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November 16, 2008
How about a Japanese proverb to finish off your weekend?
This is a good one to keep in mind as you get ready to start another work week---with all its attendant perils:
君子危うきに近寄らず
くんし あやうき に ちかよらず
Kunshi ayauki ni chikayorazu
“The wise man avoids danger.”
Here is another that may have some significance for everyone who has a job!
挨拶より円札
Aisatsu yori ensatsu.
“Yen notes are better than compliments.”
November 13, 2008
Video about the new economic imperative of language-learning
This is not technically about the Japanese language in particular; but it may be of interest to some of you nonetheless.
November 10, 2008
Kanji of the day
雹 （ヒョウ、ひょう）
hail
Usage Example:
雹害 （ひょうがい） hail damage
November 4, 2008
Kanji to impress your friends with
Here is a less commonly known kanji that not every student will know:
詭
（キ）
Usage example:
詭弁（きべん）sophistry; logic-chopping
November 3, 2008
New Video: "This" words in Japanese
November 2, 2008
Brazilians in Japan
Immigration is controversial in Japan as it is in the United States. This article about Japanese-Brazilians caught my attention. Many Brazilians who live around the Toyota City area (near Nagoya) were interviewed for this piece.
As chance would have it, I was in Toyota City myself over the summer. I did indeed overhear a lot of Portuguese in shopping malls and restaurants. Japanese-Portuguese dictionaries were more numerous in local bookstores than Japanese-English ones.
As the article notes, Brazilian immigration to Japan is nothing new. This trend began more than twenty years ago, during Japan’s Bubble Economy of 1987-1990. Faced with chronic labor shortages, the Japanese government began to crack open the doors to immigration from abroad. Brazilians were especially favored because many of them are of Japanese ancestry.
November 2, 2008
And now, a bit of business Japanese….
Some 売 "sell words"
売店
ばいてん
a stand; sales stall
売約
ばいやく
sales contract
売約書
ばいやくしょ
sales note
売約済み
ばいやく ずみ
sold
November 1, 2008
Japanese to Aid Vietnam's Space Development Program
Keywords: 宇宙開発, 借款
Vietnam has apparently decided to jump into the space exploration field. And the Japanese government may help out, by providing the country with a loan.
宇宙開発（うちゅう かいはつ） space development
借款 （しゃっかん） loan
Usage Example:
政府、ベトナムの宇宙開発を支援 円借款、09年度にも検討
政府はベトナムの宇宙開発事業を支援する方針を固めた。今年度末までに官民による事前調査を実施。同国から要請があれば、2009年度にも数百億円規模の円借款の供与を検討する。日本が宇宙開発事業で他国を本格的に支援するのは初めて。日本の宇宙産業の海外市場開拓を支援する。
Source: http://www.nikkei.co.jp/news/keizai/20081101AT3S2500E01112008.html
Additional vocabulary notes:
政府 （せいふ） government
支援する （しえん する） to aid; to assist
事業 （じぎょう） enterprise; undertaking
方針（ほうしん） policy
初めて（はじめて） for the first time
固める （かためる） to firm up
他国 （たこく） other countries
本格的に （ほんかくてき に） in earnest; regularly
今年度末までに （こんねんどまつ まで に） by the end of this year
海外市場開拓 （かいがい しじょう かいたく） pioneering / opening of overseas markets
官民 （かんみん） public and private sector
事前調査 （じぜん ちょうさ） advance inquiry/investigation
実施する （じっし する） to execute/carry out
規模 （きぼ）scale; scope
供与 （きょうよ） grant; furnishing
検討する （けんとう する） to examine; to investigate
同国から要請があれば （どうこく から ようせい が あれば） if there is a request from the same country
October 25, 2008
Word of the Day
MECHAKU-CHA 滅茶苦茶（めちゃくちゃ） incoherence; confusion
めちゃくちゃな議論 incoherent arguments
めちゃくちゃな計画 a preposterous plan
めちゃくちゃな事を言う to talk nonsense
Usage Examples:
めちゃくちゃな意見を表明する to express an incoherent/ridiculous opinion
October 20, 2008
Words of the Day
MIDASU 乱す（みだす） to throw into confusion
Usage Examples:
風儀を乱す to corrupt public morals
国の平和を乱す to disturb the peace of a country
秩序を乱す to disturb order
MIDARERU 乱れる（みだれる） to fall into disorder
Usage Examples:
心が乱れるlose one’s composure
乱れた髪 unkempt hair
頭が乱れる to be distracted
October 19, 2008
Word of the Day
混雑
（こんざつ）
confusion; disorder
Usage Examples
交通の混雑 traffic jam
混雑した confused; disorderly
October 12, 2008
Do Japanese hotels turn away foreign guests?
