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日本人の知らない日本語 BY: Daniel Chung EPISODE 1 日本の In Japan, people are supposed to give up their seats to the elderly, pregnant women, and the handicapped/disabled. In the Japanese custom you have to respect other people around you. In addition to the Japanese custom, manners are another important things to respect other people. ものの数え方 Living things in Japanese is “ぴき” Long and thin things in Japanese is “っポン” - Straw is “一本”, ‘ippon’ - Long, thin things are counted with “hon” A snake is “一匹” ‘ippiki’. Because it’s alive. Mobile suits are “ikki” (一機) People are “hitori” and “futari”. Also people are somewhat called “ippiki”. They are not things. Dogs are “ippiki” but elephant and horses are “ittou” (一頭). In Chinese, all long things care counted with “jou” (条). Like rivers and snakes. 鮪の加須え方 When the Tuna is swimming is “一匹”, “ippiki” When the Tuna is caught is “一本”, “ippon” When the Tuna is first cut in the market is “一丁”,”icchou” When the Tuna cut is cut up into further smaller pieces is “一ころ”,”hitokoro” When it is cut like a thin card and packed in the supermarket it is “ひとさ く”,”hitosaku” When the tuna cut enters in your mouth is “一切れ”,”hitokire” 中国と日本のかんじ Japanese kanji in Tuna is “鮪”, “maguro” Chinese kanji of saying “鮪” is Sturgeon TUNA STURGEON Foreigners in Japan These are the laws They are only able to work 28 hours a week They can’t gamble Any laws are broken, the punishment is getting deported Kitchen materials in a resturant The tool used to boil ramen is called ‘tebo’ (てぼ). The rectangular plate which holds condiments and soy sauce is called “yakumi shouyu zara” (やくみしょうゆざら/薬味醤油皿). Usually saying as “condiments and soy sauce plate” (薬味醤油皿). “Murachoko”(むらちょこ), a plate, ‘choko’ and you put soy sauce ‘murasaki’ in is shortened to “murachoko”. Murasaki (むらさき) is a type of soy sauce, and ‘choko’ (おちょこ) is a small cup. Tea Tea - “agari” (あがり) is tea right after a meal - “tebana” (てばな) is during the meal Cooking tools in a resturant Cooking tools - The pan that is used with one hand is called “peking nabe” (ぺきんなべ、北京鍋) - The pan that is used with two hands is called “kanto nabe” (かんとなべ) - The large bucket is called “zundo” (ずんど). Some people have a big waist that has similar size with the bucket, so they say that have a “zundo” shape. Dishwashing Dishwashing - Rinsing right away is saying ‘sugu susugu’ - Rinsing every corner, right away is saying ‘sumizumi made sugu susugu’ EPISODE 2 敬語 (KEIGO) There are different keigo for different subjects It is used to create more polite saying for certain customers in any resturant. If you attach “narimasu” to a verb, you’ll make its respectable form. ‘Otabekudasai’ - to eat. “Otabekudasai” is somewhat an improper keigo saying to eat. The respectiful form of ‘taberu’ is ‘meshiagaru’. -‘Meshiagaru’ is a common respectful way of keigo. Some people say “meshiagaru kudasai” is most polite. -“iru” (to be), “iku”(to go) and “kuru” (to come) is “irassharu”. - ni narimasu means ‘to turn into’ at the end. 敬語(Continued) - “Welcome, hello”[いらっしゃいませ、こんにちわ(irasshaimase, konnichiwa)] is a wrong saying. “いらっしゃいませ” is welcome in a respectful way, “こんにち わ” is saying hello. You cannot use both of them together. So the correct phrase is “いらっしゃいませ” - “This is Sichuan Tofu.”[こちらが四川麻ぼーどーふになります。(Kochira ga shisenfuu ma-bo-do-fu ni narimasu.)] is a wrong saying. Naru(なる) means “to change” so the correct phrase is “こちらがまぼどふでございます。” - “Do you need any drinks?” [お飲み物はだいじょうぶですか？(Onomimono wa daijoubu desu ka?)],is wrong. You want to note you’re inconveniencing the customer but the correct phrase is “お飲み物はよろしいですか？”(Onomimono wa yoroshii desu ka?) 敬語(Continued) - “Anything else you’d like to order?” [ご注文のほうは以上でよろしかったでしょ うか？], is wrong. “Hou”(ほう) is not needed. It has two meanings: 1.) “A yori B no hou ga suki” (I like B than A) is used when comparing things. 