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ОглавлениеJAPANESE WORDS AND THEIR USES
ABUNAI 危ない dangerous
Abunai most often means “dangerous, risky, hazardous.”
(1) Yopparai-unten wa abunai.
Drunk driving is dangerous.
(2) Kodomo no matchi-asobi wa abunai.
Children’s playing with matches is hazardous.
Abunai! may be used as an exclamation in situations where “Look out!,” or “Watch out!” would be called for in English. For example, if you see someone walking into the path of an oncoming car, you shout out, Abunai! Other examples of adjectives used to give warning are Urusai! and Yakamashii! (lit., “[You are] noisy!”), both meaning “Be quiet!” or “Shut up!” (see urusai).
AGARU 上がる to go up
The basic meaning of agaru is “to go up.”
(1) Mata gasorin no nedan ga agatta.
The price of gasoline has gone up again.
Entering a Japanese-style house as a guest is also agaru because it is an act of “going up.” When you enter a Japanese home, you first step into the genkan, or vestibule. There you take off your shoes and take a step up to the floor level of the house. The act of stepping into the vestibule is hairu “to go in,” but the act of stepping up to the floor level of the house is agaru “to take a step up.” That is why the Japanese host says to a visitor
(2) Doozo oagari kudasai.
Please come in (lit., step up).
Sentence (3) below therefore sounds extremely strange.
(3) *Nihonjin wa uchi ni hairu mae ni kutsu o nugimasu.
The Japanese take off their shoes before going into the house.
Agaru has to be used in this context. Otherwise sentence (3) would describe someone taking off his shoes outside the front door!
愛する to love
The noun ai “love” and its verbal counterpart, aisuru “to love,” are both written expressions. Although some young lovers nowadays may use such words of endearment as Aishite-iru yo (men’s speech) and Aishite-iru wa (women’s speech) to mean “I love you,” such sentences still sound stilted because the verb aisuru is rarely used in speech. Kimi ga suki da (men’s speech) and Anata ga suki yo (women’s speech) also mean “I love you.” The versions containing suki (see suki) are more conversational and are perhaps more frequently used in speech than the versions with aisuru. As Donald Keene (p. 156) wisely points out, however, the most typically Japanese expression of love has been silence (although, in the rapidly changing society of contemporary Japan, this tradition too may be on its way out).
赤ちゃん baby
Akachan is normally a word for someone else’s baby
(1) Otaku no akachan wa hontoo ni ogenki soo desu nee.
Your baby really looks healthy, doesn’t he/she!
Although some Japanese, especially women, use the word to refer to their own babies, the practice, in my opinion, is in poor taste. The word to be used in that case is akanboo.
(2) Kyoo wa uchi no akanboo no tanjoobi na n desu.
Today is my baby’s birthday.
明けましておめでとうございます Happy New Year!
When a New Year draws near, English speakers still new in Japan often ask their Japanese friends how to say “Happy New Year!” in Japanese. The answer is almost always Akemashite omedetoo gozaimasu (or its equivalent Shinnen omedetoo gozaimasu). Having received this answer, these English speakers practice hard to memorize this long salutation and, after finally learning it, they try it on their Japanese associates—most likely toward the end of December. Unfortunately this Japanese greeting may not be used until New Year’s Day since it literally means “[The New Year] having begun, this is indeed a happy occasion.” This contrasts with the English salutation “Happy New Year!” which is an abbreviation of “I wish you a happy New Year” and may therefore be used before the arrival of the New Year. The expression to be used before the old year expires is Yoi otoshi o omukae kudasai “May you see in a good year!” However, this is a rather formal salutation and is rarely used among close friends. There is regrettably no informal equivalent, except for the shorter form Yoi otoshi o, which is sometimes used.
In America, New Year’s wishes are exchanged with vigor at 12 midnight among those present at New Year’s Eve parties. After that, however, “Happy New Year!” is, as it were, put away in mothballs. In Japan, Akemashite omedetoo gozaimasu is heard at least through the first week of January, and sometimes as late as the middle of the month.
AMAI 甘い sweet
Amai primarily means “sweet in taste.”
(1) amai keeki (chokoreeto, kyandee, etc.)
sweet cake (chocolate, candy, etc.)
Used figuratively, amai can mean “indulgent, lenient” or “overly optimistic.”
(2) amai oya
indulgent parents
(3) amai ten
lenient grades (or marks)
(4) amai kangae
an overly optimistic view
Unlike English “sweet,” amai cannot mean “amiable” or “kind.” In English, calling someone a sweet person would be complimentary. In Japanese, on the other hand, amai hito, if it means anything at all, can only be interpreted as either “an indulgent person” or “an overly optimistic person.’
AMARI あまり too, excessively
Amari means “too” in the sense of “excessively.” The word mainly appears in negative sentences.
(1) Kyoo wa amari samuku nai.
It is not too cold today.
(2) Koko wa amari shizuka ja nai.
It is not too quiet here.
(3) Watashi wa amari nomimasen.
I don’t drink too much.
Amari may be used in the affirmative if it appears in a dependent clause.
(4) Amari nomu to byooki ni narimasu yo.
If you drink too much, you’ll get sick.
(5) Kami[noke] ga amari nagai kara, katte-moratta hoo ga ii yo.
Your hair is too long; you should get a haircut.
(6) Koko wa amari shizuka de sabishli-gurai desu.
It’s so quiet here that it almost makes one feel lonely.
The following sentences, which are independent affirmative sentences, are ungrammatical.
(7) *Anata wa amari nomimasu.
You drink too much.
(8) *Kaminoke ga amari nagai.
Your hair is too long.
(9) *Koko wa amari shizuka desu.
It’s too quiet here.
To express the ideas of the English translations of sentences (7) through (9) above, use -sugiru.
(10) Anata wa nomi-sugimasu.
You drink too much.
(11) Kaminoke ga naga-sugiru.
Your hair is too long.
(12) Koko wa shizuka-sugimasu.
It’s too quiet here.
Amari may be used in combination with -sugiru words also, without changing the meaning.
(13) Anata wa amari nomi-sugimasu.
You drink too much. (same as 10 above)
(14) Kaminoke ga amari naga-sugiru.
Your hair is too long. (same as 11)
(15) Koko wa amari shizuka-sugimasu.
It’s too quiet here. (same as 12)
Anmari is a more colloquial version of amari. There is no difference in meaning between the two.
あなた you
Anata “you (singular)” has a very limited use. In fact, long conversations between two people may be carried on without anata being used even once. In contexts where it is clear that the speaker is talking about the hearer, no verbal reference to the latter is usually made.
(1) Ogenki desu ka.
Are you well?
Even when reference to the hearer is verbalized, anata is usually avoided. The speaker is much more likely to use the hearer’s name with -san attached.
(2) Tanaka-san wa moo ano eiga o mimashita ka. (speaking to Tanaka)
Have you (lit., Mr./Mrs./Miss Tanaka) seen that movie yet?
If the speaker is lower in status than the hearer, he uses the latter’s title as a term of address.