According to this article, some do. The article reports that some Japanese hotels would prefer not to have foreign guests, citing language problems and the like. The article reports that the most resistance to foreign guests can be found at small inns and traditional ryokan.
I don’t doubt that there are in fact Japanese business proprietors who would prefer not to deal with gaijin. Nevertheless, I can honestly say that I have never encountered such attitudes from hoteliers or restaurant owners during my own travels in Japan.
Japanese hoteliers and the like have an economic incentive to welcome foreigners, and the vast majority of them do. While the Japanese economy is primarily based on the export of durable goods like automobiles, tourism also brings in billions of dollars. Each year, nearly a million international tourists visit Japan, and they all spend money there.
Moreover, we need to consider the source of the Guardian’s article. The journalist extensively quotes Debito Arudou. Arudou---whose birth name is Dave Aldwinckle---is a native New Yorker. Since moving to Japan in 1986 and acquiring Japanese citizenship, Arudou has established himself as an activist on the subject of Japanese racism/xenophobia.
He began his activist career after the owner of an onsen in Hokkaido began barring Russian sailors from its facilities. (The drunken, rowdy, sailors had been scaring off other patrons.) The owner of the onsen foolishly applied the ban not only to Russian sailors----but to anyone who had a non-Japanese appearance. Arudou was therefore barred from the onsen, and an activist’s career was born.
I think Arudou raises some worthwhile issues about Japanese society. But his quest to root out Japanese racism occasionally seems obsessive. Arudou’s personal website is more or less dedicated to a single topic: telling you how racist the Japanese are. (If he finds Japan so oppressive, why doesn’t he just move back to New York?)
Japan is not the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural melting pot that the United States is. (And Japan is certainly homogenous when compared to Arudou’s native New York.) But Japan is not Saudi Arabia or Apartheid-era South Africa, either. The vast majority of foreign visitors find Japan to be a welcoming country that enjoys interacting with foreigners.
This doesn’t mean that there are no Japanese Archie Bunkers. Every country has its share of xenophobes and racists, and Japan is no exception in this regard. But these folks are the exception, not the rule.
October 06, 2008
Word of the Day
ばらばら
scattered; in pieces
Usage Examples
ばらばらになる to be scattered
再度、米国金融市場はばらばらに動き始めており、近々にどちらかに大きく動く前兆と言えます。 前回は殆どすべての【金融商品】は下落となりましたが、今回は果たしてどうなるでしょうか？
Source: blog.livedoor.jp/nevada_report/archives/356712.html
Supplemental vocabulary
再度 （さいど）twice; again
米国金融市場 （べいこく きんゆう しじょう） the U.S. financial market
動き始める （うごきはじめる） start to move
近々に （ きんきん に）shortly; in the near future
前兆 （ぜんちょう）omen; premonition
殆ど （ほとんど） almost; nearly all
金融商品 （きんゆう しょうひん）financial product
下落 （げらく）decline; drop
今回 （こんかい）this time
果たして （はたして） as was expected; sure enough
September 28, 2008
軽率な
けいそつ な
rash; precipitous
Usage Example:
さらに「親の勝手な判断で子どもの将来を決めようとし、子どもの力を最後まで信じてやれなかった愚かな母親の軽率な行為だった。
Source: http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20080904k0000e040049000c.html
軽率な発言 a rash proposal
Supplementary Vocabulary
発言 （はつげん） utterance; speech; proposal
勝手な判断 （かって な はんだん） an arbitrary judgment
将来 （しょうらい） future
愚かな （おろか な） stupid; silly
子どもの力 （こども の ちから） children’s power/abilities
最後まで （さいご まで） to the end
信じる （しんじる） to believe
September 21, 2008
Word of the Day
あげる
あげる is a verb of that means to give.
