JapanesePod101.com Blog

Take a look at the following sentence to see if you recognize anything:

政府は過激派グループの活動を注意深く監視した。

Whenever I confront unknown kanji, I try to identify components and patterns. In this case, one thing jumps out at me—this sentence is soggy! Five of the 12 kanji contain the “water” radical, ! In both 過激派 and 注意深く, two out of three characters are sopping wet. Surely this sentence is about fishing, scuba diving, or water conservation. While you ponder the issue, I’ll block the translation with two watery pictures.

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「雨」という漢字は、空から雨が降ってくる様子を線で表現したもので、絵のような文字ですね。では、この「雨」に「下」という文字を書くとどのように読むのでしょうか。

答えは「しずく」。この読み方は日本独自のもので、中国では水のしたたりをこの漢字で表わしません。また、雨以外の水、たとえばシャワーや涙の「しずく」には「滴」（「水滴」の「滴」）」という文字を用います。一般的には、雨のしずくだけを「雫」で表します。

さて、「雲」という漢字は、どのように雨に関連しているのでしょうか。「雨」の下に書かれる「云」は「立ちのぼる湯気が天井のような場所につかえて、もやもやとこもった様子」を線で表現しています。つまり、「雲」は「もやもやと立ちこめた水蒸気」のことなのです。ちなみに、「魂（たましい）」という漢字にも「云」が見られますが、魂もこれというはっきりした形があるわけでなく、「なんとなくあるらしい」と信じられているもやもやとしたものですね。

ところで、「電」はどうでしょう。昔は「雨」の下に「申」という文字を書いていましたが、次第に変化して現在の字形になりました。「申」は稲妻が空から地上に長く伸びて（「伸」の漢字にも「申」が見られますね）光っている様子を表わしています。

さらに、「霧」という漢字を読めますか。これは「きり」と読みます。「雨」の下の「務」には「手探りして求める」という意味があり、霧の中では立ちこめる水蒸気で周囲が見えなくなるので、手探りして進まなければなりません。そんな状態を漢字で表わすと「霧」になります。

最後に、「霜」という漢字は「しも」と読みます。「相」という部分には「縦に向かい合う、別々に並び立つ」という意味があり、霜柱が縦に並んで立っている様子に着目して、「霜」という漢字ができたといわれています。

元来、「相」は「木」＋「目」で、木と向かい合って立ち、その木を目で見ることを表わしているのです。日本の国技である「相撲（すもう）」にも「相」の文字が見られますよ。二人の力士が向かい合って立って、勝負が始まりますものね。
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The kanji 雨 or “rain” is a representation of how rain falls from the sky, and is a character that looks like a drawing.  Now, if you write the character下 or “below” under 雨, how would you read the character?

The anwer is shizuku or drop.  This way of reading is particular to Japan, and this kanji does not represent water trickling in China.  Furthermore, the character 滴 or “drop” as in 水滴 or “water drop”,  is used for water other than rain, for example the “drops in shower water” or “tears”.  Generally, only rain drops are represented by the 雫 character.

Now, what do you think the kanji 雲 or “cloud” has to do with rain?  The 云 or “speak about” under 雨 represents “the rising vapors blocked in an area like a ceiling, and appears to be misty” with its lines.  In other words, “clouds” are “misty filling vapors.”  Additionally, 云 can be found in the kanji 魂 or “spirit”, since spirits are not something that have shape, but rather they’re this misty thing that is believed to “somehow or someway be there.”

By the way, what do you think of 電 or “electricity”?  A long time ago, the character 申 or “to report” was written under 雨, but gradually it changed to the character shape today.  申 represents the long stretch of lightning that stretches to the ground (申 can also be seen in the kanji 伸 or “stretch”).

Furthermore, can you read the kanji 霧 or “fog”? This is read as kiri.  The 務 or “task” under 雨 means “searching for by fumbling”,  since in a fog, the misty vapors block the surrounding view, one needs to feel their way through.  When this situation is represented in kanji,  it becomes霧.

Lastly, 霜 or “frost” is read as shimo.  The 相 or “together” portion means “vertically facing each other, separately standing in a line”, and is said that the kanji was made after seeing icicles lined vertically.

Originally, 相 is 木 or “tree” + 目 or “eye”,  and these are aligned facing each other, which describes looking at a tree with your eyes.  相 can also be found in the character for the national sport 相撲 or “sumo”. This is because the match starts with two wrestlers standing and facing each other.

This Japanese All About lesson will help you with your Japanese pronunciation skills. You’ll learn about the fourteen Japanese consonants and five vowels you’ll need to know and about how to handle words with multiple syllables-with no stress.