(3) Sensei wa koohii to koocha to dochira ga osoki desu ka. (speaking to one’s teacher)
Which do you (lit., teacher) like better, coffee or tea?
(4) Kachoo wa ashita gorufu o nasaimasu ka. (speaking to one’s section chief)
Are you (lit., section chief) playing golf tomorrow?
Anata is perhaps used more often by women than by men. Women say anata, for example, to their husbands or close friends.
(5) Anata doo suru.
What are you going to do?
Anata has a more informal and less polite variant, anta. It is wise to avoid using this altogether since it is difficult, especially for nonnative speakers, to determine when it can be safely used. (See also kimi. For a detailed discussion of Japanese terms of address, see Suzuki, Ch. 5 “Words for Self and Others.”)
ANE 姉 older sister
Ane is a generic term for older sisters. It is used by adults, especially in writing, to refer to older sisters in general.
(1) Nihon de wa ane wa imooto yori meue da.
In Japan, older sisters are of higher status than younger sisters.
This use of ane, however, is generally restricted to written Japanese. In conversational Japanese, onee-san is the norm.
(2) Nihon de wa onee-san wa imooto yori meue da.
(same meaning as 1 above)
When talking to an outsider, an adult refers to his own older sister as ane.
(3) Kinoo ane ga kekkon-shimashita.
My older sister got married yesterday.
An adult talking to an outsider about the latter’s older sister or* someone else’s uses onee-san.
(4) Kinoo onee-san ga kekkon-nasatta soo desu nee.
I hear your older sister got married yesterday.
(5) Yoshida-san no onee-san wa eigo no sensei desu.
Mr. Yoshida’s older sister is an English teacher.
An adult also uses onee-san in addressing his own older sister or in talking to his family about his older sister.
(6) Onee-san, chotto matte.
lit., Big sister, wait a minute.
(7) Onee-san doko. (speaking to one’s family)
lit., Where’s big sister?
(In corresponding situations in English, one would of course use the sister’s given name.)
The use of ane is restricted to adult speakers. Children say onee-san in referring not only to older sisters in general or someone else’s older sister, but to their own as well, whether they are talking to an outsider or a member of their own family.
Onee-san has variants such as nee-san, onee-chan, and nee-chan (the last two being used mainly by children). Ane also has a variant (though perhaps not a very common one), aneki, which is used by young men in informal conversations, primarily with outsiders.
Since ane sounds very similar to ani “older brother,” the two words must be pronounced carefully and distinctly to avoid confusion. Ane is accentless while ani is accented on the first syllable (see . For a detailed discussion of family terms, see Suzuki, Ch. 5 “Words for Self and Others”).
兄 older brother
Ani “older brother” is the male counterpart of ane “older sister.” What can be said of ane (see ane) on the female side, therefore, can be said of ani on the male side. One should remember the following parallels: ani corresponds to ane in usage; onii-san corresponds to onee-san; nii-san, onii-chan, and nii-chan correspond to nee-san, onee-chan, and nee-chan, respectively; and aniki corresponds to aneki (though aniki is much more commonly used than the latter).
青い blue
The adjective aoi and its nominal counterpart, ao, cover a wider range of color than does “blue,” since the Japanese word may also refer to the range of color that one would call “green” in English. Though aoi normally means “blue,” it can indicate “green” in reference to a limited number of items (though midori “green” is also acceptable), especially vegetation, as in aoi shiba “green grass,” aoi kusaki “green vegetation,” and ao-shingoo “green traffic light.” Centuries ago, according to Ikegami (p. 16), the use of ao for green was even more extensive than now; nowadays, however, in the sense of “green,” midori is becoming more popular.
Aoi also means “pale” in reference to a person’s complexion.
(1) Suzuki-san doo shita n deshoo ka. Aoi kao o shlte-imasu yo.
I wonder what’s happened to Mr. Suzuki. He looks pale.
In this case, no other color word may replace aoi.
ARE あれ that
In Japanese, there are two words corresponding to the English demonstrative “that” as in “That is a park.” They are are and sore. The difference between these two Japanese demonstratives when used with reference to visible things is that are is for something removed from both the speaker and the addressee while sore refers to something removed from the speaker but close to the addressee. Suppose you are talking to Mr. Suzuki and want to refer to a book that he is holding in his hand. Then use sore, as in
(1) Sore wa nan no hon desu ka.
What book is that?
On the other hand, if you and Mr. Suzuki want to talk about a building seen in the distance, you use are and say, for example,
(2) Are wa nan no tatemono deshoo ne.
I wonder what building that is.
When are and sore are used as prenoun modifiers, they become ano and sono, as in ano pen “that pen” and sono hon “that book,” but the semantic difference between ano and sono remains parallel to that between are and sore.
Since, in Japanese, words normally do not differ in form whether they are singular or plural, are and sore can mean “those” instead of “that.” The same is true of ano and sono.
With reference to something that is not visible to either the speaker or the hearer at the time of speech, are and sore are used as follows. Are is used “when the speaker knows that the hearer, as well as the speaker himself, knows the referent” whereas sore is used “either when the speaker knows the referent but thinks that the hearer does not or when the speaker does not know the referent” (Kuno, p. 283). Compare the following examples:
(3) A: Kinoo Sutaa Woozu to iu eiga o mimashita yo.
Yesterday I saw a movie called Star Wars.
B: Are (not *Sore) wa omoshiroi eiga desu nee.
That’s a fun movie, isn’t it?
(4) A: Kinoo Roshia-elga o mimashita yo.
Yesterday I saw a Russian movie.
B: Sore (not *Are) wa donna eiga deshlta ka.
What kind of movie was that?
In (3), speaker B has already seen the movie, so he refers to it as are. In (4), on the other hand, speaker B does not know what movie speaker A is talking about, so he uses sore instead.
ありかとうございます Thank you
The Japanese equivalent of “Thank you” has variants depending on the tense. If you want to thank someone for something that he is doing, is going to do, or repeatedly does for you, you say Arigatoo gozaimasu. To thank someone for what he has already done for you, however, you say Arigatoo gozaimashita. For example, if someone has just invited you to a party that is to take place next week, you say Arigatoo gozaimasu. After the party, however, you say Arigatoo gozaimashita, meaning “Thank you for what you did for me.” Likewise, as you accept a present from someone, you say Arigatoo gozaimasu, but next time you see him, you thank him again by saying Arigatoo gozaimashita. The difference in usage between these two forms remains even when doomo “very much” is added for emphasis. Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu functions like Arigatoo gozaimasu, and Doomo arigatoo gozaimashita like Arigatoo gozaimashita, except that the versions with doomo are more polite than the ones without.
The informal version Arigatoo (without gozaimasu or gozaimashita) may be used regardless of the time of the event for which you wish to show gratitude. This version, however, cannot be used when speaking to someone higher in status. Since it is difficult for nonnative speakers of Japanese to determine who is higher or lower than they are, the safest thing would be to use Arigatoo only when talking to a child. Otherwise, use the full form Arigatoo gozaimasu (or gozai-mashita), or simply Doomo.
