Hungry for Words: Mostly Japanese

Ganbatte! vs. Good Luck! vs...

Let's say your friend tells you they are about to take a driving test, go up to talk to a cute girl/boy at a bar, go to hospital for an operation, or climb up a cliff face. What do you say to them?

In English, most people automatically say "Good luck!"

In French you probably say "Bonne chance!" which means the same thing; in German it's "Viel Glück" (same again), or "Mach's Gut!" (make good!)

In Japanese the standard no-thinking-about-it phrase is 頑張って！　がんばって！　ganbatte! (or gambatte!) (alternatives: 頑張れ！　頑張れよ！頑張ってね！　頑張って下さい！）

In the west (at least in the languages I'm familiar with) you wish the person to have luck, which is a something that is bestowed upon them by the random forces of the cosmos. I have a feeling, though I may be off on this, that wishing someone luck evolved from the religious equivalents "May God be with you!" "My prayers are with you!"

Of course there are ways to say Good Luck in Japanese, but when you wish someone luck you are consciously choosing to say so. For instance you might say to someone who's bought a lottery ticket, ご幸運をお祈りします - ごこううんをおいのりします gokouun o oinorishimasu. I wish you (pray for your) good luck.

But the phrase that is automatically said in most situations has nothing to do with luck. The base form of the Japanese phrase is 頑張る　がんばる　ganbaru (gambaru) which means to strive, to try ones best. So 頑張って　means 'Go and try your best!' The onus is put on the efforts of the person or persons involved in the endeavor, rather than random forces or a higher entity.

A subtle yes interesting difference, no?

(The German Mach's Gut might be closer in intent to 頑張って. Not sure about the theatrical Break a leg! - does that mean that the actor tries so hard that he's supposed to break a leg, or just reserve-luckology, the equivalent of wishing someone bad luck?)

Say, say say

This is a supplement to today's Twitter mini-lesson. Some verbs for a change - differents kinds of verbal communication.

言う　いう　iu (like ew). - say The past tense is 言った　いった　itta

Example 1:　ドイツ語圏のスイス人はよく　『ダンケ」でなく　『メルシー」と言う　 どいつごけんのすいすじんはよく　「だんけ」でなく　「めるしー」という: Swiss people in the German-speaking areas often say "merci", not "danke".

Example 2: 昨日彼女に｢さよなら」と　言った。　きのうかのじょに「さよなら』と言った。 Yesterday (I) said 'Goodbye' to her. 　（彼女　literally means 'her', but also implies 'girlfriend').

話す はなす　hanasu - speak, talk to

Example: 友達と電話で話す。ともだちとでんわではなす。　I talk to my friend(s) on the phone.

しゃべる shaberu - say, talk to, chat

Similar to 話す　but implies more informal talking/chatting

(おしゃべり　oshaberi, noun, is a chitchat, or (if a person) a loud mouth or gossip. However, おしゃべりする　becomes a verb meaning to gossip or chitchat.)

Example: 私はよくビルとしゃべります。わたしはよくビルとしゃべります。 I often talk to (chat to) Bill.

Example: みっちゃんとまきちゃんはいつも廊下でおしゃべりする。 Micchan and Makichan always gossip in the hallway.

語る　かたる　kataru - tell or narrate, talk about

Example: 母はよく昔モデルだった頃について語る。はははよくむかしもでるだったころについてかたる。 (My) mother often talks about the the times long ago when she used to be a model.

Some more words...

囁く　ささやく　sasayaku - whisper; noun form is ささやき　

言い訳　いいわけ　iiwake - (noun) and excuse. Verb form is 言い訳する　いいわけする　iiwakesuru

Example: 先生に宿題について言い訳する　Make excuses for my homework to the teacher

怒鳴る　どなる　donaru - yell

Languages

This is a supplement to today's Twitter mini-lesson.

The generic term for a nation's native language is 国語　こくご　kokugo. Japanese class in school is called 国語 rather than 日本語.

日本　にほん　nihon (or more rarely nippon) speaks 日本語　nihongo Japanese.

英国　えいこく　eikoku - England speaks 英語　えいご　eigo English. England is also called イギリス　igirisu.

英語 is also spoken in :

• アメリカ　amerika (or アメリカ合衆国　アメリカがっしゅうこく　amerika gasshuukoku　or 米国　べいこく　beikoku (which literally means 'rice country'))
• カナダ　kanada - Canada
• オーストラリア　ohsutoraria - Australia
• ニュージーランド　nyuujiirando -　New Zealand
• 南アフリカ　minamiafurika - South Africa

フランス　furansu - France speaks フランス語 ふらんすご　furansugo French (also called 仏語　ふつご　futsugo)

フランス語　is also spoken in:

• ベルギー　berugii - Belgium
• parts of スイス　suisu - Switzerland
• parts of カナダ　kanada - Canada
• ルクセンブルグ　rukusenburugu - Luxembourg

ドイツ　doitsu - Germany speaks ドイツ語　どいつご　doitsugo German (also called 独語　どくご　dokugo). 仏語 and 独語　and 英語　were terms used in the late 19th to early 20th century; 仏語　and 独語　are rarely used now, but 英語 has stuck as the word for English (language).

