Poetry and Romance

Poetry and Romance

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夢中 Lost in thought, in a daze, ecstasy

夢中
Lost in thought, in a daze, ecstasy


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

夢中
mu chuu
Lost in thought, in a daze, ecstasy

夢 mu dream
中 chuu middle, in the midst, during



夢 yume - dream [B]
 夢を見る yume o miru - to (see) have a dream [B]
夢遊病 mu yuu byou - sleep walking [A]
営業中 ei gyou chuu - open for business [I]
寒中水泳 kan chuu sui ei - swimming in the dead of winter [A]
集中 shuu chuu - concentrate, concentration [I]


Ah! Fair Maid Marion...

SUGGESTED USAGE:

マリアン姫に夢中になっているので、ロビンフッドは矢の方向を間違えてしまいました。
marian hime ni muchuu ni natte iru node, robin fuddo wa ya no houkou o machigaete shimaimashita.
While lost in thought over Maid Marion, Robin Hood loaded his arrow in backward.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

マリアン姫 marian hime - Maid Marion (princess Marion)
～に夢中 ~ ni mu chuu - To be lost in thought over ~
になっている ni natte iru - is doing shows the process of doing something
 ので node - because shows cause and effect
 ロビンフッド robin fuddo - Robin Hood The closest sound in Japanese to HU is FU. So www.yahoo.com is pronounced yaFU
 矢 ya - arrow
方向 hou kou - direction
間違えて ma chigaete - to make a mistake
しまいました shimaimashita - gives the sentence an unfortunate feel.

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たわごと Talk Nonsense

たわごと
Talk Nonsense


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

たわごと
tawa goto
Talk Nonsense

言 goto word, statement, speak




言葉 koto ba - language, word [B]
 うわ言 uwa goto - talk in delirium [A]
言語学 gen go gaku - linguistics [A]


Quite naturally, a scene of Gojira helping a little old (blue-haired) lady across the street.

SUGGESTED USAGE:

珍しく自分を見つめ直したゴジラは「僕はなかなかいい人だ。ただ誤解されただけだ。」とたわごとを言った。
mezurashiku jibun o mitsume naoshita gojira wa BOKU WA NAKANAKA II HITO DA. TADA GOKAI SARETA DAKE DA. to tawagoto o itta.
In a rare moment of introspection, Godzilla babbled, 'I'm a nice guy - Just misunderstood.'

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

珍しく mezurashiku - rare, uncommon using the KU form, you can stick mezurashii to a noun (jibun)
 自分 ji bun - oneself
見つめ直した mitsume naoshita - look hard at and redo or fix This word combines MITSUMERU which means to look hard at or watch intently and NAOSU which means to mend, repair or redo
 ゴジラ gojira - Godzilla
僕 boku - I, me often said by men and boys
 なかなか nakanaka - fairly, quite, very added as emphasis; perhaps it could be translated here as ON THE WHOLE, I am a nice guy...
 いい人 ii hito - nice guy
ただ tada - just, simply, its just...
誤解された go kai sareta - (I) was ...ed Passive voice showing what happened to himself
 だけだ dake da - only, just
と to - quotation what follows is a quotation
 言った itta - said simple past of IU (to say)

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ふられる Rejected, Give the Cold Shoulder

ふられる
rejected, to give the cold shoulder


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

ふられる
furareru
rejected, to give the cold shoulder

The kanji 振 means to shake or wave (shaken/brushed off)




振り仮名 furi ga na - the small hiragana above kanji (see picture) [B]
 手振り te buri - hand gestures [I]
久し振り hisashi buri - its been a long time [B]


furigana

SUGGESTED USAGE:

ゴジラはキティちゃんにふられて絶望的になった。
gojira wa kiti chan ni furarete zetsubou teki ni natta.
Being jilted by Hello Kitty, Godzilla slipped into despair.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

ゴジラ gojira - Godzilla The Japanese gojira comes from gorira (gorilla) and kujira (whale)
 キティ kiti - Hello Kitty In Japanese Hello Kitty is usually キティちゃん kiti-chan
 絶望的 zetsu bou teki - despair
になった ni natta - became ２７歳になった。 nijuunana sai ni natta. I became 27.

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土下座 Prostrating Oneself

土下座
kneeling down to the ground, prostrating oneself


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

土下座
do ge za
kneeling down to the ground, prostrating oneself

土 do earth, ground
下 ge down, below, under
座 za seat, sit down


粘土 nen do - clay (a dirty word) [I]
 お土産 omiyage - a souvenir, a present [B]
靴下 kutsu shita - socks (shoe + under) [B]
下 shita - below, under [B]
王座 ou za - throne [I]
正座 sei za - sitting correctly Japanese style [sit upright with legs under] [I]


Godzillas humble act resulted in the lizards return to respectable society.

SUGGESTED USAGE:

ゴジラは心から反省したので、東京都民に土下座した。
gojira wa kokoro kara hansei shita node, toukyou tomin ni dogeza shita.
Godzilla, having had heartfelt introspections, humbly knelt before the citizens of Tokyo.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

ゴジラ gojira - Godzilla The Japanese gojira comes from gorira (gorilla) and kujira (whale)
 心から kokoro kara - from the heart
反省 han sei - reflect on, think over
した shita - past of suru
ので node - because (of what was said before node)
 東京 tou kyou - Tokyo Most English speakers pronounce this in 3 syllables, but it really is only 2 TOU KYOU
 都民 to min - citizens of Tokyo
に ni - particle showing who Godzilla is dogezaing to

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時代に取り残される Left behind the Times

時代に取り残される
Left behind the Times


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

時代に取り残される
jidai ni torinokosareru
Left behind the Times

時代 jidai time, period, an age
に ni particle
取り残される torinokosareru leave behind


時 ji - time, hour [B]
 代 dai - time, age, generation [I]
取 to(ri) - take [B]
残 noko(su) - leave [I]


There are times when I feel the weight of technology coming like a freight train.

