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January 30, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Which of the following words is most closely related to 上回る?
- 苦悶する
- 貯蓄する
- 挑発する
- 超過する
Answer: (D) The keyword 上回る（うわまわる）= exceed; transcend
The translations of the answer choices are given below. Choice D is the best answer.
- 苦悶する （くもん する） to be in anguish
- 貯蓄する （ちょちく する） to save up
- 挑発する （ちょうはつ する） to provoke; to excite
- 超過する （ちょうか する） to exceed; to be in excess
January 28, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Which of the words below is most logically connected with 忠勤?
- 仕事
- 休暇
- 政治
- 幽霊
Answer: (A): We'll begin by defining the keyword: 忠勤（ちゅうきん） = dedication to one’s employer; loyal service
For example: 忠勤を励む （ちゅうきん を はげむ） = to be devoted in the execution of one’s duty
The translations of the answer choices are given below, with A being the one that has the most obvious connection.
- 仕事 （しごと） work
- 休暇 （きゅうか） vacation; holiday
- 政治 （せいじ） politics
- 幽霊 （ゆうれい） ghost
January 19, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
忌憚ない is a synonym for:
- 気難しい
- ざっくばらん な
- 俗っぽい
- 低廉な
Answer: (B) Translations of the answer choices are given below:
- 気難しい （きむずかしい） touchy; difficult (of a person)
- ざっくばらん な frank; candid
- 俗っぽい （ぞくっぽい） worldly; vulgar
- 低廉な （ていれん な） cheap; moderately price
Related expressions:
忌憚ない意見 （きたん ない いけん） a candid opinion
率直に言えば （そっちょく に いえば） frankly speaking
ざっくばらんな話し合い （ざっくばらん な はなしあい）a frank discussion
January 18, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Which of the words below is a close synonym for 扇動?
- 死別
- 慰め
- 教唆
- 処罰
Answer: (C) First of all, 扇動（せんどう）= incitement
Usage examples:
扇動的（せんどうてき）inflammatory; seditious
扇動する（せんどう する） to egg on; to instigate
扇動者 （せんどうしゃ） instigator
Now for the answer choices:
- 死別 （しべつ）bereavement
- 慰め （なぐさめ） consolation
- 教唆（きょうさ）incitement
- 処罰 （しょばつ）punishment
(教唆 is the best answer.)
Note: Generally speaking, 扇動 implies instigation on a mass scale, whereas教唆 implies instigation of one or a few individuals. Therefore, 扇動 would more often be applied to the activities of a foaming revolutionary, whereas 教唆 would be used to describe the inciting or abetting of an individual crime.
January 12, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Which of the following expressions concern feelings of anger or enmity? (There can be more than one correct answer.)
- 目の色を変えて怒る
- 目を白黒させる
- 目が高い
- 目の敵にする
* * *
Answer (A and D): Each of the answer choices is some idiom involving the eyes. Both and A and D involve anger/enmity:
A. 目の色を変えて怒る （め の いろ を かえて おこる） to become furious
B. 目を白黒させる （め を しろくろ させる） to look bewildered
C. 目が高い （め が たかい） to have a discerning eye
D. 目の敵にする （め の かたき に する） to regard as an enemy
Let’s look at A and D in a bit more detail:
目の色を変えて怒る literally means “to change the colors of one’s eyes with anger.” This forms a vivid image of fury.
目の敵にする is “to make (a person) the enemy of one’s eye
The two incorrect answers, B, and C, are also interesting:
目を白黒させる is literally “to make the eyes turn white and black.” A person whose eyes are turning alternately white and black would certainly appear surprised and bewildered.
目が高い is “to have high eyes.” It isn’t a large conceptual leap from “high eyes” to a keen sense of discernment.
December 29, 2009
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
太鼓腹 is most closely related to which of the following words?
- 頭脳
- 体力
- 青年期
- 肥満した
Answer D. 太鼓腹（たいこばら）literally means "big drum belly.” Figuratively, it means “paunch, pot belly”.
But this fact alone doesn’t provide the answer. You also have to know the meaning of the answer choices:
A. 頭脳 （ずのう） brains
B. 体力 （たいりょく） physical strength
C. 青年期 （せいねんき） adolescence
D. 肥満した （ひまんした） fat; plump
December 17, 2009
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Pick the best synonym for 狐日和
- 二日酔い
- 親バカ
- 変わりやすい天気
- 勘違い
Answer: (C) You may be unfamiliar with the term狐日和; so let’s begin with it:
狐日和 is a combination of two words: 狐（きつね）fox + 日和（ひより） weather conditions.
In most cultures, the fox has a reputation for being sly and unpredictable. So what kind of weather would be associated with a fox? Calm and clear weather? Of course not. Obviously, unpredictable weather would be “fox weather.” Therefore:
狐日和 （きつね ひより） = fickle/unpredictable weather
Now we’ll look at the answer choices:
- 二日酔い （ふつかよい） hangover
- 親バカ （おやばか） parental doting; parental overindulgence
- 変わりやすい天気 （かわりやすい てんき） changeable weather
- 勘違い （かんちがい） misunderstanding
Choice C is the only one that has any connection to weather, and it a near synonym for狐日和; so clearly it is the correct answer.
December 16, 2009
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
The expression 身から出た錆 refers to:
- a strange medical condition
- a moment of inspiration
- long overdue acknowledgement from others
- just desserts
Answer: D. The expression身から出た錆 （み から でた さび）literally means “rust from the blade of a sword.” (“Blade” is one of the less common meanings of 身.)
Imagine a rusty sword pulled from a scabbard. The blade will shed rust when it is removed. A rusty sword is undesirable, of course; and 身から出た錆 refers to misfortune that results from one’s own misdeeds. This is a problem that a person has created for himself.
