Difference between マップ and 地図


What's the difference between the kanji term and the katakana term, and when
should I use them? I think that some katakana words are only used when the
author is being gratuitous with katakana, but I didn't think マップ was one of
them.

In case context matters, I'm wanting to talk about tourist maps of cities and
towns at a scale small enough to indicate individual landmarks.




The far more versatile choice is 「[地図]{ちず}」; No question about it. I would say
that an average native speaker would learn to use 「マップ」 a good 10 years after
learning to use 「ちず」 as a toddler.

In school, the word used is 「地図」 virtually 100% of the time and that is both
in and outside of geography classes. In daily life, when you draw a simple map
to show another person the direction to a place, that map is called 「地図」, but
never ever「マップ」. Your collection of maps that you keep in your house or car
are called 「地図」.

「マップ」 is most often, if not exclusively, used in proper nouns (as in
「グーグル・マップ」) and in naming little maps created for **_particular interests_**
for inclusion in magazines, websites, etc. Those include maps of restaurants,
maps of clothing stores, etc. in a relatively limited area.

Even when a map is named 「～～マップ」 in a magazine or website, you can still call
it a 「地図」 if you want to, but the reverse does not work. You would sound
pretty weird if you used 「マップ」 to refer to a map named 「～～地図」 like
「[世界]{せかい}地図」 or 「[東京都]{とうきょうと}地図」.




The far more versatile choice is 「[地図]{ちず}」; No question about it. I would say
that an average native speaker would learn to use 「マップ」 a good 10 years after
learning to use 「ちず」 as a toddler.

In school, the word used is 「地図」 virtually 100% of the time and that is both
in and outside of geography classes. In daily life, when you draw a simple map
to show another person the direction to a place, that map is called 「地図」, but
never ever「マップ」. Your collection of maps that you keep in your house or car
are called 「地図」.

「マップ」 is most often, if not exclusively, used in proper nouns (as in
「グーグル・マップ」) and in naming little maps created for **_particular interests_**
for inclusion in magazines, websites, etc. Those include maps of restaurants,
maps of clothing stores, etc. in a relatively limited area.

Even when a map is named 「～～マップ」 in a magazine or website, you can still call
it a 「地図」 if you want to, but the reverse does not work. You would sound
pretty weird if you used 「マップ」 to refer to a map named 「～～地図」 like
「[世界]{せかい}地図」 or 「[東京都]{とうきょうと}地図」.

