Etymograph

English

kei

Kei comes from Japanese 軽 ‘lightweight’, and goes back to 軽自動車.

  1. Japanesemodern軽自動車keijidōsha‘a light vehicle, kei car, city car’
  2. Japanese, derivedmodern軽kei‘lightweight’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2025kei

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Japanesemodern軽自動車keijidōsha‘a light vehicle, kei car, city car’
  2. Japanese, derivedmodern軽kei‘lightweight’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2025kei

Earliest quotation: 2025, Emi Tanimoto, Nissan Updates Popular Kei Car as It Revamps Aging Lineup: “Nissan Motor Co. revamped one of its more popular…”

Every English word from Japanese 軽自動車

Another origin of kei

  1. Japanesemodern系kei‘style’
  2. Englishtodaykei

Today it means

noun A class of lightweight vehicles with small engines.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Japanese 軽自動車 / kei

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