Unlike “Thank you,” Arigatoo gozaimasu and its variants may not be used in response to compliments. If someone compliments you for your “excellent Japanese,” for example, say Mada dame desu “It’s still no good.” Thanking someone for a compliment, to the Japanese way of thinking, is like admitting you deserve the compliment; it is therefore an act of conceit.
ある, 在る to be; 有る to have
Aru means “to be” in the sense of “to exist.” As a rule, the verb is used with inanimate subjects (including plants).
(1) Ishii-san no uchi wa Nagoya ni aru.
Mr. Ishii’s house is in Nagoya.
(2) Go-gatsu no dai-isshuu ni wa kyuujitsu ga futsu-ka aru.
There are two national holidays during the first week of May.
Aru may also be used with reference to animate beings, particularly family members, or other humans comparable to family members, e.g., friends and guests. X ga aru in this usage is very much like X o motte-iru “to have X” in meaning, as in the following examples:
(3) Watashi wa kyoodai ga go-nin aru.
I have five siblings.
(4) Yamamoto-san wa kodomo ga san-nin aru soo da.
I hear Mr. Yamamoto has three children.
(5) Ii tomodachi ga aru kara ii desu ne.
Isn’t it good that you have nice friends!
Although to signify the existence of animate beings, iru (see iru) is the verb that is usually used (e.g., Asoko ni inu ga iru “There’s a dog over there”), aru is sometimes used, especially (a) if the subject is not a specific person or a specific animal, (b) if where the subject exists is irrelevant, and (c) if the noun signaling the subject is preceded by a relative clause, as in
(6) Yoku benkyoo-suru gakusei mo aru shi, asonde bakari iru gakusei mo aru.
There are students who study hard and there are students who fool around all the time.
There is another important use of aru: to refer to happenings or events.
(7) Konban hanabi ga aru soo da.
I hear there will be fireworks tonight.
In this case, aru does not indicate existence, but rather refers to an event. When a location is mentioned, therefore, the particle de (not ni) is required.
(8) Konban Ryoogoku de hanabi ga aru soo da.
I hear there will be fireworks at Ryogoku tonight.
Compare this with sentence (1), where ni is used to indicate location.
歩く to walk
Aruku means “to walk.”
(1) Ano hito wa aruku no ga hayai desu nee.
He walks fast, doesn’t he!
When the destination is mentioned, the particle preceding aruku should be made “up to.” When e or ni, both meaning “to,” is used, the verb is changed to aruite iku (lit., “to go walking”) or aruite kuru (lit., “to come walking”).
(2) Itsumo gakkoo made arakimasu.
I always walk to school.
(3) Itsumo gakkoo e (or ni) aruite-ikimasu.
I always go to school on foot.
When the place along or through which the act of walking takes place is mentioned, aruku is preceded by the particle o.
(4) Asoko o aruite-iru no wa dare deshoo.
I wonder who that person is who is walking over there (lit. along that place).
Other verbs of motion such as iku “to go” and kuru “to come” are also used with o in comparable situations.
When walking takes place up or down a steep incline (e.g., stairs), aruku has to be either replaced by another verb (such as noboru “to climb up”) or changed to the -te form and followed by another verb (e.g., aruite noboru). In the following example (5), therefore, (a) is incorrect while (b) and (c) are correct.
(5) kaidan o (a) *aruku
(b) noboru
(c) aruite noboru
to climb (or walk up) the stairs
Unlike “walk,” aruku is normally not used in the sense of “to take a stroll.” Sentence (6) is therefore wrong for the meaning intended.
(6) *Kyoo wa tenki ga ii kara issho ni arukimashoo.
Since it’s such a beautiful day today, let’s take a walk together.
Arukimashoo in this case should be replaced by sanpo-shimashoo “let’s take a stroll” (see sanpo).
朝 morning
Asa begins at daybreak and ends at midmorning. This is in contrast with English “morning,” which begins earlier and lasts longer. Eleven a.m. is still morning in English, but Japanese asa does not normally refer to such late hours. Eleven in the morning is gozen juuichi-ji “11 a.m.” rather than *asa no juuichi-ji (lit., “11 in the morning”).
足 foot, leg
In English, “foot” and “leg” are two different words, but in Japanese, ashi might mean either of them or both. Ashi ga itai may therefore mean “My leg hurts,” “My legs hurt,” “My foot hurts,” “My feet hurt,” or some combination thereof. It really doesn’t matter since the person who feels the pain is likely to point to the painful spot anyway to indicate where he is hurting. Moreover, if it becomes necessary to be more specific (e.g., when one has to explain his ailment to his doctor over the phone), there are words for parts of legs and feet, e.g., momo “thigh,” hiza “knee,” sune “shin,” fukumhagi “calf,” ashikubi “ankle,” kakato “heel,” and so on.
あした tomorrow
The word for “tomorrow” is most often ashita, as in Ashita wa ame ga furu ka mo shirenai “It may rain tomorrow.” In fact, that is the only word children use to mean “tomorrow.” Adults, however, also use two synonyms for ashita, asu, and myoonichi, though not as frequently as ashita. Asu is more formal than ashita, and myoonichi is even more so. Ashita may appear in either informal or formal speech, while asu is more likely to appear in formal speech, and myoonichi is used only in very formal speech, as in Mata myoonichi ojama-sasete-itadakimasu “I shall pay you a visit again tomorrow.”
Just as ashita has its formal counterparts, other temporal expressions have their formal counterparts. For example:
| USUAL | FORMAL | |
| ototoi | issakujitsu | day before yesterday |
| kinoo | sakujitsu | yesterday |
| yuube | sakuban, sakuya | last night |
| asatte | myoogonichi | day after tomorrow |
ASOBU 遊ぶ to play
The verb asobu means “to play.”
(1) Kodomo-tachi wa niwa de asonde-imasu.
The children are playing in the yard.
Asobu, however, cannot be used in reference to sports, whether sports in general or specific sports such as yakyuu “baseball” or tenisu “tennis.” Sports require suru “to do” instead. In (2) below, therefore, shimashita must be used.
(2) Kinoo wa ichi-nichi-juu yakyuu o shimashita (not *asobi-mashita).
Yesterday I played baseball all day.
Playing games also requires suru.
(3) Toranpu o shimashoo (not *asobimashoo).
Let’s play cards.
(4) Yuube wa ichi-ji made maa-jan o shimashita (not *asobi-mashita).
Last night we played Mah Jongg until 1 o’clock.
Playing musical instruments requires different verbs, depending on the kind.
(5) Piano o hiite-kudasai (from hiku).
Please play the piano for me.
(6) Toranpetto o fuite-iru (from faku) no wa dare desu ka.
Who is the person playing the trumpet?
Asobu sometimes means “to be idle, to be out of work, to be not in use.”
(7) Ano hito wa daigaku o sotsugyoo-shite kara, shuu-shoku-shinai de ichi-nen asonde-shimatta soo da.
I hear he has idled away one whole year without getting a job since graduating from college.
(8) Katta tochi o asobasete-oku no wa oshii desu yo.
You shouldn’t leave the piece of land you bought unused.
