アパート

アパート · apaato · JLPT N5 · noun

apartment

🏢 apaato = clipped English apartment: apa-a-to, the -ment dropped

Japanese borrowed apartment as アパートメント and cut it short to アパート. The long アー mirrors the stressed English par, and the final ト is the t with a helper vowel. In Japan it usually means a small low-rise rental unit, not a big block.

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