In Japanese, however, verbs of giving and receiving are highly dependent upon the status of those involved.
あげる is used when the receiver is higher in status than the speaker.
For example:
私は先生にリンゴをあげました。
I gave the teacher an apple.
私は陽子さんに花をあげました。
I gave Yoko a flower.
AGERU can also be used when describing general giving and receiving situations in the third person:
ジョンさんは陽子さんに花をあげました。 John gave Yoko a flower.
In the above sentence, there may be some ambiguity regarding who is of a higher status: John or Yoko.
In this situation, you can use あげる nonetheless. (You may, however, want to inquire why John is giving Yoko flowers when you had been the one giving her flowers.)
But when the receiver is the speaker, or someone who the speaker closely identifies with, the use of あげる is ungrammatical:
先生は私にリンゴをあげました。X (ungrammatical)
The teacher gave me an apple.
陽子さんは母にリンゴをあげました。X (ungrammatical)
Yoko gave my mother an apple.
You can fix either of the above sentences by substituting あげる with くれる:
先生は私にリンゴをくれました。
陽子さんは母にリンゴをくれました。
(In the sentence involving a teacher, many Japanese speakers would use the more polite くださる.)
September 20, 2008
Word of the Day
勇気
（ゆうき）
courage
Usage Examples:
勇気が挫ける one’s spirit is broken
勇気を与える to inspire courage
勇気を出す to take courage
肉体的勇気 physical courage
道徳的勇気 moral courage
勇気を失う to lose courage
勇気のある courageous
This quote is taken from the online description of the bookアドラーに学ぶ 生きる勇気とは何か. Note the dependent clause here:
生きる勇気 the courage to live
人はどのように生きる勇気を失うのか、失われた勇気をどのように回復することができるのか？
Source: http://www.7andy.jp/books/detail/-/accd/32119681
September 14, 2008
Word of the Day
狡猾な
（こうかつ な）
cunning; crafty
Usage Examples:
狡猾な手段 a shrewd trick
狡猾な戦略 sly strategy
狡猾な性質 a cunning disposition
狡猾な狐 a crafty fox
September 10, 2008
Word of the Day
度胸
（どきょう）
nerve; courage
Usage Examples:
度胸を試す to test one’s courage
度胸のある courageous
度胸のない timid; fearful
August 31, 2008
Word of the Day:
無駄
（むだ）
waste
Usage Examples:
無駄足 （むだあし） a fool’s errand; a pointless trip
無駄話 （むだばなし）idle chatter
無駄骨を折る （むだぼね を おる）to make vain efforts
無駄書き （むだがき）idle scribbling
無駄死に （むだじに）a pointless death
無駄遣い （むだづかい）waste
August 27, 2008
From Japanese Culture from A to Z: Business, History, Politics, Sex, and More
This video includes a brief introduction to kaizen…
August 23, 2008
The gaijin debate in Japanese
Every now and then, I still hear Americans state that they could never really master Japanese because it is just “too difficult.”
Poppycock. Videos like this prove that non-Japanese---including Westerners---can successfully master Japanese.
Watch this video for inspiration as well as language study. The foreigners in this video all handle the Japanese language competently. The Australian woman is kind of annoying---but I suspect that she would be annoying in English as well.
The key word from this video is:
帰化（きか）naturalization
August 20, 2008
Word of the Day
下品な
（げひん な）
coarse; vulgar; low
下品な行動 vulgar conduct
下品な話 coarse language
下品な印象を与える to make a coarse impression
下品なテレビ番組 a low-brow television program
August 17, 2008
Word of the Day
潜在
（せんざい）
potentiality; dormancy
Usage examples:
潜在自我 the subliminal self
潜在需要 latent demand
潜在能力 potential capabilities
潜在購買力 latent purchasing ability
August 13, 2008
Word of the Day
未利用の
（みりよう の）
unused
Usage examples:
未利用資源 unused resources
未利用地 （みりようち） vacant land
August 09, 2008
Word of the Day
剽悍な
（ひょうかん な）
intrepid; daring; fierce
Usage examples:
剽悍な戦いぶり a fierce way of fighting
剽悍な少女 an intrepid girl
剽悍な語り口 an intrepid way of talking
剽悍な顔つき a bold expression
剽悍な風体 a bold posture
August 04, 2008
Watch your language
From my YouTube channel: My take on learning and using profanity in a foreign language. This one could obviously apply to any language; but I believe it is especially relevant for Japanese.
