Toyota Yaris Forums - Ultimate Yaris Enthusiast Site
 

 


 
Go Back   Toyota Yaris Forums - Ultimate Yaris Enthusiast Site > Members Area > Off-topic / Other Cars / Everything else Discussions
  The Tire Rack

View Poll Results: Do you think of Toyota as rice?
Yes 5 14.71%
No 25 73.53%
Undecided 4 11.76%
Voters: 34. You may not vote on this poll

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-17-2009, 12:26 AM   #1
*MAD DOG*
 
*MAD DOG*'s Avatar
 
Drives: 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 6,412
Send a message via MSN to *MAD DOG*
Thumbs up Toyota = Abundance of rice

I was looking for spare parts online on this website http://www.findapart.com.au/toyota_parts.php and i found this quote about Toyota.

Quote:
Originally Posted by http://www.findapart.com.au/toyota_parts.php
The Toyota logo is comprised of three ellipses, representing the heart of the customer, the heart of the product, and the ever expanding technological advancements and opportunities that lie ahead. Another interpretation is that it represents the three interlocking aspects of the culture of the company - freedom, team spirit, and progress. Also, in Japanese 'Toyo' means an abundance of, and 'ta' is rice. In some Asian cultures, those blessed with an abundance of rice are believe to be blessed with great wealth.
So in Japanese Toyota means abundance of rice?

Is this why people call Toyota's rice?
__________________


"Manual labour is not for me. In fact i'm not even sure non manual work is either." -Anthony Linton

Check out ▬▬► I like I like ◄▬▬ for more fun on Facebook
*MAD DOG* is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 02:23 AM   #2
SilverBack
Joey
 
SilverBack's Avatar
 
Drives: '14 Scion xD 5-speed
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: El Monte, Ca
Posts: 3,529
Send a message via AIM to SilverBack
If Toyota is rice, then what's Honda?
__________________
Formerly owned Met-Met. '07 Yaris LB 5-speed.

A forum post should be like a skirt: Long enough to cover the subject but short enough to keep things interesting.

"I don't have an anger problem. I have an idiot problem." -Hank Hill
SilverBack is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 02:24 AM   #3
yarisugi
やりすぎだ~
 
yarisugi's Avatar
 
Drives: Me: Nuts:
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ハワイ
Posts: 2,041
If you translate it that way literally, then, yes - "ta"= rice field, to be exact.
But Toyota is a person's last name - like Ford and Honda.
The "da" in Honda and Mazda is also rice field.
So I suppose Honda would mean "genuine rice field" and Mazda would mean "pine rice field"
yarisugi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 02:26 AM   #4
cali yaris
ULTIMATE
 
cali yaris's Avatar
 
Drives: 07 Yaris Turbo
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Canoga Park, CA
Posts: 14,859
Send a message via AIM to cali yaris
The original company name was the family name, "Toyoda". It was changed shortly after they started marketing cars in the USA, but there are a few vintage Toyodas still around.

__________________
Micro Image forums, online store and shop are now closed. It was a great eight year run, but it was time to focus on other things. I'm still selling parts on eBay under micro*image seller ID and customers can still make requests for anything specific.
cali yaris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 03:31 AM   #5
SilverBack
Joey
 
SilverBack's Avatar
 
Drives: '14 Scion xD 5-speed
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: El Monte, Ca
Posts: 3,529
Send a message via AIM to SilverBack
Wow, and I always thought all Toyo's were much smaller in those times
__________________
Formerly owned Met-Met. '07 Yaris LB 5-speed.

A forum post should be like a skirt: Long enough to cover the subject but short enough to keep things interesting.

"I don't have an anger problem. I have an idiot problem." -Hank Hill
SilverBack is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 03:59 AM   #6
eTiMaGo
vroom vroom
 
eTiMaGo's Avatar
 
Drives: lil red 5-door
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Posts: 7,744
Send a message via AIM to eTiMaGo Send a message via MSN to eTiMaGo Send a message via Yahoo to eTiMaGo
Quote:
Originally Posted by cali yaris View Post
The original company name was the family name, "Toyoda". It was changed shortly after they started marketing cars in the USA, but there are a few vintage Toyodas still around.

