Japanese People Shocked After Finding Out Pizza Hut Wasn’t “Pizza Hat”

All this time thousands of Japanese people though Pizza Hut was called “Pizza Hat” due to translation errors. Also, the confusing logo!

June 8, 2022

A recent ad campaign by Pizza Hut Japan revealed to the public that the “hut” in Pizza Hut wasn’t “hat,” as many Japanese people thought
The confusion resulted in tons of conversation on Japanese social media
The hat-like logo and pronunciation errors are to blame for all of the confusion

Let’s Order Some Pizza… Hat? You Mean Pizza Hut?

pizza hut pepperoni — A huge Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pizza. Image sourced from Cleveland 19.

Who wants to order some Pizza Hat? No, that wasn’t a typo, I really meant Pizza “Hat.” You know, Pizza Hat, they even have a hat in their logo!

Well, that’s not a hat, and it’s actually “hut,” but you already knew that. Japanese people, however, didn’t. In fact, a recent ad campaign that Pizza Hut Japan ran to promote their “GOLDEN HUT WEEK” sale and “HUT PARTY” sales resulted in thousands of Japanese being shocked to learn that the “hut” in Pizza Hut wasn’t “hat.”

One of Pizza Hut Japan’s recent “HUT PARTY” sale commercials featuring Kazureza and Mukku.

“But, they’re spelled differently.” Yes, that is the case in English, however, in Japanese, the way you write “hut” and “hat” in katakana, one of the three “alphabets” used in Japan, is totally identical. They are both written and pronounced exactly the same as “ハット,” pronounced “hatto.”

@ton2x68k Tweeted that he “just noticed that the spelling of ‘hut’ and ‘hat’ was different all along!” He goes on to add that not noticing should be forgiven because “no matter how you look at the logo, it’s a hat!”

今気づいた！　スペルが違う！
確かに、帽子なら「Hat」だわな
でもこれはしょうがないだろ、どう見ても帽子だし
(´･ω･｀)

ピザハットの「ハット」帽子ではなく「小屋」アンバサダーのムックも知らず #ldnews https://t.co/jImoagPihl
— 道産子とんとん＠147の素敵なイチ推し達へ🍡🍡 (@ton2x68k) April 22, 2022

Japanese People Thought Pizza Hut was “Pizza Hat” for Years

This realization came as the result of the ad campaign’s stars, comedian Kazureza, meaning, “Kazu Lazer,” and his big, red, and fluffy co-star, Mukku, who was originally a mascot on a children’s TV show in the 70s, took part in a video interview that had some clips go viral on social media. The clip in question was when the two were asked what the meaning of Pizza Hut’s “hut” was.

A behind-the-scenes video of Pizza Hut Japan’s commercials including the full interview that the clips were taken from.

Kazureza then had to explain to the confused Mukku that it wasn’t referring to a “hat,” and that “hut” actually refers to something like a “shack” or a “cabin.” Kazureza then had to explain to Mukku that no, the logo isn’t actually supposed to be a hat, despite its looks. This interaction left many Japanese people absolutely bamboozled, with many speaking out on Twitter.

kazureza and mukku for pizza hut — *Kazureza* and *Mukku* receiving their official Pizza Hut Japan brand ambassador certificates. Image sourced from Japan NEWS.

@chisatoilet was surprised to find out that even the brand ambassador himself, Mukku, didn’t even know that the brand he was promoting wasn’t “Pizza Hat.”

ピザハットの「ハット」帽子ではなく「小屋」アンバサダーのムックも知らず。ピザハットのブランドアンバサダーのカズレーザーと人気キャラ・ムック。カズレーザーがピザハットのハットの意味は小屋で、ロゴも小屋だと説明。ムックは、アンバサダーながらロゴの意味を知らなかったことを恥じた(´З`)
— ちさと (@chisatoilet) April 21, 2022

Translation and Pronunciation Error at Pizza Hut Japan

pizza hut hat — Close enough? Not the “Pizza Hat” or Pizza “Hut” we meant! Image sourced from DHgate.

This mass confusion is because of two key factors. The first is that katakana is the syllabary used for all foreign, as in non-Japanese, words, names, and places, meaning both “hut” and “hat” need to be written in katakana. Of course, the Japanese word for “hat,” boushi, isn’t written in katakana.

The second and most important factor is due to katana, and the simpler hiragana “alphabets” are phonetic. Don’t get me started about kanji, as well, kanji isn’t phonetic and would take another entire article to explain.

Getting back to it, because katakana is a phonetic syllabary system when Japanese people write and pronounce foreign “katakana” words, they have to use their limited phonetic “letters” and “sounds” to get as close as possible to foreign pronunciation.

This is why “hut” written in katakana is pronounced “hatto” and written, “ハット.” Guess what, “hat” is also pronounced “hatto” and written exactly the same, as “ハット.”

Pizza Hut’s Hat-Like Logo Isn’t Helping

Pizza Hut Japan’s current logo that sure does look like a hat. Image sourced from corp.pizzahut.jp.

Here’s where it gets even more confusing for Japanese people, and in a way, even funnier for those of us familiar with the true meaning of “hut.”

After a second look at the Pizza Hut logo, it’s easy to see why thousands of people would mistake the “hut’s” roof for a hat. This paired with the Japanese pronunciation, “hatto,” doesn’t help make things less confusing either.

@latina_sama posted a picture of the Pizza Hut logo explaining to their followers that the “hut” in Pizza Hut isn’t referring to a “hat” and that the logo is actually the roof of a “hut” rather than being a hat.