth), 17 Feb 04 06:52

English is the international language and presumably smaller and shorter to write on things like switches. Also simpler I guess as there are 3 Japanese alphabets. Words like 'stop' are internationally recognised. Note however that instructions dotted around the vehicle are in Japanese.

- (#8593) Ian Dunse (Derbs), 17 Feb 04 06:52

thanks for that,
it was just one of the many head scratchers i came across as i looked about my new van, the air conditioning instructions on the plate in the back were in japanese, yet everything else was in jolly old english. next question tomorrow.......

- (#8593) Smoggie, 18 Feb 04 01:35