+1

Or it's like saying "Linton" means there is a lot of lint on you
__________________
The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish.
- Robert Jackson


Bye bye 1NZ...
eTiMaGo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 04:18 AM   #7
Yaris Hilton
Half a Bubble Off Plumb
 
Yaris Hilton's Avatar
 
Drives: 2009 Yaris Sedan
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Bristol, Tennessee, USA
Posts: 1,593
Smile

Changing "Toyoda" to "Toyota" was done for the Japanese market when the auto company was separated from the parent Toyoda firm in 1937, not when they started exporting to the U.S.
http://www.toyota-industries.com/cor...tory/1930.html
There are several online references saying it was done because "Toyota" is simpler to write in Japanese, and they thought it looked better.
Yaris Hilton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 05:15 AM   #8
yarisugi
やりすぎだ~
 
yarisugi's Avatar
 
Drives: Me: Nuts:
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ハワイ
Posts: 2,041
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton View Post
There are several online references saying it was done because "Toyota" is simpler to write in Japanese, and they thought it looked better.
True. And Japanese people in their homeland pronounce it TO-YO-TA. Most westerners pronounce it TO-YO-DA.

Why westerners pronounce "karaoke" as ka-ree-O-kee baffles me.
yarisugi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 11:55 AM   #9
TLyttle
 
TLyttle's Avatar
 
Drives: 07 Yaris sedan
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Keremeos BC
Posts: 986
I don't think I would like to guess at the size of the vintage Toyota shown: what does one use for a reference? The headlights? Some of the early Brit Fords looked bigger in photos than the actually were. Nice looking resto just the same...
TLyttle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 12:02 PM   #10
mrbond
 
mrbond's Avatar
 
Drives: 2008 meteorite hatchback
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Illinois
Posts: 960
Send a message via AIM to mrbond
Quote:
Originally Posted by cali yaris View Post
The original company name was the family name, "Toyoda". It was changed shortly after they started marketing cars in the USA, but there are a few vintage Toyodas still around.
Yup, no denying this.
__________________
- HOOOEY! That's one tahny little cawr! What the heck kinda toy is that?
- A Toyota Yaris
- A whut Yaris?
mrbond is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 10:00 PM   #11
Yaris Hilton
Half a Bubble Off Plumb
 
Yaris Hilton's Avatar
 
Drives: 2009 Yaris Sedan
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Bristol, Tennessee, USA
Posts: 1,593
Smile

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrbond View Post
Yup, no denying this.
I'm denying this. Based on a bunch of reputable appearing sites on Toyota history, starting with the factory link I gave above. The car company was called Toyota in 1937, and it was 10 years or more later before any of their cars were exported to the U.S. Google "Toyota history" and browse for yourself.
Yaris Hilton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2009, 10:05 PM   #12
Yaris Hilton
Half a Bubble Off Plumb
 
Yaris Hilton's Avatar
 
Drives: 2009 Yaris Sedan
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Bristol, Tennessee, USA
Posts: 1,593
Smile

Quote:
Originally Posted by TLyttle View Post
I don't think I would like to guess at the size of the vintage Toyota shown: what does one use for a reference? The headlights? Some of the early Brit Fords looked bigger in photos than the actually were. Nice looking resto just the same...
That's a replica that Toyota built a few years back. None of the originals are still in existence, nor are the original plans. Reportedly Mr. Toyoda had several American cars imported that were disassembled, every part being carefully measured and reverse engineered. The Toyota Model A's chassis and body construction was based on Ford design. The styling was heavily influenced by the Chrysler Airflow. The engine was a close copy of the Chevrolet Six. (As were the six cylinder engines used for many years in Land Cruisers, though copied from a later version of the Chevy Six.) It's reported that many of the parts could be replaced by off-the-shelf American parts. Everybody has to start somewhere.
Yaris Hilton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2009, 01:58 AM   #13
Yar Is Word
 
Drives: Yaris 5 door liftback
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 648
Replica of the Toyota Model AA, the first production model of Toyota in 1936
This pic is from:
http://www.speedace.info/automotive_...ory/toyota.htm
Lots of nice vintage photos here:
http://forum.ih8mud.com/fj25-owners-...-pictures.html
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Toyota_saloon_car_model_AA_1936.jpg (23.2 KB, 95 views)
Yar Is Word is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2009, 01:58 AM   #14
SilverBack
Joey
 
SilverBack's Avatar
 
Drives: '14 Scion xD 5-speed
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: El Monte, Ca
Posts: 3,529
Send a message via AIM to SilverBack
Then that must explain why we've been copying Japan in more recent times. We're just getting our payback from some 70 years ago lol.
__________________
Formerly owned Met-Met. '07 Yaris LB 5-speed.