A very common idiom involving asobu is asobi ni iku (or kuru), meaning “to pay a social call.”
(9) Doozo ichi-do oasobi ni oide-kudasal.
Please come and see us (not *come and play) some time.
頭 head
One puzzling expression for English speakers might be atama o karu, which literally means “to clip one’s head,” but actually is another version of kami[noke] o karu “to give someone a haircut, to get a haircut.” We often use atama o arau (lit., “to wash one’s head”), too, to mean kami[noke] o arau “to wash one’s hair.”
Two very common expressions containing atama are atama ga ii (lit., “the head is good”) meaning “smart, bright, intelligent” and atama ga warui (lit., “the head is bad”） meaning “stupid, dumb, dense.”
(10) Ano ko wa atama ga ii kara, nan de mo sugu oboeru.
That child is so bright he learns everything quickly.
Atama and “head” do not necessarily refer to the same part of the human body. While “head” refers to that part of the body joined to the trunk by the neck, atama refers to that portion of the head roughly from the eyebrows up, plus the whole of the back of the head.
暖かい [pleasantly] warm
Atatakai (or, more colloquially, attakai) is almost always translated in English as “warm,” but, unlike “warm,” atatakai always carries a connotation of pleasantness. When we have a nice warm day in the midst of winter, or when winter gradually gives way to pleasant spring weather, we use atatakai. We do not use atatakai, but atsui “hot” instead, if, in the midst of summer, the mercury reaches, for example, the mid-80s Fahrenheit, although in English one often says “It’s very warm today,” on such a day.
Atatakai may be used with reference not only to weather but to liquids and solids as well. Study the following examples:
(1) atatakai tenki (haru, hi, etc.)—weather
warm weather (spring, day, etc.)
(2) atatakai nomimono (gyuunyuu, misoshiru, etc.)—liquids
warm beverage (milk, miso soup, etc.)
(3) atatakai tabemono (te, gohan, etc.)—solids
warm food (hand, rice, etc.)
(See also atsui “hot” and nurui “lukewarm.”)
熱い, 署い hot
In Japanese there are two words for “hot,” both pronounced atsui. For the sake of convenience, I shall distinguish them here by calling one atsui1 and the other atsui2. They are represented by different kanji and are used with reference to different types of objects.
Atsui1 written 熱い, is used in reference to gases, fluids, and solids.
(1) atsui1 kaze
a hot wind
(2) atsui1 ofuro
a hot bath
(3) atsui1 tabemono
hot food
Atsui2 , written 署い, on the other hand, is used mainly in reference to weather, as in
(4) Kyoo wa atsui2 .
It’s hot today.
(5) Ichiban atsui2 tsuki wa shichi-gatsu ka hachi-gatsu da.
The hottest month is either July or August.
The difference between atsui1 when it is used in reference to gases, as in example (1) above, and atsui2 parallels the difference between tsumetai and samui, both of which mean “cold.” Atsui1 refers to a sensation of heat affecting a limited part or parts of the body, such as the face and the hands, whereas atsui2 is used for a sensation of heat affecting the whole body. According to Kunihiro (p. 22), atsui1 belongs to one series of temperature words:
tsumetai, cold nurui, lukewarm atatakai, warm atsui1 while atsui2 is part of the other series:
samui, cold suzushii, cool atatakai, warm atsui2
(All these adjectives of temperature are explained in their respective entries.)
ATSUI 厚い thick
Atsui meaning “thick” requires a kanji different from the ones for atsui meaning “hot” (see atsui “hot”). This atsui is used in reference to flat objects.
(1) atsui kami (hon, ita, etc.)
thick paper (book, board, etc.)
We also say atsui oobaa (lit., “a thick overcoat”), focusing on the thickness of the material, whereas the English speaker would speak of “a heavy overcoat” with the weight of the overcoat in mind.
Although, in English, “thick” may be used in reference to cylindrical objects as well as flat objects, as in “thick thread,” “thick fingers,” etc., that is not the case with atsui. Futoi is the correct adjective then.
(2) futoi (not *atsui ) ito (yubi, eda, etc.)
thick thread (fingers, branch, etc.)
Atsui “thick” has a different accent from atsui “hot.” Whereas the latter is accented on the second syllable, the former is accentless. Thus examples (3) and (4), when spoken, may be differentiated only by accent.
(3)
thick pancakes
(4)
hot pancakes
会う to see, to meet [someone]
In English, one says “see someone” or “meet someone,” with “someone” as the direct object of “see” or “meet.” In Japanese, on the other hand, au is an intransitive verb and takes the particle ni rather than o.
(1) Tanaka-san wa mainichi gaarufurendo ni atte-iru rashii.
Mr. Tanaka seems to be seeing his girlfriend every day.
(2) Yamashita-san ni hajimete atta no wa go-nen-gurai mae datta.
It was about five years ago that I met Mr. Yamashita for the first time.
Au can refer to seeing or meeting someone either by accident or on purpose. For example, in (3) below, au together with pattari “unexpectedly” refers to an accidental encounter (in this case, au is synonymous with deau “to meet by chance”), whereas in (4) au obviously signals meeting someone for some purpose.
(3) Kinoo densha no naka de Yoshida-san ni pattari atta.
Yesterday I met Mr. Yoshida on the train by chance.
(4) Kyoo no gogo Satoo-san ni au yotei da.
I plan to meet Mr. Sato this afternoon (e.g., to discuss some matter).
Seeing a doctor for medical reasons is not au but mite-morau “to have oneself seen.”
(5) Kubi ga itai kara, ashita isha ni mite-morau (not *au) tsumori desu.
Because I have a neck-ache, I’m going to see my doctor tomorrow.
Meeting someone who is arriving at an airport, a station, etc” is not au but mukae ni iku “to go to welcome” or mukae ni kuru “to come to welcome.”
(6) Ato de chichi ga Narita ni tsuku no o mukae ni iku koto ni natte-lru.
I am supposed to meet my father later when he arrives at Narita.
“Meet” sometimes means “to be introduced to.” Au normally doesn’t mean that. One must say something more specific to express that idea, as in
(7) Kobayashi-san o goshookai-shimasu.
I’d like you to meet Mr. Kobayashi. (lit., I’m going to introduce Mr. Kobayashi.)
Au corresponds to English “see [someone]” in the sense of “to meet up with and talk to” but usually not in the sense of “to catch sight of” or “to look at” (Jorden, 1, p. 171). For the latter, use miru “to look at” (see miru) or mikakeru “to catch sight of” instead.
BAN 晚 evening, night
Unlike yoru “night,” ban is an anthropocentric term, i.e., a word closely tied to man’s daily life. It roughly refers to the time span from dinner time until bedtime, and thus covers a slightly narrower range of time than does yoru (although there are some exceptions to this rule, most notably hito-ban-juu “all night long,” which is synonymous with yoru-juu). Nine p.m., for example, could be called either ban or yoru, but 2 a.m. is more likely called yoru than ban. When one talks solely about the natural phenomenon of night with no reference to human life, yoru is the only choice (Tokuga-wa and Miyajima, pp. 409-10), as in
(1) Tsuki wa yoru ga samui.
