Head honcho

Thursday, 2022-11- 3, Word of the Day: Top brass
It’s a Japanese loanword – or was it stolen?

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WotD: Head honcho

The Japanese language uses many English loanwords.

The English language is comprised of loanwords from other languages, including Japanese.

One of those words from Japanese, honcho, is what we’ll be looking at today.

First, when a word from one language is ‘borrowed’ by another, the meaning is often changed.

English speakers say head honcho instead of the Japanese honcho.


In English, head honcho means the person with the most authority, such as the leader of a company.


In Japan, the leader of a company is never referred to as the honcho.

Honchos usually lead smaller groups of about three to ten people.

So, when English borrowed honcho from Japanese, the word itself changed, and the meaning was also adjusted.

I had all of these explained to me in dramatic detail by my wife one night while we were having a bit of a disagreement.

How it started is not necessary, but needless to say, I lost as I am the husband in our relationship.

We were yelling at each other and waving our arms around in the air as married couples who have passed the honeymoon stage of their relationship often do.

I yelled, “Who made you head honcho around here?”

She replied, “Honcho? I’m the G$” D9&% kaicho of whatever this is we have here. I’m right! You’re wrong! End of story! Leave me alone!”

In English, the head honcho is the boss unless he happens to marry a Japanese woman.

Then he quickly realizes that the kaicho trumps all and honchos have little power or authority.

The moral of the story is if you are a married man who thinks you are the head honcho, you’re not married to a woman who speaks Japanese.  


Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test

This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).   

On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 71.   

The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100. 


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