2.) “Tokyo no hou kara kimashita” (I’ve come from the Tokyo area) is when you want to be a bit more vague. The correct saying is “Gochuumon wa ijou de yoroshii deshou ka?”(ご注文 のは以上でよろしいでしょうか？） - “I’ll take your 3,000 yen .” [お会計、三千円からお預かりします。] is wrong. You really want to say you’re taking three thouosand yen for something else so the correct phrase is “san sen en oazukarishimasu.” (三千円お預かり します。 EPISODE 3 ANCIENT HIRAGANA In ancient Japan, the Japanese had a lot of hiragana that were based on kanji. The modern Japanese hiragana is selected as one sound each. That means the other remaining old hiragana disappeared long time ago. SELF INTRODUCTION 自己紹介 When Introducing one’s self: Name And facts about yourself Other sayings in Japanese - ‘temee’ a vulgar of saying hello commonly used between guys. - ‘shikato’ is a friendly way of saying ‘ignore’ in Japanese. Yakuza and Hanafuda やくざ, means gangsters はなふだ、are gambling cards that Japanese people used to gamble. Types of cards The Japanese playing cards called ‘hanafuda’, has a card says ‘shikato’, meaning the card with the deer (shika)facing away from you. In a game its worth ten points. -Deer= Shika and Ten = To, thus ‘Shikato’. Gambling houses are called “bon”. - It changed over time and now also means a “dark (kurai) person”. As a combination we get ‘bonkura’. Yakuza and Hanafuda (continued) -(‘hachi hachi’ pikaichi,) in the midst of the trash cards; there is card that is a very high scoring card, it is called ‘pikaichi’. - ‘pikaichi means to find the one thing that shines above all else. -‘Aka yoroshi’ it means an obvious goddess (akria ni yoroshii) -‘Koi Koi’ means to keep the match going. Where the risk is higher where you lose or win more money EPISODE 4 Kanji -漢字 Kanji has a Chinese reading and Japanese reading. ‘Kintama’, 金玉 means testicles Japanese didn’t have alphabets so they learned Kanji from Chinese ‘Wa’ ‘輪’ means circle in Chinese. another saying for circle is ‘rin’. ‘Sharin’ (車輪), ‘Sha’ (車) wheel Furigana is hiragana placed above kanji for easier reading. Foreingers learned kanji from reading manga. Manga is a Japanese comic book for children to adults to read for entertainment. Kanji -漢字- continued ‘Honki’ -本気- “seriousness” is misused as ‘maji’ “serious”. ‘Maji’ “serious” is read from manga. ‘Doujinshi’ means fansize in a manga term. Luke’s fansize manga contains incorrect reading of the kanji. The one of the dialogue in the manga, Luke marked the kanji as “tomo”,friend, instead of “teki”, enemy. ‘Shitsukoi’ normally means “to be insisted”. ‘Shitsuren’ – 失恋 – means unrequited love, ‘shitsukoi’ is an incorrect kanji reading. Otaku is meaning someone with obsessive interests, usually in anime or games. Kanji -漢字- continued In Japan, speaking Japanese have different types to have a conversation with like standard Japanese. However standard Japanese doesn’t exist anymore. Standard Japanese is now considered Common Japanese. ‘Akiba’ (Akiba is short for Akihabara) is where otaku from all around the world wants to visit. ‘Tsundere’ means someone with a tough exterior but loving in the inside. ‘Desu’ and ‘masu’ are standard Japanese endings. Saying Standard Japanese sounds a little too cold between Japanese. Standard Japanese is actually the result of powerful people in old Japan wanting a single way of speaking in Japanese. But, the Japanese people usually use, natural Japanese that doesn’t sound like you’re telling people what to do. Standard Japanese, (Hyoujun-go)標準語 and Common Japanese, (Kyoutsu-go)共通語 The ‘desu’ and the ‘masu’ was what geisha back in Edo used, spreading it across the whole country. Geisha are cabaret girls of the past. ‘Zamasu’,”to be” isn’t normally used, but it is an elegant style of speech. It originated from courtesans. Courtesans