Night on the moon is frigid.
晚ご飯, 晚御飯 evening meal
Although there are other variants meaning the same thing, ban-gohan is probably the most common word in speech for “evening meal.” In America, the evening meal is the biggest meal and is called dinner, but dinner is not always served in the evening; on Sundays, for instance, some families serve dinner at lunchtime. In Japan, too, the evening meal is the main meal, but if, on some special occasion, the biggest meal of the day happens to be served at lunchtime, it has to be called ohiru-gohan “lunch” (lit., “noon meal”), and not ban-gohan, since ban-gohan literally means “evening meal.” In other words, whereas dinner may be served at noon, in the afternoon, or in the evening, ban-gohan is always served in the evening, usually at 6 p.m. or thereabouts.
Other variants are ban-meshi (used by men only, informal speech), yuuhan (used by both men and women; probably not as common as ban-gohan), and yuushoku (used in writing or in formal speech).
便所 toilet
English has many expressions for “toilet,” such as “bathroom,” “washroom,” “rest room,” “men’s room,” “ladies’ room,” and “john.” Likewise, Japanese has a variety of expressions for “toilet,” of which benjo is one. The word should be avoided, however, in polite conversation. Use tearai (lit., “hand-washing [place]”), or otearai to be even more polite. Toire, derived from English “toilet,” is also quite acceptable.
Using the word benjo is all right if used as part of compounds such as suisen-benjo “flush toilet” and kooshuu-benjo “public toilet.”
BENKYOO 勉強 study
Benkyoo most often means “study.”
(1) Uchi no musuko wa ima juken-benkyoo-chuu desu.
Our son is in the midst of studying for entrance examinations.
The noun benkyoo, with the addition of the verb suru “to do,” becomes the compound verb benkyoo-suru “to study.”
(2) Itsu Nihongo o benkyoo-shita n desu ka.
When did you study Japanese?
Having a learning experience is also benkyoo, especially in the expression benkyoo ni naru.
(3) Sensei no ohanashi o ukagatte, taihen ii benkyoo ni narimashita.
I learned a lot listening to your (lit., teacher’s) talk. After hearing a talk, Americans commonly say to the speaker “I really enjoyed your talk.” Japanese, on the other hand, would normally focus on what they learned from the talk, as in (3) above.
BOKU 僕 I, me
Boku meaning “I” is used only by males, and most often by boys and young men. Although young boys use boku on all occasions, adult men use it, or are supposed to use it, only on informal occasions. (On formal occasions, they normally switch to watashi or watakushi.)
The strangest use of boku occurs when, in some families, family members of a little boy who calls himself boku start calling him boku as well. This occurs, however, only when the little boy is the only, or the youngest, son in the family. Boku in this case is used, as it were, like the boy’s given name. (In fact, the diminutive suffix -chan, which is normally attached to a child’s name, as in Yoshiko-chan, is sometimes added to boku, forming boku-chan.)
(1) Boku[-chan], hayaku irasshai.
lit., Me, come here quickly.
This “fictive” use of boku is explained by Suzuki (p. 124) thus: “When she [i.e., a mother calling her son boku] speaks in this way, she is thinking of the boy as he would be called if viewed from the position of the youngest member of the family, in this case the boy himself. The boy would naturally call himself boku. Therefore, by identifying with him, adults in the family can call him boku as well.”
BUKKA 物偭 prices
Bukka means “general commodity prices.”
(1) Konogoro wa bukka ga takakute komarimasu nee.
Isn’t it terrible that prices are so high these days!
Bukka does not refer to the price of a specific object. For that, one has to use nedan “price” instead. In example (2), therefore, nedan must be used.
(2) Gasorin no nedan (not *bukka) ga mata agatta.
The price of gasoline has gone up again.
BYOOKI 病気 sick, sickness
Byooki can be translated into English as either “sick” or “sickness,” depending on the context.
(1) Tanaka-san wa byooki desu.
Mr. Tanaka is sick.
(2) Gan wa iya na byooki da.
Cancer is a nasty disease.
Unlike “sick,” however, byooki cannot refer to a temporary state of being nauseous. To express that state, other expressions must be used.
(3) Kuruma ni yotte-shimatta.
I became carsick.
(4) Chi o mite kimochi (or mune) ga waruku natta.
I became sick at the sight of blood.
Unlike “sick,” byooki does not refer to boredom or disgust. To express the idea of “I’m sick of parties,” for example, one would have to say something like (5) or (6).
(5) Paatii ga iya ni natta.
lit., Parties have started boring me.
(6) Paatii wa moo takusan da.
lit., I can’t take any more parties.
Whereas genki “healthy, well, vigorous,” the opposite of byooki, is a na-noun, byooki is a genuine noun and therefore requires no instead of na when used in prenoun position. Note the difference between (7) and (8).
(7) genki na (not *genki no) kodomo
a healthy (or vigorous, lively) child
(8) byooki no (not *byooki na) kodomo
a sick child
CHICHI 父 father
When an adult talks to an outsider (i.e., a non-family member) about his own father, chichi is the correct term to be used.
(1) Chichi wa moo hachijuu ni narimashita.
My father has turned 80 already.
When an adult talks to a member of his family (e.g., his mother and siblings) about his father, he usually uses otoo-san. (Inside-the-family terms for father vary from family to family, e.g., otoo-sama and papa, but otoo-san is probably the most common.)
When an adult male is engaged in an informal conversation with close associates or friends, he is likely to refer to his father as oyaji “my old man.” The use of oyaji is far more common in Japanese than that of “my old man” in English, but it is restricted to men only.
When an adult talks to an outsider about the latter’s or someone else’s father, otoo-san is probably the most common term.
The above rules apply to adults only. Children, whether boys or girls, most often use the term otoo-san in almost all situations.
CHIGAU 達う to be different, to be incorrect
Chigau has roughly two meanings: “to be different” and “to be incorrect.”
(1) Nihonjin wa Chuugokujin to zuibun chigau.
The Japanese are quite different from the Chinese.
(2) Kono kotae wa chigaimasu yo.
This answer is incorrect, you know.
These two meanings may seem unrelated at first, but they are actually not as far apart as one may think. After all, an incorrect answer is an answer that is different from the correct one.
Iie, chigaimasu is often used in lieu of Iie, soo ja arimasen to mean “No, that’s not so.” Iie is frequently left out. The direct English translation of Iie, chigaimasu would be “No, it’s incorrect”; English speakers might therefore feel that this Japanese expression is probably a strong denial. It is, however, not as strong as the English translation might suggest, and is at least as commonly used as Iie, soo ja arimasen.
As is the case with Soo ja arimasen, Chigaimasu is most often used to contradict a question ending with a noun 十 desu ka.
(3) A: Are wa Tanaka-san desu ka.
Is that Mr. Tanaka?
B: Chigaimasu. Suzuki-san desu.
No, that’s Mr. Suzuki.
The use of Chigaimasu is not appropriate as a response to a question ending with an adjective 十 desu ka, or a verb 十 ka (see soo desu).