August 02, 2008
Word of the Day
命
（いのち）
life
This is a basic word, but it has a number of idiomatic uses that you may not be a aware of.
Usage examples:
命拾いする （いのちびろい する） to have a narrow escape (from death)
命懸けの （いのちがけ の） of life and death; perilous to one’s life
命乞いをする （いのちごい を する） to beg for one’s life
命からがら with bare life
命取りの （いのちとり の） fatal; mortal
命綱 （いのちづな） a lifeline
Japan's Longest Day
If you are interested in Japanese history as well as the Japanese language, you might check out the documentary Japan’s Longest Day. The movie explores the closing days of World War II from the Japanese point of view. For those of you who are still working on your listening skills, the movie also has subtitles.
I was able to find this documentary at my local public library. My guess is that you will be able to as well.
July 27, 2008
The Japanese language and wartime
I have written before about Jack Seward, Occupation-era Army veteran and author of numerous books about Japan and the Japanese language. Seward was one of the relatively small number of Americans whom the U.S. government trained in the Japanese language during World War II.
Here is an article about Bryan M. Battey, who graduated from high school in 1942, and shortly thereafter attended the U.S. Navy school of foreign languages. Like Seward, Battey’s wartime training in the Japanese language evolved into a lifelong fascination with Japanese culture.
The article notes that Battey had strong motivation to keep his grades high while in the Navy languages school:
"We were tested regularly," he [Battey] wrote in a private memoir. "Motivation was high. Failure meant Okinawa, or Iwo Jima."
July 23, 2008
The Japanese government gets serious about promoting Japanese abroad
I think this report is evidence that Japan has gotten past the whole "hen na gaijin" concept. (For those of you who are aren't aware, 変な外人 is a somewhat pejorative way of referring to a gaijin who is truly comfortable speaking Japanese.) During my last trip to Japan, I found that the Japanese now expect visitors to speak Japanese while visiting their country---and this goes for Americans as well.
The Japanese government has stepped up its efforts to promote Japanese studies abroad as well, as this article from the Yomiuri Online describes.
This effort may be partly a response to China, by the way. China has also launch some high-profile programs of late to promote the study of Mandarin abroad.
July 20, 2008
A bit about Japanese dialects....
I've been YouTubing again. Here is a response to a reader question about handling Japanese dialects like Kansai-ben, etc.
In the video, I mention my recent experience with Mikawa-ben in the Nagoya area.
July 17, 2008
A reader question about future book plans
Dear Ed:
I noticed that you haven’t written a kanji book yet. Do you have any plans to write one?
Aimee Weiss
Honolulu, Hawaii
Dear Aimee:
A kanji book has been a frequent topic during my regular brainstorming sessions.
I make it a rule to only produce books that I think add a unique angle to Japanese language studies. Right now, basic student needs in the kanji realm have been answered by some good publications. First there is the timeless Kanji & Kana by Wolfgang Hadamitzky & Mark Spahn. (This text should be in the library of every Japanese language student.)
For kanji flashcards, both Tuttle and White Rabbit Press have brought some excellent products to the market.
I don’t want to create something that merely duplicates these efforts.
If I do produce a kanji book in the future (and I would bet that I will at some point) it will hopefully answer some need that these other products don’t answer.
As a small publisher, you have to shoot for the niches.
July 13, 2008
Word of the Day
価値なし
（かち なし）
without value
This word appeared in a recent news headline, as North Korea rejected a proposal from the president of South Korea as worthless:
北朝鮮、韓国大統領提案を「価値なし」と拒否
Supplementary vocabulary:
北朝鮮（きた ちょうせん） North Korea
韓国 （かんこく） South Korea
大統領 （だいとうりょう） president
提案 （ていあん） proposal
拒否する （きょひ する）to reject; to turn down