ドイツ語 is also spoken in:

• オーストリア　ohsutoria - Austria
• the major part of of スイス　suisu - Switzerland
• parts of イタリア　itaria Italy (南チロル地方　minamichiroruchihou Südtirol)

スペイン　supain - Spain speaks スペイン語　supeingo - Spanish

スペイン語　is also spoken in:

• メキシコ　mekishiko - Mexico
• and much of 南アメリカ　minami amerika - South America

イタリア　itaria - Italy speaks イタリア語　itariago - Italian

ポルトガル　porutogaru - Portugal speaks ポルトガル語　porutogarugo - Portuguese

ポルトガル語　is also spoken in ブラジル　burajiru - Brazil

オランダ　oranda -　Holland or the Netherlands speak オランダ語　orandago Dutch

オランダ語　is also spoken in ベルギー

中国　ちゅうごく　chuugoku - China speaks 中国語　ちゅうごくご　chuugokugo - Chinese

韓国　かんこく　kankoku - Korea speaks 韓国語　かんこくご　kankokugo - Korean (韓国　is used to mean South Korea, which is also occasionally called 南朝鮮　minamichousen. North Korea is called 北朝鮮　kitachousen.)

Haiku vs. Senryuu

This is a supplement to the Twitter lesson for today.

You probably already know the word 俳句　はいく　haiku. It's a Japanese poem consisting of 3 lines, each with 5, 7 and 5 syllables or on.

The brevity and restrictions make for an interesting exercise in paring down your words to their essentials.

However, what is not acknowledged much outside of Japan is that the subject matter of haiku are actually rather restricted and serious. Just because a poem fits into the 3 line/5-7-5 pattern does not mean it's a haiku. As a matter of fact, most English 'haiku'　that you see around the interweb are really 川柳　せんりゅう　senryuu : humorous or satirical 'everyday' poems with the haiku format. Senryuu are much easier to write for most people probably, and senryuu contests are very popular.

Example haiku

This is one of the most famous haiku, by 芭蕉　ばしょう　bashou

古池や　蛙飛び込む　水の音

ふるいけや　かわずとびこむ　みずのおと

fu ru i ke ya ka wa zu to bi ko mu mi zu no o to

(Rough translation: An old pond / a frog jumping in / the sound of water)

Here is a more recent one, by a 20th century female haiku artist called 細見綾子 ほそみ　あやこ　hosomi ayako

チューリップ 喜びだけを 持つてゐる

チューリップ　よろこびだけを　もっている

chu u ri ppu yo ro ko bi da ke wo mo tte i ru

(Rough translation: Tulips / only joy / they have)

And another one, from another female haiku artist called 桂信子　かつら　のぶこ　katsura nobuko, who in her youth published a book of haiku called 女体　にょたい　nyotai (Female Body), which is filled with intensely emotional, sometimes erotic, very female haiku.

ゆるやかに着てひとと逢ふ蛍の夜

ゆるやかに　きてひととあう　ほたるのよる

yu ru ya ka ni ki te hi to to a u ho ta ru no yo ru

(the last line is actually 6 syllables but this is allowed on occasion)

(Very rough translation: Loosely (gracefully) / wearing (clothes) to meet (a special) someone / night of fireflies )

Example sen-ryuu

These are all from a recent 'salaryman' (white collar working stiff...) senryuu contest. You can see the originals on this page, complete with illustrations.

「今帰る｣　妻から返信　「まだいいよ」　

いまかえる　つまからへんしん　まだいいよ

(Rough translation: "Going home now" / (text) reply from the wife / "No need to come home yet" )

減っていく…　ボーナス・年金　髪・愛情

へっていく…　ボーナス・ねんきん　かみ・あいじょう

(Rough translation: Getting less and less / Bonus, pension / hair, love )

ゴミ出し日　すけにいかねば　すてられる

ごみだしび　すてにいかねば　すてられる

(Rough translation: Garbage collection day / if I don't go and dump it (throw it out) / I'll be dumped (thrown out) - written from the perspective of a henpecked husband!)

Finally a senryuu from me :

チョコレート　口溶け一瞬　ああ後悔

ちょこれーと　くちどけいっしゅん　ああこうかい

(chocolate / dissolves instantly in the mouth / oh, regret)

The dumbing down of 100 million

Putting together my Twitter Japanese lesson for today, which is about テレビ　(television), I remembered a famous phrase that was first uttered in 1957 by a then-famous journalist and social critic called Sohichi Ohyake （大宅壮一） about the state of television in Japan. This is the full quote, according to Wikipedia Japan:

「テレビに至っては、紙芝居同様、否、紙芝居以下の白痴番組が毎日ずらりと列んでいる。ラジオ、テレビという最も進歩したマスコミ機関によって、『一億総白痴化』 運動が展開されていると言って好い。」

When it comes to television, (it has) idiot programming that is on the same level, no on a lower level, than kamishibai. It can be stated that a movement to "Dumb down 100 million [people]" through the most advanced mass communication devices of radio and television is in effect.

O, hai.

As you may have noticed, I have not updated this blog in some time. I simply haven't had the time and energy, with so many other things to deal with. I did think about simply shutting down the blog, but something compells me to keep it*. In any case, I have decided to take the language theme over to Twitter! Starting today I'll be posting a Japanese word a day (or so) @mainichinihongo, which means "Japanese every day" (doh). I hope that it will be update-able and fun, so if you are a Twitter-er go ahead and friend me! My more general + food Twitter account is @bentotips - what the heck, add that me too if you like! Who knows, the Twitter posts may even revive this blog!