were beautiful and smart, they were like celebrities. As an example “de arimasu” was originated from Yamaguchi. Another example like “Hey you!” ‘oi kora’ wasn’t always used in anger, it started in Kagoshima as a way to get attention. Standard Japanese, (Hyoujun-go)標準語 and Common Japanese, (Kyoutsu-go)共通語 Japanese have different dialects before and still in use today. Common Japanese is considered a various dialect language around the country. OTHER NOTES - ‘告白’,‘kokuhaku’ meaning confession, but as you read it is ‘告白’,‘yuuki’ meaning confidence. EPISODE 5 Japanese Scary Stories HALLOWEEN IN SUMMER SPECIAL “zotto suru” means to shiver is used when you are afraid. “zotto suru” is not used very often but it can also be used to represent times of strong feeling besides fear. When you say “zotto shinai”, ‘ぞっとしない‘ ,an expression of denial, it means “not to be impressed” or “to not think it’s interesting”. Scary stories are something that Japan always do in Summer. Japanese Scary Stories -continued ‘Katori’, ‘取’ has ‘tori’, 耳 ‘mimi’ means ear. It is because, in the past, during wars, as proof you killed an enemy you take their ear. ‘Douro’, ‘道’ means road has a kanji for neck in it 首. In one theory is that to perform exorcisms, they would carry freshly severed heads down the road. ‘Ken’, ‘県’ means prefecture. This kanji character is derived from a character ‘kyou’ we don’t use anymore. ‘Kyou’ form the derived kanji from ‘Ken’, prefecture, means it is the upside down version of a severed head. Other Notes ‘Oyasan’ means landlord Foreigners lack the belief of the Japanese culture where the Japanese people, who respects it get angry. EPISODE 6 NOTES “Ki ni hairanai” is the incorrect kanji reading of “ki ni iranai” means to not be pleased. ‘Yoku’ means often. ‘Tamatama’ means casually ‘Tama ni’ means occasionally ‘Tokidoki’ is different for ‘tama ni’ The adverbs that Haruko taught to her students is used when it all talks about different frequencies. Counters for drinking tea Someone who drinks black tea everyday, always, “itsumo” (いつも), drinks. Someone who drinks it 5 times a week, generally, “taitei” (たいてい), drinks. 4 times a week, often,“yoku” (よく), drinks. 3 times a week, sometimes, “tokidoki” (ときどき), drinks. Someone who doesn’t drink, never ,“zen zen” (ぜんぜん), drinks. Other mistaken sayings of Japanese When you write “ushi no chichi” (milk of cow), you read it as “gyuunyuu” (milk). “Ureshiku” means pleased. “Tanoshiku” means happy. Both “ureshii” and “tanoshii” are used to represent diffrerent lengths of happiness. “Tanoshii” is used to represent a longer time of happiness than “ureshii”. Other Notes As for ninja, Kunoichi , 女, means female ninja. Ninjas are good at math Ex. When a ninja wanted to find out how deep a moat was to measure the height of the reed, then measures how long it took it for the reed to submerge when pulled forward. He or she would use the Pythagorean Theorem to figure it out. NINJA -忍者 As for ninja, Kunoichi , 女, means female ninja. Ninjas are good at math Ex. When a ninja wanted to find out how deep a moat was to measure the height of the reed, then measures how long it took it for the reed to submerge when pulled forward. He or she would use the Pythagorean Theorem to figure it out. Other notes of the episode ‘Yaku busoku’ means satisfaction or not good enough ‘chikara busoku’ means skills EPISODE 7 Color ‘In Japan, Japanese people use blue color as green. Ex. They call green traffic lights, blue lights, ‘aoi shingou’ in Japan. Also even green veggies, they call them blue ‘aona’. Bok choy has a character for blue. Even though its green. Characters like: “gunjou iro” ‘blue’, “seiji iro” ‘light green’ , “ao kuchiba” ‘green’, “ao takeiro” ‘dark green’, “sei tai” ‘black’. These characters used blue back in the day. Back in the day, blue ‘青’ was