朝鮮 Korea
Most Japanese unfortunately have been rather prejudiced against the Koreans for no apparent reason. Especially during the time when Korea was under Japanese rule (191045), the word Choosenjin “Korean[s]” was almost always uttered with contempt. It was for this reason that the name Choosen was almost completely discarded when Japan lost World War II. Since then the Japanese have adopted the names Hokusen for “North Korea” and Kankoku for “South Korea.” What is really inconvenient, however, is the lack of an appropriate prejudice-free name for Korea as a whole. Linguists, for example, still have to refer to the Korean language as Choosengo since the language is one and the same in North Korea and in South Korea. The word Kankokugo (lit., “South Korean language”), which some people use, is not really an accurate label for the language.
著者 the author
Chosha means “person who has written a specific (usually nonfiction) book.”
(1) Kono hon no chosha wa Tanaka Ichiroo to yuu hito desu.
The author of this book is called Ichiro Tanaka.
English “author” is broader in meaning. It can mean “person who has written a specific book” (as in “He is the author of this book”) or “person who writes books” (as in “He is an author”). Chosha can never be used in the latter sense. (See also sakka and shoosetsuka.)
ちょっと a little
Chotto is very much like sukoshi.
(1) Kyoo wa chotto (or sukoshi) samui.
It’s a bit cold today.
(2) Onaka ga suite-inai kara, chotto (or sukoshi) shika taberarenakatta.
Since I wasn’t hungry, I could eat only a little.
The only difference between chotto and sukoshi in the above examples is that chotto is perhaps slightly more conversational than sukoshi.
Chotto, however, is used on many other occasions where sukoshi would be inappropriate. This occurs especially when one wishes to soften a request, as in (3) below, or express reluctance in a polite way, as in (4).
(3) Chotto misete-kudasai.
Would you please show it to me?
Chotto in this sentence does not mean “a little.” Rather it expresses the idea that the request being made is not a significant one. It is almost like saying “May I ask a small favor?” The use of chotto in requests is very common; in fact, in stores and restaurants some customers use Chotto! by itself when they wish to catch the attention of a salesclerk or waitress.
(4) A: Ashita kite-itadakemasu ka.
Could you come tomorrow?
B: Ashita wa chotto.
I’m afraid I can’t.
The answer in (4) literally means “Tomorrow is a little [inconvenient].” Japanese speakers don’t normally reject requests, suggestions, and invitations flatly with Iie “No” since that would make them sound too direct and discourteous; they prefer to use chotto, which sounds less direct and more tactful.
DAIGAKU 大学 college, university
“College” and “university” are both daigaku in Japanese. Although one can use tanka-daigaku (lit., “single-subject daigaku”) for “college” and soogoo-daigaku (lit., “comprehensive daigaku”) for “university,” these terms are more or less for dictionaries only and are never attached to college or university names, nor are they much used in speech.
Most Japanese are unaware of the usage difference between “college” and “university” in the United States, and simplistically believe that “university” is a more prestigious term than “college.” The official English translations of the names of Japanese colleges and universities are, consequently, always something like “The University of So-and-so.” It is for this reason that the names of some Japanese institutions of higher learning sound very strange in English, e.g., “The X University of Science” or “The Y University of Economics.”
大文夫 all right
Daijoobu is, to a certain extent, like “all right.” For example, if you see someone fall, you run up to him and ask Daijoobu desu ka meaning “Are you all right?” But there are some situations where daijoobu cannot be used to mean “all right.” For example, in English, if someone asks “How are you?” you might answer “All right,” meaning “Fine.” Daijoobu could not be used in a comparable situation in Japanese unless you happened to have been ill. In English, you can also say “All right!” when something turns out the way you were hoping it would, e.g., your favorite baseball team scores a run in a crucial inning. In Japanese, Ii zo! (lit., “Great!”) would be used in that case instead of daijoobu. Likewise, daijoobu may not be used in accepting a suggestion. In English, if someone suggests “Let’s go to a movie,” you can indicate your willingness by answering “All right,” but in Japanese you would have to say Ee, ikimashoo “Yes, let’s go.”
To summarize, daijoobu is most appropriate when there is a good reason for concern. The function of daijoobu is to dispel that concern. In other words, it is an expression of reassurance. Study the following examples:
(1) A: Abunai!
Look out!
B: Daijoobu desu yo.
I’m all right.
(2) A: Tanaka-san ni anna shigoto ga dekiru deshoo ka.
Do you think Mr. Tanaka can handle that kind of job?
B: Daijoobu desu yo.
He’ll be all right.
In both examples above, Daijoobu desu yo can be paraphrased as “Although you may have a good reason to worry, you don’t really have to.”
DAKE だけ only
Although dake often corresponds to English “only,” as in sentences (1) and (2) below, it does not carry a negative overtone, as “only” does.
(1) Tanaka-san dake kite, hoka no hito wa konakatta.
Only Mr. Tanaka came; nobody else did.
(2) Housewife (to maid): Kaimono ni iku nara, gyuunyuu dake katte-kite-moraeba ii wa.
If you’re going shopping, the only thing I’d like you to buy is milk.
The positive overtone in dake becomes clear when dake is contrasted with shika . . . nai, which always carries a negative connotation.
(3) Tanaka-san dake kita.
Only Mr. Tanaka came, (i.e., Mr. Tanaka alone came.)
(4) Tanaka-san shika konakatta.
Only Mr. Tanaka came, (i.e., No one but Mr. Tanaka came.)
In (3), the speaker’s focus is on the fact that Mr. Tanaka came (though he was the only one who came). On the other hand, in (4), the speaker’s focus is on the fact that nobody else came. It is because of this difference between dake and shika . . . nai that we can use only dake in (5), and only shika . . . nai in (6).
(5) Hoka no hito wa konakatta keredo, Tanaka-san
| (a) dake wa kita. |
| (b) * shika konakatta. |
Nobody else came, but Mr. Tanaka, though he was the only one, did come.
(6) Okane ga ni-doru
| (a) *dake atta | |
| (b) shika nakatta | kara, eiga e ikarenakatta. |
Since I had only (i.e., no more than) two dollars, I couldn’t go to the movies.
DEKAKERU 出かける to go out
Dekakeru is usually translated into English as “to go out” and is therefore often confused by American students of Japanese with deru, which is also matched up with “to go out.” Dekakeru, however, is quite different from deru in that it is used only in reference to human beings. For example, in sentence (1), either dekakeru or deru may be used, but in sentence (2), only deru would be correct.
(1) Chichi wa kyoo dekakete-imasu (or dete-imasu).
My father is out today.
(2) Konban wa ku-ji-goro tsuki ga deru (not *dekakeru) hazu da.
The moon is expected to be out about nine tonight.
Dekakeru also differs from deru in that it specifically refers to leaving one’s abode, whereas deru may refer to going out of any place. “To go out of a room” would therefore be heya o deru (not *dekakeru).
