Departments
Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
DŌMO
どうも
very; really; indeed
Dōmo is often used to emphasize words like arigatō / 有難う (thank you) and sumimasen / すみません (I am sorry). When the context of the situation makes it clear whether the speaker wishes to express gratitude or remorse, dōmo can be used by itself as an abbreviation of dōmo arigatō (“thank you very much”) or dōmo sumimasen (“I’m very sorry”). However, using dōmo as a contraction in this manner is not as polite as saying the extended phrase.
DORUBAKO
ドル箱
“dollar box”
The old term kanebako 金箱 (“money box”) meant a source of profit, or even a financial patron. During the export boom of the postwar era, kanebako evolved into the term dorubako, since most Japanese companies were now chasing export dollars.
In business discussions, dorubako is often used where the term “cash cow” might be used in English. If a company produces a product that becomes the leader in the market, then the new product will be referred to as the company’s dorubako.
DOSA-KUSA
どさくさ
confusion
During the reign of the Tokugawa shoguns, Sado Island was used as a prison colony by authorities. Prisoners on Sado Island were forced to perform backbreaking labor.
A person might end up on the island if he was nabbed in a raid on a gambling den or a criminal hideout. The authorities preferred to take criminals by surprise, and these police raids were chaotic and perhaps traumatic for those involved.
Dosa-kusa is a play on the inverted pronunciation of Sado Island (dosa) and the Japanese verb kuu / 食う, which means “to eat.” Today dosa-kusa refers to any generally chaotic situation that a person can take advantage of for personal gain or strategic maneuvering.