A forum post should be like a skirt: Long enough to cover the subject but short enough to keep things interesting.

"I don't have an anger problem. I have an idiot problem." -Hank Hill
SilverBack is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2009, 11:23 AM   #15
GeneW
Banned
 
Drives: 2008 Yaris
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,034
Quote:
Originally Posted by *MAD DOG* View Post
I was looking for spare parts online on this website http://www.findapart.com.au/toyota_parts.php and i found this quote about Toyota.

So in Japanese Toyota means abundance of rice?

Is this why people call Toyota's rice?
Don't think so. In the old days, when Japanese bikes started coming onto the scene in the US, folks referred them as "rice burners".

Gene
GeneW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2009, 11:38 AM   #16
GeneW
Banned
 
Drives: 2008 Yaris
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,034
Quote:
Originally Posted by yarisugi View Post
Why westerners pronounce "karaoke" as ka-ree-O-kee baffles me.
There aren't many Japanese words that westerners know well. One of them is "Hara-Kiri", which is pronounced "Hairy Carry" by many Americans. Unfortunately Americans came to know that term because our Veterans from the Pacific theater got to witness this act being carried out, when motivated members of the Imperial Japanese Army exercised their perversion of Budo and killed themselves rather than go home and help lead Japan's recovery.

Could also be that Americans first heard the word "Karaoke" being spoken by drunk folks and the mispronunciation "stuck".

I think this goes both ways.... I've heard some Japanese pronounce "McDonald's", it comes out sounding like "Mac Don-Al-Da". A little patience and respect for the speaker's dignity goes a long way in communicating.

Gene
GeneW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2009, 11:57 AM   #17
GeneW
Banned
 
Drives: 2008 Yaris
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,034
Quote:
Originally Posted by cali yaris View Post
The original company name was the family name, "Toyoda". It was changed shortly after they started marketing cars in the USA, but there are a few vintage Toyodas still around.

I think that Toyota still makes Looms and Automated Weaving machines. That was how they got their start way back when.

Gene
GeneW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2009, 12:19 PM   #18
eTiMaGo
vroom vroom
 
eTiMaGo's Avatar
 
Drives: lil red 5-door
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Posts: 7,744
Send a message via AIM to eTiMaGo Send a message via MSN to eTiMaGo Send a message via Yahoo to eTiMaGo
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeneW View Post
I think this goes both ways.... I've heard some Japanese pronounce "McDonald's", it comes out sounding like "Mac Don-Al-Da". A little patience and respect for the speaker's dignity goes a long way in communicating.

Gene
Yep, but in this case that's to do with the limitations of their language, if there's no phonetic "DZ" kinda sound in Japanese, they have to approximate with the closest native sound. Same reason why it took me years to pronounce "the" properly (no TH sound in French)

seeing KARAOKE and pronouncing it KARI-OKIE is just... er...
__________________
The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish.
- Robert Jackson


Bye bye 1NZ...
eTiMaGo is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
toyota; rice;

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Response from Toyota on my special order drdavidr4u New YARIS Purchase Forum 14 04-27-2010 08:59 PM
Toyota: The Most American Car Company Kal-El Off-topic / Other Cars / Everything else Discussions 18 07-10-2009 12:01 AM
Response from Toyota Driver New YARIS Purchase Forum 22 09-04-2006 07:44 PM
Toyota Delays Buckethead General Yaris / Vitz Discussion 3 08-26-2006 03:16 AM
Toyota Yaris to Sponsor FOX's "Prison Break" YarisBueller General Yaris / Vitz Discussion 0 04-30-2006 08:01 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:19 PM.




YarisWorld
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.