used for all those different colors. The character for green didn’t originally represent a color. Originally, the character for green represented the budding youth of plants. For example a glossy hair is called “greenish black hair” and newborn baby is called a “green child”. The character for green actually represents youth. Japanese drawing of the sun is always red. Love Interest ‘Yamato nadeshiko’ means ideal Japanese woman Some Japanese women only look for appearance especially from the foreigners. Some Japanese women doesn’t understand how some foreigners feel about their personality. EPSIODE 8 More information about Keigo The three step method of keigo For honorific language First, use passive voice. Second, add “ni narimasu” to the verb. Third, use a special form. As in result, the respect level goes up. The keigo is based on the honorific position. For example: - “The section chief eats”, is used by a passive voice - “The department head eats”, is used by a verb + ni narimasw - “The president eats”, is used in a special form The special form is when you’re trying to be respectful and the word actually changes. More information about Keigo -continued “iu” ‘言う’ becomes “ossharu” ‘おっしゃる’and “suru” ‘する’ is “nasaru” ‘なさ る’. Other Notes Sen no Rikyu , the original master of tea ceremony 和 ‘wa’ means harmony 敬 ‘kei’ means respect 清 ‘sei’ means peace 寂 ‘jaku’ means tranquility In the tea ceremony terms - Harmony and respect mean to open your heart to others and respect each other. - Peace and tranquility mean to not violate the tea house and preserve the pure ways of the ceremony. EPISODE 9 Vagueness of Japanese The ‘hashi’, chopsticks, you use when you eat rice. The “ha” has an accent. ‘hashi’ over the bridge has a accent on the ‘shi’. The ‘ii’ can mean by saying yes or no, depending on the situation. ‘ii kagen desu ne’, ‘いい加減ですね’. Use ‘tekitou’ meaning appropriate instead of ‘ii kagen’. ‘ii kagen’ has more negative context usually. Using ‘to ka’ in a question, which means “among other things”. Using ‘ka mo’, which indicates probability. Japanese has many vague expressions ‘yabai’, usually means bad but it can also mean “good” in certain context. ‘ukeru’, usually means to “to get” but can also mean “interesting” in certain context. Vagueness of Japanese -continued The answer to the question, about the confusion of the vagueness of Japanese, is that there is no clear answer. The vagueness of Japanese is something that foreigner has to get used to when they learning Japanese. Back in the day, there were a group of people worried about the vagueness of Japanese. These people who were worried were the Portuguese missionaries came to Japan in the 16th century. They were worried about the pronunciation of “pa-pi-pu-pe-po” letters, which basically the p-sound. Originally the circle mark that marks p-sounds was not in Japan. Even Japanese then figured out how to read things by the context. The term for いかた(with the circle mark) is actually said ‘ikata’ meaning moulds. The current term for moulds is ‘igata’. Vagueness of Japanese -continued The Portuguese used the circle to mark a p-sound also. The “pa-pi-pu-pe-po” circle came from the Portuguese. They used the circle to definitely mark it. From the vagueness of Japanese; it is not important to make everything so clear. There is a reason Japanese is vague. Japanese respects the concept of harmony and sometimes avoids definite statements out of consideration to the other party. Since they are important, you stay vague and sometimes avoid even meeting them altogether. The Portuguese missionaries, probably couldn’t give up on talking to people. To figure out the Japanese, they had to go to headfirst into the culture. So because of that, we have the tiny circle that still exist even today. EPISODE 10 Same but different word