Why is マシ written using katakana?


Does マシ come from English? Or is it a semantic emphasis?




まし is not a loanword. It is actually
[増し](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97&dtype=0&dname=0ss&stype=0&pagenum=1&index=118414200000),
the noun form of verb 増す (“to increase”). However, it is not usually written
in kanji, probably because the meaning diverged widely from the original verb
増す.

If you follow the standard orthography, there is no reason why まし should be
written in katakana. However, it is true that many people write マシ in
katakana. I do not know why.

The following is my speculation about a possible reason. Sometimes words are
written in katakana to avoid a large chunk of hiragana and make them stand out
in a sentence. For example, in the following two sentences, the latter may be
easier to read.

> こんな安物でもないよりはまだましだ。  
>  こんな安物でもないよりはまだマシだ。

This may (or may not) be a reason why many people write マシ rather than まし.

