Fusanosuke

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Japanese.

Archive for the ‘Words’ Category

中央駅 – chuuoueki

Written by admin on Jan 29th, 2011 | Filed under: Words

中央駅 -- ちゅうおうえき -- Hauptbahnhof.

I came across this word from the German counterpart Hauptbahhof. And funny enough, Japanese wiki refers to Haupbahnhof as
中央駅(ちゅうおうえき)とはドイツ語のHauptbahnhofの訳語で [...] for instance,
ベルリン中央駅 - Berlin Hauptbahnhof,
ハンブルグ中央駅 - Hamburg Hauptbahnhof,
ミュンヘン中央駅 - München Hauptbahhof.

But from my understanding, it can also mean Central Station in the English speaking places, a noteworthy British station - グラスゴー中央駅 - Glasgow Central.


付き合い – tsukiaui

Written by admin on Jan 21st, 2011 | Filed under: Words, book

The quote from Karel Chapek's (カレル・チャペック) R.U.R. (1921) Japanese title 「ロボット」 - a science fiction play that introduced the word 'robot':

もし犬がしゃべれたら人間同士と同じくらい付き合いにくくなるだろう。
If dogs could talk perhaps we'd find it just as hard to get along with them as we do with people.

What I find to a very useful word here is:
付き合い --つきあい -- association; socializing; socialising; fellowship
which makes then
付き合いにくくなる -- becomes difficult to get along with

And one more word to remember
人間同士 --にんげんどうし-- mankind


通る – tooru

Written by admin on Jan 20th, 2011 | Filed under: Words

通る --とおる-- to pass (by); to go through; to walk along; to pass exams; to attend (e.g. school);
Several general examples:
1回で試験に通る --pass the test the first time
_個の段階を通る -- pass through __ stages
_歳で立派に通る --can easily pass for __

And more tricky:
そっと通る -- sneak through
のどを通る -- go down〈話〉(食べ物などが), slide down one's throat, to swallow

And very closely related word, using the same kanji:
通り --とおり-- avenue; street; way;


老人と海 – roujin to umi

Written by admin on Jan 19th, 2011 | Filed under: Words, book

A world famous book - 老人と海 --The Old Man and the Sea (1952) by アーネスト・ヘミングウェイ(Ernest Hemingway)

And couple of easy words that are made of 老人 to remember:
老人 -- ろうじん -- the aged; old person;
老人たち -- old folks
老人ホーム -- a senior residence


食べにくくなる – tabe ni kuku naru

Written by admin on Jan 18th, 2011 | Filed under: Words

Saw the sentence in the random google search for something else and it caught my attention.
昨日の夜から 食べもの飲み物が のどを通るときに痛みがはしり とても食べにくくなりました。
Yesterday evening swallowing food and drink became painful and eating became difficult.

The translation is not that fancy, but the Japanese structures are rather very handy and good to know:

のどを通る - go down〈話〉(食べ物などが), slide down one's throat
Basically, 食べもの飲み物が のどを通る - swallow food and drinks
通る --とおる-- to go through

痛みが走る - feel the pain
Where as , 痛み --いたみ-- pain
走る -- はしる -- to run; and lots of other 'movement' meanings.

And finally, the real gem: 食べにくくなる - make eating difficult, eating becomes difficult.
Verbにくくなる expressing the increase of difficulty in doing something. Additional examples will be
見えにくくなる -become difficult to see
動きにくくなる - become difficult to move


遊びに来る-asobi ni kiru

Written by admin on Jan 17th, 2011 | Filed under: Words

遊ぶ is usually marked in the dictionaries as "play". "enjoy oneself". But in the connection with 来る such as 遊びに来る it means "visit", "drop by".

遊びに来たらどう? -- Why don't you just stop by?
いつか遊びに来てください。 -- please, come and visit any time.
たまには遊びに来てよ。 -- Stop by every now and then.
来週私たちのビーチハウスに遊びに来ない? -- Why don't you come visit our beach house next weekend?
私のサイトに遊びに来てね! -- Please visit my website!
(人)のところへ遊びに来る -- come to see
(人)の新居に遊びに来る -- come see someone's new place
遊びに来てもいいですか。 -- just drop by, ok?


夕方 – yuugata

Written by admin on Jan 16th, 2011 | Filed under: Japan: TV, Japan: people, Words

夕方 -- ゆうがた -- early evening; dusk

Here is something to remember the word: 夕がた屋テ!

wiki says:

夕がた屋テ!(ゆうがたやた)は岐阜放送(ぎふチャン)で2008年3月まで放送していた夕方ワイド番組である

Yuugata yate is an evening program on the Gifuchan (Gifu Broadcasting) since 2008.
番組 --ばんぐみ-- TV program
放送 --ほうそう -- broadcasting

And it is on the air
月~水曜日 ごご5時15分~6時30分
木/金曜日 ごご5時15分~6時10分


平日 – heijitsu, 週末 – shuumatsu

Written by admin on Jan 15th, 2011 | Filed under: Words

平日--へいじつ-- weekday
週末 --しゅうまつ-- weekend

A 'weekend' is pretty obvious: kanji for 'week' and 'end', while a 'weekday' is open for more interesting interpretations

平 --ひら; ヒラ-- 1. something broad and flat; 2. common; ordinary;
Thus, a 'weekday' becomes 'an ordinary day' or if you prefer 'a flat day'.