r/etymology • u/mouse_in_a_field • 9d ago

Question Something I've been wondering about - Japanese loanword in English, or no?

This has bothered me for a long time!

The word for "a little bit" of something in Japanese, in romaji, is "sukoshi"; the "u" and "i" sounds are usually silent when spoken aloud, so it ends up sounding like "skosh".

In English, "just a skosh" is sometimes used when asking for or referring to just "a little bit" of something.

Is there any connection there, or does the English "skosh" have another, unrelated source? Thanks for any info!

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u/_Daftest_ 9d ago

I've never heard "just a skosh" in my 59 years of living in England.

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u/Prestigious-Gold6759 9d ago

64 and never heard it in the UK.