meanings ‘Surume’ and ‘atarime’ are the same thing. One thing there are different is that ‘suru’ in ‘surume’ has a bad meaning. In this case, the ‘suru’ means to lose money. The words with a bad meaning are actually taboo. ‘Imi’, 忌み, meaning taboo, means something to hate. These words were replaced with a happier version. “Atari” means to be on the mark Like other words, ‘sashimi’ can be ‘otsukuri’. The ‘sasu’, meaning to cut is a scary word. ‘Owaru’, means to end, doesn’t sound all that good so, you end a marriage ceremony with ‘ohiraki’. ‘Ohiraki’ contains the character meaning ‘to open’. Same but different word meanings –continued When people worry about the bad meanings, they actually change the word. In the West, 13 is actually an unlucky number. In Italy 17 is a bad omen, which it signals death. Numbers 4 and 5 are bad in China. 4 sounds like ‘su’ meaning death and 5 sounds like ‘uu’ meaning nothingness. Other notes - the pathway to the shrine right under the gate is called “sandou”, 参道 - the exact middle of the path, the “seichuu”,正中, is the path the god walks. - Hachiko is a famous statue of a dog in Shibuya - Actually there different types of statue that is similar like the statue that opens its mouth widely is a lion and the statue mouth closed is a dog. A place where you wash your hands is called “chouzu dokoro”,‘手水所’ You cleanse your body by washing your hands. The Shrine Steps to worship in a shrine. - One, throw in the money - Two, ring the bell, which it calls the god - Three, bow twice - Four, clap your hands twice - Five, pray - And lastly, when you are done praying, bow again Luck has its own order From excellent luck 大吉 > average luck 中吉 > little luck 小吉 > luck 吉 > uncertain luck 未吉 > bad luck 凶 > terrible luck 大凶 Terrible luck can sometimes can change into a good luck , if you work hard to succeed to get the good luck. EPISODE 11 Other mistaken types of words “yabai” means awesome, “uzai” means annoying, “pani kurk” means panicked. They are all young people language. So they are colloquialisms. Basically since they’re slang, you cannot use them as answers. The new words were invented by young people. “Yurai” means basis. “Pani kuru” actually came from the English word, “panic”. “Uzai” came from “uzattai”, a regional dialect word. There were a swarm of insects in Hachiko, Tokyo, so they used “uzattai” to describe it. So it spread all over the country and then got shortened to “uzai”. There are a lot of theories about “yabai”, but they had archery ranges in Edo Japan, which were called “yaba”. But behind the scenes, they actually operated as sex shops. Dangerous places started to be called “yabai”. Other mistaken types of words “O-kazoku” means honorable family. To put it simply, use ‘o’ with the Japanese readings, ‘go’ with the Chinese ones. “Go-shisoku” and “okosan” both mean child. “okosan” may sound nicer than the other word, but the words using ‘o’ actually were made by women. They were known as courtesan words. Courtesan words are words used by women who served in the court during the Muromachi period. ‘onara’ means fart can be said in one word as ‘he’. It sounded crude so, they took ’nasaru’means to make a sound and added ‘o’ in front of it. So as in result it becomes “onara”. Also the inside ‘naka’ of the body, becomes stomach ‘onaka’. Rice balls ‘nigirimeshi’ plus ‘o’ becomes ‘onigiri’. Laws for foreigners in Japan One of the laws that foreigners must obey in Japan is that you cannot go into nightlife/nightclub or especially anything to do with sex industry. If foreigners breaks this law will get deported or if the police or the Immigration Office have a record that a foreigner is working in one of those places they will get deported. EPISODE 12 –FINAL- From the End, to the Start Teachers are like parents and students are like children.