Let’s look at a usage example from the Japanese press. Below is the caption below a photograph of Tiger Woods on the website Sanspo.com. This was published in the wake of the famous golfer’s revelations of marital infidelity in December 2009. The author of the caption feels that although Tiger’s problems are of his own doing, he has paid a very high price (loss of sponsorships, etc.)
有力スポンサーから“クビ”を宣告されたタイガー・ウッズ。身から出たサビとはいえ、支払う代償はあまりに大きい
Tiger Woods, who has been pronounced “fired” by powerful sponsors. Although these are problems of his own creation, he has paid a high price.
Notes: 有力な（ゆうりょく な）powerful; influential / 宣告する（せんこく する） to sentence; to pronounce /代償（だいしょう）reparation; compensation; indemnity /支払う（しはらう）to pay / 錆（さび）rust
December 13, 2009
Online sample pages of Tigers, Devils, and Fools....
Click here or click the book below to see the online sample pages.....
Because every life can be brightened with Japanese proverbs.....
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Read the following headline from the Daily Yomiuri:
訪朝の米政府特別代表「協議は非常に有益」
Which of the following statements is true based on the information contained in the headline?
- A U.S. special envoy visited North Korea
- A U.S. special envoy visited China
- The U.S. president visited China.
- A U.S. special envoy visited South Korea.
Answer: A. The keyword for this question is 訪朝の（ほうちょう の）. This is a contraction of the following two words:
訪問 （ほうもん） visit + 北朝鮮（きた ちょうせん） North Korea = 訪朝 = “visiting North Korea”. The addition of the particle の turns it into an adjective that can modify a noun.
Below are some similar contractions that you are likely to see in newspapers:
訪中の （ほうちゅう の） visiting China
訪韓の （ほうかん の） visiting South Korea
訪日の （ほうにち の） visiting Japan
訪米の （ほうべい の） visiting the United States
December 10, 2009
From Falling in Love with Carp: Tips, Tricks, and Tongue Twisters for Remembering Japanese Words
BENKYOU / BENRI / BENTOU
勉強・便利・弁当
It is convenient to study while eating a boxed lunch.
- 便利な （べんり な） convenient
- 勉強 （べんきょう する） study
- 弁当 （べんとう）boxed lunch
December 08, 2009
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Pick the best translation for 政教分離:
- separation of church and state
- religious mysticism
- religious persecution
- state-sponsored religion
Answer: A.: 政教分離 is not a very high-frequency word in daily conversation; but you will encounter in discussions about history and politics. In order to understand it, you have to understand the components.
政 = government / 政府（せいふ）
教 = religion /宗教（しゅうきょう）
分離 = separation; division
Therefore: 政教分離（せいきょう ぶんり） = separation of church and state
December 07, 2009
KANJI OF THE DAY
鯨
ゲイ・くじら
whale
Usage examples:
鯨 （くじら） whale
鯨肉 （げいにく） whale meat
捕鯨 （ほげい） whaling; whale hunting
December 06, 2009
JAPANESE PROVERB OF THE DAY
垢で死んだ者は無い
あかでしんだものはない
“No one has ever died from dirt.”
Every culture shows disdain for those with poor personal hygiene habits, and Japanese culture is no exception in this regard. However, some people don’t like bathing; and the above proverb is often cited by such individuals as an excuse for their ways. Aka de shinda mono wa nai is also used in sarcasm when referring to people who need to pay more attention to personal cleanliness.
---From the book Tigers, Devils, and Fools: A Guide to Japanese Proverbs
December 01, 2009
JAPANESE PROVERB OF THE DAY
暑さ寒さも彼岸まで
あつささむさもひがんまで
“Both heat and cold last only until the equinox.”
Higan is the Japanese word for the two equinoctial weeks. There is an equinox in the autumn and another in the spring. When the autumn equinox arrives, the hottest weather of the year is already past, and temperatures become increasingly mild. Likewise, the vernal equinox marks the point where the coldest weather of the year has come and gone, and warmer temperatures are on the way.
Notes: 残暑zansho = lingering summer heat / 余寒yokan = lingering winter cold.
---From the book Tigers, Devils, and Fools: A Guide to Japanese Proverbs
November 27, 2009
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Which of the following terms is close in meaning to 人気?
- 人間
- 人工衛星
- 人材
- 人望
Answer: 人気（にんき） = popularity. That’s easy enough. But what about the answer choices? You can’t solve the question until you know these. Let’s begin by looking at the definitions of the incorrect choices:
人間 （にんげん） human being
人工衛星 （じんこう えいせい） artificial satellite
人材 （じんざい） person of talent
The correct answer, 人望 （じんぼう） translates as popularity, and is used much like人気:
人望のある popular
人望のない unpopular
人望を得る （じんぼう を える） to win popularity
人望を失う （じんぼう を うしなう） to lose one’s popularity
November 19, 2009
Word of the day: "How elegant!"
端麗な（たんれい な）graceful; elegant
Usage Example:
容姿（ようし）端麗である to have a beautiful figure
November 18, 2009
Do you know this kanji?
鰯
This is the kanji for いわし, or sardine.
November 18, 2009
Word of the day: love and tenderness
愛しい （いとしい）dear; beloved
愛しく思う to think tenderly of
愛しい子 a darling child
November 10, 2009
Watch what you eat: 食中毒
食中毒 （しょく ちゅうどく） food poisoning
Hopefully your sushi will always be fresh and you will not have to worry about food poison while visiting Japan. But it’s good to know the word just in case.
Note the same kanji（食） used in 食べる（たべる）= to eat, as well as the following words:
食事 （しょくじ）meal; diet
食料 （しょくりょう）food
食卓 （しょくたく）dining table
食欲 （しょくよく）appetite