•  Sounds and Syllables
  • Compared with other languages, Japanese has a relatively small set of sounds, with only fourteen consonants (k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w, g, z, d, b, and p) and five vowels (a, e, i, o, and u). Japanese is made up of syllables, which are made up of a consonant and a vowel. The only exceptions are the vowels and the n sound, which stand alone.
    

•  Stress
  • In Japanese, each syllable is held the same length of time and given equal stress. Stressing only certain syllables will sound unnatural, so keep this in mind when pronouncing Japanese.
  • Let’s take a look at a word in Japanese and compare how it is pronounced in both Japanese and English. Let’s take the word teriyaki, the name of a cooking technique where meat is marinated.
    • English pronunciation: [ ter-uh-YAH-kee ] Note how the third syllable is stressed.
    • Japanese pronunciation: [teh-ree-yah-kee ] In Japanese, each syllable receives the same amount of stress.

As the number of non-Japanese people studying Japanese around the world increases, so does the number of people who want to live in Japan for work or study. After all, they say that one of the best ways to learn a language is to be completely immersed in it, right?

Moving to a country as foreign as Japan, however, can pose many challenges. When coming to Japan for work or study, there are many things one must consider: What do I need to do soon after I arrive? Where will I live? How do I get around? Here at JapanesePod101.com, we have used information obtained from staff and listeners alike and put together a mini-guide for getting started living in Japan. We will introduce it in three parts in this blog. Part one here covers valuable information on foreign registration and tips on finding a place to live.

If you have any questions or information that you would like to share about living in Japan, please leave us a comment!

Valuable Information on Living in Japan part 1

●     Alien Registration (外国人登録)

Foreigners staying in Japan for more than 90 days (which excludes those with tourist visas) need to apply for an alien registration card (外国人登録証, gaikokujin tōrokushō) within 90 days of landing in Japan. Applicants must apply at their local municipal office (city hall). The alien registration card is required for opening a bank account, purchasing a cell phone, obtaining a driver’s license, and more. Foreign residents are required to carry their alien registration card with them at all times. 

● Finding a Place to Live

When it comes to finding a place to live in Japan, there are two major options: a private apartment or a guesthouse.

APARTMENTS
Looking for an apartment using conventional real estate companies may prove to be difficult and expensive. It can sometimes be difficult finding a landlord who is willing to rent out to foreigners, and there are a number of fees that make up the rental contract. In Tokyo and other large cities, there are many real estate companies that cater specifically to the foreign community that may be worth looking into. When looking for an apartment, please be aware that utilities are often not included in the rent. After moving into your apartment, the start-up application forms for utilities can often be found in your mailbox or apartment. In come cases, they may be provided by your landlord or real estate agent, who may also set up the utilities for you. As for paying utilities, there are two major options: you can either pay your bills at the convenience store or post office as they come, or you can sign up to have the payments automatically deducted from your bank account every month.
Note also that for most apartments, a guarantor (連帯保証人, rentai hoshōnin) is required. Normally a guarantor is someone who is a Japanese national with good financial standing, or the company you are employed at. If you do not have someone who can act as a guarantor for you, there is the option of paying a guarantor company (保証会社, hoshō gaisha) a fee to have them act as a guarantor for you.
Useful Links:
http://www.tokyoapartments.jp/
http://www.tokyoapartment.com/
http://www.kimiwillbe.com/

GUESTHOUSE
An alternative to a private apartment is a guesthouse. Based on the living conditions (whether you share an apartment or room with other people, etc.), living in a guesthouse can be an inexpensive alternative to living in a conventional apartment. Many guesthouses also offer shorter contracts, which makes them ideal for shorter stays.

Useful Links:
http://www.sakura-house.com/
http://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/
http://www.t-guesthouse.jp/

Join us next week for more valuable information on getting started living in Japan!

It’s always exciting when a foreign language teaches you about your own, and that’s the case with the following word:

激賞 (gekishō: enthusiastic praise)     intense + praise

Sample Sentence with 激賞 …

I’ve long known 賞 (SHŌ) as “award” or “prize,” as in アカデミー賞, “Academy Award.” When I saw “praise” in the definition of 激賞, I was startled. It couldn’t really be a typo, I figured, because there’s no such thing as an enthusiastic prize (though there are plenty of prizes for enthusiasm). Then it hit me that “praise” and “prize” could be connected in Japanese—and perhaps in English, too!

