Quote:
Originally Posted by akstylish
I've looked at some examples of katakana-English transitions, and it's rather confusing. For example, coffee in katakana is コーヒー. But if I didn't know it I would've written it as コピ. Another is veil(ベール）. If I only saw katakana I would've translated it as bell. So what are the rules?
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コーヒー is from Dutch. This is due to Holland being the only nation allowed to trade with the Japanese during the Edo period. If you are interested in the details,
Which Japanese words originate from Dutch? - sci.lang.japan Frequently Asked Questions has a long list of other words which come from Dutch.
ベール is probably the closest Japanese can get to "veil", unless the ヴ thing is used, which most people don't pronounce right anyway.
Another link, if you want the details of the rules for transcribing English into Japanese:
How do I write an English word in Japanese? - sci.lang.japan Frequently Asked Questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by akstylish
edit: oh I forgot f is pronounced as h in Japanese. Never mind the first example.
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You might occasionally see コフィ in Japan but コーヒー is the established word.