Furthermore, dekakeru is different from deru in that it implies some sort of outing covering a distance, be it a walk, a visit, or a trip. Deru, on the other hand, is noncommital as to distance or reason. In sentence (7), therefore, only (a) is correct.
| (7) Tonari no denwa o kari ni | (a) uchi o deta. |
| (b) *dekaketa. |
I left the house to ask the next-door neighbor to let me use the phone.
Dekakeru meaning “to go out” is accentless. This word should not be confused with “to be about to go out,” which is accented. This latter is a compound verb formed by the -te form of deru followed by kakeru “to be about to do such-and-such,” and is used as follows:
(8) Tsuki ga de-kakete (not *dekakete) mata kumo ni kakureta.
The moon was about to come out but hid again behind the clouds.
てきる, 出来る to come about, to be able to
Roughly speaking dekiru has two meanings: (a) “to come about, to be born, to be produced, to be built, to be completed,” as in sentences (1) and (2) below, and (b) “to be possible, to be able to, can do,” as in (3) and (4).
(1) Suupu ga dekita.
The soup is ready, (lit., The soup has come about.)
(2) Asoko ni atarashii depaato ga dekita.
A new department store has been built over there. (lit., A new department store has come about over there.)
(3) Watanabe-san wa eigo ga yoku dekiru.
Mr. Watanabe is very good in English. (lit., Mr. Wata-nabe can do English well.)
(4) Ano hito wa gorufu ga dekiru.
He knows how to play golf. (lit., He can do golf.)
At first glance, these two meanings do not seem to have much in common; but, on second thought, they are related, for if you know how to do something, it does “come about” for you.
Since the original meaning of dekiru is “to come about” (Morita, p. 309), the subject marker ga rather than the object marker o is used with it even when it means “can do.”
(5) Watanabe-san wa eigo ga (not *o) dekiru.
Mr. Watanabe is good in English.
Dekiru in the sense of “can do” is used much less often in Japanese than “can” is in English. The reason is that in Japanese many verbs have their own potential forms. For example, taberu “to eat” has the potential form, taberareru “can eat,” and yomu “to read” has yomeru “can read.” Although it is also grammatically correct to say taberu koto ga dekiru “one can eat” or yomu koto ga dekiru “one can read,” these forms are lengthier and are therefore not used as often. In fact, dekiru is basically used only as the potential form of suru “to do.” It cannot even be used in place of the potential forms of other verbs. In English, it is perfectly correct to say “Yes, I can” in response to “Can you read this?” for example. In Japanese, on the other hand, the answer in (6) below would be incorrect.
(6) A: Kore ga yomemasu ka.
Can you read this?
B: Hai, *dekimasu.
Yes, I can.
Dekimasu in this case must be replaced by yomemasu, the same potential verb meaning “can read” that appears in the question.
DENSHA 電車 [electric] train
Densha literally means “electric train,” but oddly enough, not all electric trains are called densha. Long-distance trains run by the Japan National Railways used to be pulled by steam engines and were called kisha (lit., “steam trains”). Although these steam engines have long since been replaced by electric ones, trains that serve the same lines are even now called kisha by force of habit.
DENWA 電話 telephone
Denwa is a noun meaning “telephone.”
(1) Kono hen ni denwa wa arimasen ka.
Is there a telephone around here?
One difference between denwa and “telephone” is that denwa is often used to mean “telephone call” whereas “telephone” is not.
(2) Kinoo Tanaka-san kara denwa ga arimashita.
There was a telephone call (lit., There was a telephone) from Mr. Tanaka yesterday.
In English, “telephone” is also used as a verb; in Japanese, on the other hand, suru has to be added to change denwa into a verb, that is, denwa-suru “to telephone [someone].”
(3) Yoshida-san ni denwa-shite kudasai.
Please call Mr. Yoshida.
Denwa o kakeru “to make a phone call” and derma o ireru, a fairly new coinage meaning “to give [someone] a call,” may also be used in place of denwa-suru, as in
(4) Yoshida-san ni denwa o kakete (or irete) kudasai.
Please give Mr. Yoshida a call.
When the person to whom the phone call is made is not mentioned or even implied, only denwa o kakeru is acceptable. In (5), therefore, only (a) would be correct.
(5) Uchi no ko wa
| (a) denwa o kakeru | no ga suki de komarimasu. |
| (b) *denwa o ireru | |
| (c) *denwa-suru |
Our child likes making phone calls too much.
出る to go out, to leave, to graduate
Deru most often means “to go out, to come out, to get out.”
(1) Amari atsui kara, niwa ni demashoo.
It’s so hot; let’s go out into the yard.
(2) Nihon o deta no wa nijuu-nen mae datta.
It was 20 years ago that I left Japan.
With reference to school, deru is used as a synonym for sotsugyoo-suru “to graduate.”
(3) Daigaku o dete (or sotsugyoo-shite) kara nani o suru tsumori desu ka.
What do you plan to do after graduating from college?
Don’t equate deru meaning “to graduate” with English “get out” since “to get out of school” might mean “to leave school without graduating.”
This latter meaning would be expressed in Japanese by another verb: chuutai-suru “to drop out of school.”
(4) Ano hito wa daigaku o chuutai-shite haiyuu ni natta soo desu.
I hear he dropped out of college and became an actor. (See also dekakeru.)
どんな what kind [of]
Whereas, in English, “what kind” can be used alone without “of” ＋ noun, Japanese donna has to be followed by a noun.
(1) Kore wa donna shoosetsu desu ka.
What kind of novel is this?
In questions like this, dooyuu can also be used to mean “what kind.”
(2) Kore wa dooyuu shoosetsu desu ka.
(same meaning as 1 above)
When donna and dooyuu are used in te mo (or de mo) clauses meaning “no matter . . . ,” however, there is a difference between the two (Tokugawa and Miyajima, p. 294). Dooyuu in such clauses can signal only “[no matter] what kind,” whereas donna can be used to mean either “[no matter] what kind” or “[no matter] to what degree.” Compare the following:
(3) Donna (or Dooyuu) koto ni natte mo kamaimasen.
I don’t care what happens, (lit., No matter what kind of result ensues, I don’t care.)
(4) Donna (not *Dooyuu) samui toki de mo jogingo o shimasu.
I jog no matter how cold it is.
In (3), either donna or dooyuu may be used because “what kind” is the issue; in (4), however, only donna is correct because dooyuu cannot mean “how” in the sense of “to what degree.”
どう致しまして Not at all, You are welcome
Doo itashimashite, with or without a preceding Iie, serves as a response to someone’s expression of gratitude. In (1) below, therefore, all of speaker B’s answers are correct.
(1) A: Doomo arigatoo gozaimashita.
Thank you very much for what you did for me.
B: (a) Iie.
(b) Doo itashimashite.
(c) Iie, doo itashimashite.
Not at all.
It is safer not to equate Doo itashimashite with English “You are welcome,” because Doo itashimashite may also be used as a response to apologies.
(2) A: Doomo gomeiwaku o okake-shlmashita.
I’m very sorry for causing so much trouble.
B: Doo itashimashite.
Not at all.
In some cases, Doo itashimashite may also be used in response to compliments (Jorden, 1, p. 3), but that particular use is very limited. It is much safer, therefore, to say just Iie, which is always a correct response to compliments. (See also arigatoo gozaimasu and iie.)
