1.
loanword; borrowed word
A word adopted from another language. In Japanese linguistics, this term covers words borrowed from any foreign language, including English, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, and others.
「パン」はポルトガル語からの借用語だ。
'Pan' (bread) is a loanword from Portuguese.
日本語には英語からの借用語が多い。
Japanese has many loanwords from English.
借用語は元の言語とは意味が変わることがある。
Loanwords sometimes change in meaning from their original language.
A linguistics term composed of 借用 (borrowing) + 語 (word/language). In Japanese, loanwords are typically written in katakana and called 外来語. Strictly speaking, 借用語 is a broader academic term that includes 漢語 (Sino-Japanese words), while 外来語 usually refers to non-Chinese foreign words. Related terms: 和語 (native Japanese words), 漢語 (Sino-Japanese words), 和製英語 (Japanese-coined English words).