SUGGESTED USAGE:

時代に取り残されないように、そろばんの勉強を始めた。
jidai ni tori nokosarenai you ni, soroban no benkyou o hajimeta.
So I wouldn't be left behind the times, I started studying the abacus.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

～されない ~sarenai - not ~ed This is the passive negative; I would not be left...
 ように you ni - so that; in order to
そろばん soroban - abacus; old adding device
の no - possessive in this case, study of soroban
 勉強 ben kyou - study
を o - direct object particle What was started was the study of soroban
 始めた hajimeta - began simple past

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気取る Put on Airs

気取る
put on airs, conceited, styling, all the frills!


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:

B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

気取る
kidoru
put on airs, conceited, styling, all the frills!

気 ki spirit, mood, mind
取 d(t)oru take, grab



気が短い ki ga mijikai - short tempered [I]
 気になる ki ni naru - become interested in, be anxious about [I]
気のせい ki no sei - just (my) imagination [I]
気をつけて ki o tsukete - Be careful! Take care. [B]
取りあえず toriaezu - for now, for the time being [B]
塵取り chiri tori - dust pan [I]


Despite seconds of mental preparation, Henry's clip-on bow tie proved to be a formidable opponent.

SUGGESTED USAGE:

気取った雪男は蝶ネクタイをしていた。
ki dotta yuki otoko wa chou nekutai o shite ita.
A spiffed up Abominable Snowman, sported a bow tie.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

気取った ki dotta - the ta ending is simple past
雪男 yuki otoko - The Abominable Snowman
蝶ネクタイ chou nekutai - bow tie the chou means butterfly - so a bow tie is in the shape of a butterfly. || nekutai comes from neck and tie meaning neck tie - sometimes they have to make it so difficult!
 していた shite ita - we could have said just shita, but adding the ita gives the impression of time or condition. So [at least according to my wife] it sounds like the yuki otoko intentionally and carefully put on the nekutai - he sported a bow tie

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男らしい Manly

男らしい
manly, like a man, masculine


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

男らしい
otoko rashii
manly, like a man, masculine

男 otoko man, male
らしい rashii like, seems like



男の子 otoko no ko - boy, man-child [B]
 雪男 yuki otoko - the Abominable Snowman [I]


NOTE: Todays Suggested usage isnt very useful. Going around saying this may make you seem stranger than you really are... But it is very good for showing differences in men and women\'s speech.

SUGGESTED USAGE:

俺の男らしいピンクのシャツはどこかしら。
ore no otokorashii pinku no shatsu wa doko kashira.
I wonder wherever could my manly pink shirt be.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

俺 ore - I, me Used only by men; I dont advise using this unless you know enough Japanese to know when NOT to say this. ore has a very rough sound to it and is often seen as impolite. For the most part men and women use 私 watashi for their Is and mes. This is the safest.
 俺の ore no - my Making the possesive is very easy in Japanese. Simply place a no between the 2 related parts. Lets see some examples using watashi instead of ore: わたし の 車 watashi no kuruma [My car]
らしい rashii - seems like, like This is added to nouns. There is another usage of らしい rashii which is placed at the end of a sentence and modifies the entire sentence and not just the one noun. It basically means the same thing, but lets focus on the noun-rashii now...
 I think otokorashii is the most useful noun+rashii, but lets look at some other examples:
Can you guess what they mean? [answers are at the bottom]
-
1. 猫らしい neko rashii - ______________
2. 人間らしい ningen rashii - ______________
3. 日本人らしい nihonjin rashii - ______________
4. 女らしい onna rashii - ______________
5. マリリン・モンローらしい maririn monro- rashii - ______________

 ピンク pinku - the color pink
シャツ shatsu - a shirt
どこ doko - where?
かしら kashira - I wonder used by women:
Men, dont say this. If you want to say I wonder then use kana which has the same meaning as kashira but is used by both sexes. Both kana and kashira are used in the same way grammatically too! Just stick it at the end of your sentence if you want to show that you are wondering about what you said.

Examples of kana (& kashira) :
どうしよう かな doushiyou kana... [I wonder what should (I) do?]
夢かな？ yume kana? [I wonder if it was a dream?]
来るかな？ kuru kana? [I wonder if (someone) will come?]
 ANSWERS TO RASHII QUIZ: Drag your mouse over to highlight the answers:
- 1. CAT-LIKE
2. HUMAN-LIKE
3. LIKE A JAPANESE PERSON
4. WOMAN LIKE
5. MARILYN MONROEish

 

 

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百年の恋も冷める Even a 100 year old Love can turn Cold

百年の恋も冷める
Even a 100 year old love can turn cold


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

百年の恋も冷める
hyaku nen no koi mo sameru
Even a 100 year old love can turn cold

百 hyaku 100
年 nen year(s)
の no possessive marker
恋 koi love
も mo also, even
冷める sameru become cold

百万 hyaku man - 1,000,000 - a million [B]
 一年生 ichi nen sei - first grader [B]
一昨年 ototoshi - year before last [I]
初恋 hatsu koi - first love, puppy love [I]
恋人 koi bito - lover, sweatheart [I]
冷たい tsumetai - cold (to the touch) [samui is cold environment] [B]


Romance in action...

SUGGESTED USAGE:

百年の恋も冷める瞬間。
hyaku nen no koi mo sameru shunkan.
The actual moment love grew cold...

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

瞬間 shun kan - moment lit. blink + space/time

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