Posts from April 2010

Describing People

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Apr 29 2010

You can describe people with this formula : name + は + body part + が + adjective.

Here’s an example :

井上さんは耳が小さいです =  Inoue has small ears

(いおうえ/井上 = Inoue. さん = polite suffix. は = particle. みみ/耳 = ear. が = particle. ちいさい/小さい = small. です = is)

Now look at this sentence :

うさぎの耳は長いです = A rabbit has long ears

(うさぎ = rabbit. の = possessive particle. みみ/耳 = ear. は = particle. ながい/長い = long. です = is.)

The second sentence doesn’t follow the formula that I introduced in the beginning of the post.

Technically, you can describe people and things like the second sentence, but it’s much more natural for Japanese people to describe people using the formula of the first sentence than the second sentence.

Now take a look at this sentence :

鈴木先生は背が高いです = Mr. Suzuki is tall

(すずき/鈴木 = Suzuki. せんせい/先生 = (teacher) polite suffix. は = particle. せ/背 = height. が = particle. たかい/高い = tall/high. です = is.)

The adjective たかい can mean “high”, “tall”, or “expensive”. In the example used above, you can rule out the meaning “expensive” because the context tells us that height is invovled.

With the sentence below, it’s especially important not to translate the meaning literally :

中村さんは頭がわるいです = Mr. Nakamura is stupid

(なかむら/中村 = Nakamura. さん = polite suffix. は = particle. あたま/頭 = head. が = particle. わるい = bad/inferior. です = is)

If you were to translate this literally, it would mean, “Mr. Nakamura’s head is bad”. Sor far, we described people physically, but this time, the sentence is describing Nakamura’s intelligence, rather than the physical description of his head.

The View of Women in Japan

Posted by Ginny 4 Comments
Apr 26 2010

A woman by the name of Rina Bovrisse is causing some controversy in the fashion industry. A quick Google search of Japan + Prada shows just how “ugly” some of the accusations are. Bovrisse, a senior retail manager for Prada Japan, claims that she was told by the Prada Japan CEO to fire individuals who were “old, fat, ugly, [and] disgusting”. Bovrisse herself was told to “lose weight”. It’s not looking good for Prada Japan. You see, two more individuals stepped forward to file the same suit against Prada Japan.

An even more shocking claim in the Daily Finance is being made that, Hiroyuki Takahashi, the senior human resources manager for Prada Japan, was overheard saying that “Females over 30 without husbands and children are disgusting”. Although this issue focuses on whether there was any discrimination towards women in the workplace, I wonder if this issue is more societal in nature. There’s an old Japanese proverb called 良妻賢母 (ryōsai kenbo). The proverb means, “good wife, wise mother”.

The proverb is supposed to represent the ideal woman, one who is a wife and mother. To me, the proverb itself isn’t that offensive, but what about the common Japanese expression about “Christmas cake”? For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, have you ever heard the saying, “Japanese women are like Christmas cake, they’re hard to dispose of after the 25th”. The 25th alludes to Christmas day and how cakes are hard to sell after Christmas, and to tie it in, it’s also saying that women who are 25 or older are less appealing as prospective marriage partners.

Even women like 倖田 來未 (Kōda Kumi), a famous pop star with a successful career and adoring fans, was criticized for her comment that “When women turn 35, their amniotic fluid goes rotten, so I’d like to have a child by 35″. Who knows, maybe the singer was trying to make a comment that it’s harder to have a child at age 35, by saying the “rotten” comment. Either way, the public wasn’t amused and she was forced to apologize for her statement. The question is, how normal is this view of women in Japan? Go ahead, I’d love to hear your views in the comments section.

Interrogative + も

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Apr 23 2010

The use of an interrogative + も is interesting in that it has different meanings based on whether it’s used in affirmative sentences or negative sentences :

いつ (when) + も = always, all the time

(1) 真弓の母はいつも忙しい = Mayumi’s mother is always busy

(まゆみ/真弓 = Mayumi. の = possessive particle. はは/母 = mother. は = particle. いつも = always. いそがしい/忙しい = busy)

But いつ (when) + も can also mean “never”

(2) 私は日曜日にいつも家にいない = I’m never home on Sundays

(わたし/私 = I. は= particle. にちようび/日曜日 = Sunday. にいつも = never. いえ/家 = house. に = particle. いない = not here)

どこ (where) + も can mean everywhere

どこも同じですか = Is it the same everywhere?

(どこも = everywhere. おなじ/同じ = same. です = is. か = question particle)

どこ (where) + も can mean nowhere

どこも行くところがありません = I have nowhere to go

(どこも = nowhere. いく/行く = to go. ところ = place. が = particle. ありません = have)

However, the word for “everyone” in the affirmative is not だれも, it’s actually みんな or みなさん. When used in negative sentences, “no one” will be だれも, which is a combination of だれ (who) and も. When you want to be polite, you can use どなたも instead of だれも.

As a general rule, an interrogative + も will mean things like, “everyone”, “always”, “everywhere” in affirmative sentences, but an interrogative + も in negative sentences will mean, “no one”, “never”, “nowhere”.

Interrogative + か・でも

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Apr 20 2010

The use of the interrogative なに (what) + か can mean “something” or “anything” :

何か飲みませんか = Would you like to drink anything/something?

(なにか/何か = anything/something. のみませんす/飲みませんます = would you like to drink. か = question marking particle)

だれ (who) + か can mean “someone” :

誰かをお待ちですか = Are you waiting for someone?

(だれか/誰か = someone. を = particle. お = honorific prefix. まちです/待ちです = wait. か = question marking particle)

なぜ (why, how) + か can mean “somehow” or “for some reason” :

なぜか町田さんがすきじゃありません = For some reason I don’t like Mr. Machida

(なぜか = somehow. まちだ/町田 = Machida. さん = Mr. が = ga particle. すきじゃありません = don’t like)

いつ (when) + でも = anytime, whenever

いつでもいいですよ = Whenever/anytime is good/ok

(いつでも = whenever. いい = good. です = is. よ = emphatic particle.)

なん (what) + でも = anything/everything/whatever

何でも食べますよ = I will eat everything

(なんでも/何でも = everything. たべます/食べます = will eat. よ = emphatic particle)

The general rule is : an interrogative + か will mean something, someone, sometime etc. but an interrogative + でも will mean anything/everything/whatever/anyone/whoever/anytime/whenever, depending on the interrogative word.

Japanese Festivals in April

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Apr 17 2010

The highlight of the かなまら Festival is held in かながわ Prefecture, and is a parade where participants offer prayers to cure infertility and ensure safe child birth for the mother and child. More than ever, this festival has grown in social significance. Japan is facing a future of low birth rates and an increasing aging population. Locals say it dates back to the Edo Period, when prostitutes offered prayers to prevent STDs. Check this video out :

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The おんばしら Festival takes place in ながの and occurs every seven years. Giant fir tree logs are dragged into town and paraded around for all to see. Then the local men ride the giant logs down a steep slope. In the past, several people have died from riding the logs. Due to lawsuit concerns, only locals are premitted to participate.

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The やすらい Festival in きょうと involves four men dressed as demons. This festival dates back to a devasting plague in ninth century Japan. The demons are thought to have brought the plague, and this festival is a reenactment of the destruciton of the plague. The men who are not dressed as demons carry a processional canopy. The locals believe that the canopy will protect anyone who stands under it from any illness.

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The ながしびな Festival in とっとり Prefecture celebrates the coming of the spring season. Small dolls are placed in wooden or paper boats. The tiny boats flow across the stream. They symbolize the melting snows that are carried downstream.

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