どうも Thanks, Sorry
Doomo is most often an abbreviation of Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu (or gozaimashita) “Thank you very much” or Doomo shitsurei-shimashita “I am very sorry for what I have done.” Lately, Doomo seems to have started developing a wider and wider range of meaning, however. Thus it is beginning to function as a salutation in a tremendous number of situations. Some people use it in lieu of other more established greetings such as Konnichi wa “Good day!” and Sayonara “Good-by!” and, according to Maruya (p. 153), even Moshimoshi (a greeting on the phone, meaning “Hello!”). Its usage has become so broad that Maruya suggests (p. 154), though tongue in cheek, that it may someday even acquire the meaning of “I love you”!
どうぞ please
Doozo by itself is most often used when one invites someone to do something, e.g., when a host or a hostess invites a guest to come in, or when one offers someone something such as food, a beverage, or a cigarette. (Offering something to someone is really like inviting that person to have and enjoy the item offered.)
Doozo by itself rarely functions as a request. It may, however, be attached to a request.
(1) Doozo onegai-shimasu.
Please do me this favor.
(2) Doozo okamai naku.
Please don’t bother.
English-speaking students of Japanese often make the error of assuming that doozo makes requests more polite, as does “please” in English. Adding doozo to a request, does not make it any more polite—it just intensifies it. For example, in (1) above, the politeness lies not in the word doozo, but in the verb onegai-shimasu (lit., “I humbly request”), which is the polite-humble form of negau “to request.” In fact, Japanese polite requests are uttered more often without doozo than English polite requests are made without “please.”
絵 picture
E means “picture,” but only in reference to a drawn or painted picture. Unlike English “picture” it cannot refer to a movie or a photograph. A movie is an eiga, and a photograph is a shashin. E may mean “photograph” only in the compound e-hagaki “picture postcard.”
ええyes
Ee is a more conversational version of hai. Use it, however, only as a response to a question.
(1) A: Are wa Ueda-san deshoo ka.
Might that be Mr. Ueda?
B: Ee, soo desu yo.
Yes, it is.
Do not use ee as a response to a knock on the door or the calling of your name. For that purpose, only hai is appropriate.
EIGA 映画 movie
English has many words meaning “motion picture”； Japanese has only one, eiga. Although “movie” means both “motion picture” and “movie theater,” eiga means only “motion picture.” A movie theater is eigakan, “To go to a movie” is eiga e (or ni) iku, but not *eigakan e (or ni) iku. Until the 1930s or so, movies were called katsudoo-shashin (or katsudoo for short), which literally means “motion picture.” It was a very common word until it was gradually replaced by eiga, which is now the only term for “movie.”
ENPITSU 鉛筆 pencil
In English, not only a regular pencil but also a mechanical pencil may be called a pencil. In Japanese, however, enpitsu refers to a regular pencil only. A mechanical pencil is called shaapu-penshiru, or simply shaapu, which is traceable to “Eversharp,” the brand name of the first U.S.-made mechanical pencil.
古い old
Furui meaning “old” is used, as a rule, in reference to inanimate things.
(1) Anna furui uchi wa kawanai hoo ga ii desu yo.
You shouldn’t buy an old house like that.
(2) Kono oobaa mo zuibun furuku natta.
This overcoat has gotten quite old.
With reference to persons, other words such as toshi o totta “old, aged,” toshiyori “old person,” and roojin “old person” have to be used.
(3) Murata-san mo toshi o totta nee.
Hasn’t Mr. Murata grown old!
(4) Asoko ni toshiyori no obaasan ga suwatte-iru deshoo.
Do you see that old lady sitting over there?
(5) Ano roojin-tachi ni seki o yuzuroo.
Let’s give our seats to those old people.
When furui is used with reference to persons, it can carry different meanings.
(6) Kono kaisha de ichiban furui no wa Yamada-san da.
The person with the most seniority in this firm is Mr. Yamada.
(7) Ano hito wa moo furui.
He is passé (or behind the times)
Furui is sometimes shortened to furu and added to other words to form compounds.
(8) furu-hon, furu-gi, furu-shinbun
used books, used clothes, old newspapers
GAIJIN 外人 foreigner
Gaijin, in a broad sense, means “foreigner.” In a narrower sense, however, it refers only to Caucasians, especially those staying in Japan.
Gaikokujin (lit., “foreign-country person”), another word for “foreigner,” on the other hand, is more general and simply means “alien (from any country and of any color).”
GAKKOO 学校 school
In English, “school” not only refers to nursery school through high school, but sometimes may refer to a college, university, or part thereof, as in
(1) Harvard is a famous school.
(2) That university has a law school, a medical school, an engineering school, etc.
Gakkoo, on the other hand, normally refers to schools from the elementary-school level through the high-school level only. Sentence (1) and (2) above, therefore, would be translated into Japanese without the use of gakkoo.
(3) Haabaado wa yuumei na daigaku (not *gakkoo) desu. Harvard is a famous university.
(4) Ano daigaku ni wa hoo-gakubtt, i-gakubu, koo-gabuku (not *hoo-gakkoo, *i-gakkoo, *koo-gakkoo) nado ga arimasu.
That university has a law school, a medical school, an engineering school, etc.
GAKUSEI 学生 student
Students in a formal educational system, i.e., nursery school through college, are called seito or gakusei, depending on the level. Gakusei refers to older students, especially college students. Students of high-school age or younger are usually referred to as seito, although high school students may sometimes be called gakusei also (see seito).
GEKIJOO 劇場 theater
Gekijoo means “theater” in the sense of “building or place where there is regularly a theatrical performance on the stage.” Although some movie theaters may have names such as X-gekijoo, they are not gekijoo in the real sense of the word. Movie theaters are normally referred to as eigakan instead.
Unlike English “theater,” gekijoo can never mean “drama” or “theater arts.” (See also shibai.)
元気 healthy, well, high-spirited
Genki is most often used as the opposite of byooki “sick.”
(1) Nagai aida byooki deshita ga, moo genki ni narimashita.
I was sick for a long time, but I’m fine now.
Genki may also refer to vigor or one’s spirits.
(2) Yamada-san wa okusan o nakushite genki ga nakatta ga, konogoro mata genki ni natte-kita.
Mr. Yamada was in low spirits after he lost his wife, but lately he’s been cheerful (or in better spirits) again.
(See also byooki and ogenki desu ka)
午後 afternoon, P.M.
Gogo means “afternoon,” as in
(1) Ashita no gogo mata kite-kudasai.
Please come again tomorrow afternoon.
Gogo also means “p.m., ” but unlike “p.m.,” which follows the time (i.e., “2 p.m.,” “3 p.m.,” etc.), it precedes the time.
(2) gogo ni-ji
2 p.m.
(See also gozen.)
GOHAN ご飯, 御飯 cooked rice, meal
In a narrow sense, gohan means “cooked rice.”
(1) Gohan o moo ip-pai kudasai.
Please give me one more bowl of rice.
In a broader sense, gohan means “meal.”
