Title

     Abbreviations (略語) are very handy when words get lengthy. In fact, the Japanese term for abbreviation is an abbreviation. The non-abbreviated term is 省略語.

The following chart shows the most common methods of abbreviation in Japanese.

Some abbreviations date back hundreds of years. For example, the 盆（ぼん） in the Obon Festival is a contraction of 盂蘭盆会（うらぼんえ）.

When exposed to the West, new phrases were often abbreviated. Examples include ハンカチ from handkerchief and 五輪, which referred to the Berlin Olympics, for the Olympics.

The most commonly abbreviated words are 外来語 and 熟語. Contractions in conjugation and native words exist too. Titles in news reports have extended use of abbreviations. Of course, you will sometimes see regional variation such as the contraction of McDonald's (マックドナルド): マック (East Japan) and マクド (West Japan).