Katakana Analysis (Draft).

#1. Hisamitsu Mask
          -スクワラン ,  コエンザイム, ダブルでカバー
          -foreign words/technical terms/emphasis(?)

Notice how some words are written in Hiragana but others are written in katakana. Here katakana is not only used for foreign scientific terms like: "squalene" スクワランand "co-enzyme" コエンザイム but it is also used for words like "double cover" ダブルでカバー . Double cover is written here in Katakana but it is not a scientific term. It is written in katakana (as the way it sounds) to emphasize that the corners of the mask overlap creating a "double cover" seal. This is emphasized this way because it is the "selling point" of this brand of mask.



#2. Shiseido Anessa Sunscreen
                     - プロテクター ,  シミプロテクト , ダメージプロテクト
                     -Emphasis/foreign words

This product is a sunscreen that gives daily protection from harmful UV rays. However, "protection" in Japanese is ぼうえいor えんご. Here they use Katakana to spell out the word as it sounds in English: "protector" プロテクター. This is used in order to emphasize what the product does. Also when listing the types of protection they follow the same style. For example, シミプロテクトmeans spot protector and ダメージプロテクト means damage protector. What is really interesting about this is that spot in Japanese is しみ but here it is written in katakana, not hiragana. This too is for emphasis in order to get the high points of the product across to the consumers.


#3. Shiseido Aqualabel: Deep Clear Oil Cleansing
                     - プラ ,
                     -Emphasis

Notice that the recycle symbol uses Katakana for "pure" プラ instead of the Japanese word さいじゅんかん　or the foreign word Katakana リサイクル for recycle. Here the manufacturer used this strategy in order to emphasize the importance of recycling the product once used. My hypothesis is that they use the word "pure" to emphasize how well the product recycles. Also a reason could be the short hand term for "plastic" written as "pura" in order to create a nice short national symbol that is cheaper to reproduce than spelling out the full term in katakana.

How is Katakana explained in Japanese Textbooks?
           Japanese textbooks explain that katakana is a form of writing used in order to express 1) foreign words or loan words, 2) sounds or onomatopeia, 3) express emphasis, 4) for technical terms.

Some differences from these textbook uses occur in real life situations. For example:
      1) Names
               -Some choose to write their first or given name in katakana instead of the
                traditional or widely used Kanji or even Hiragana.

      2) Products/Ads that target younger audiences
               -Since youngsters are in the process of learning Kanji, ads that target them use
                a combination of simple katakana and hiragana.

      3) For aestetic purposes
              -Some use katakana not really for emphasis but because it looks better on a
               product or advertisement.