Yes on both accounts! Well, to be perfectly accurate, the English link is looser. Both “praise” and “price” (not prize) relate back to the Latin pretium, meaning “price, value, worth, reward.” And then “prize” has been an alternate spelling of “price.” I never thought about the similarities among any of these words!
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人間の身体は約60％が水分である、と言われています。私たちは水がないと生きていけず、水が豊かな場所に文明が発達したことは言うまでもありませんね。

漢字にも、「水」に関係した文字がたくさんありますよ。部首では「さんずい」と呼ばれる「
氵」が、漢字の左側に見られるものは、一般的な漢和辞典に載っているだけで642もの多数にのぼります。その中で、日常生活にしばしば用いられる漢字を紹介しましょう。

「洗」の文字に見られる「先」は、「足＋人」で、人間の足先を表わしています。爪先は、指と指の間に隙間があいて離れていますね。その隙間に水を通してきれいにするのが「洗う」という行為です。

「洗濯」のように「洗」に組み合わされる「濯」にも「さんずい」が見られますよ。右側は「羽＋隹」。「隹」の部分は、他の漢字でもよく見かけませんか？　「隹」は「とり」と読み、「鳥」を表わしています。字形が似ていますものね。木の上に鳥がたくさんいると「集」という文字になり、「あつまる」と読みます。また、「焦」は「こがす、こげる」と読み、鳥を火であぶってちりちりと焦がす様子が漢字になっています。鳥がすいすいと飛んで前に進むから「進」という文字には「隹」がいますね。

話題を戻すと、「濯」の文字には、鳥が羽根を高く上げた様子が含まれ、水で洗ったものをさっと持ち上げ、また水につけて洗って持ち上げて…と洗濯の動作を表わす漢字の組み合わせになっているのです。

さて、「沈」はどうでしょう。「
冘」は「牛＋川」で、牛を川の中に沈める儀式を表わし、「枕（まくら）」も頭も下に沈める寝具なので、「木＋
冘」と書きます。

「沈」と反対の意味の漢字は「浮」。これはどうでしょう。右側は、「爪＋子」で、「爪」は手の爪を表わしています。幼い子どもを手で大切にかばう様子を文字にすると「孚」となり、水を大切に抱えるようにしてうつぶせに浮かぶ様子が「浮」になりました。

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

It is said that a person’s body is 60% water. We cannot survive without water, and it is needless to say that civilizations have grown in areas where there’s water.

There are also many kanji that relate to 水 or “water”.  The radical 氵 called sanzui seen on the left of a kanji, has as many as 642 references in even a standard Japanese dictionary.  Among them, let me introduce you to a few kanji that are frequently used in our everyday lives.

The 先 or “point” that is found in 洗,  is 足＋人 or “leg + person”,  and represents the tip of your feet. Between each toe, there’s some space. The act of washing between these spaces is 洗う or “to wash”.

In 洗濯 or “laundry” the 濯 that is constructed with 洗 also has a sanzui. The right side is 羽 or “wing”＋隹.
Do you see the 隹 part in other kanji?  隹 is read as tori and represents a 鳥 or “bird”.  The shape of the characters look alike.  If there are many birds on a tree, you get the character 集 which is read as atsumaru or “gather”.  Also, 焦 is read as kogasu, kogeru or “burn”, and it’s a kanji that represents a chicken if you roast it over a fire and burn it.  進 or “advance” contains隹 because a bird smoothly flies forward.

Going back to the topic, 濯 contains the image of a bird raising its wings high, by quickly raising the things being washed, then putting them back in water, then raising them again… and in this image the formation of the kanji represents the movement of the washing.

Now, how about 沈 or “sink”.
冘 is 牛＋川 or “cow + river”, and it represents the ritual of sinking a cow in a river. Also, since 枕 or “pillow” is a piece of bedding to sink your head into, that’s why you write木 or “wood”＋
冘.

The opposite kanji for the meaning of sink is 浮 or “float”.  Now, how about this. On the right, you have 爪＋子 or child, and 爪 represents the nails on your hand.    When you represent the image of protecting a young child with your hand it looks like this, 孚 or “nourish”, and the image of floating face down as if you’re dearly holding the water has become 浮.

This Japanese All About lesson will help you navigate your way through Japanese grammar conventions. We will talk a little bit about how Japanese sentence order differs from that in English, how easy it is to form questions in Japanese, and all the other rules of English grammar you can throw out the window.

Japanese is what’s called an SOV language. This means the subject comes first, followed by the object, and then the verb. Remember that: the verb comes last. This is one of the biggest differences between English and Japanese grammar and one of the most important aspects to keep in mind!

• Tense

• • Japanese only has two tenses: past and non-past. It’s called non-past because Japanese uses the same tense for the present and future.

• • By adding a word like “tomorrow” or “next week” that indicates some point in the future, our present tense turns into the future tense without even changing the verb.

• Conjugation

• • Japanese only has two verbs that conjugate irregularly. The rest follow the same patterns, so they’re easy to get the hang of! Japanese verbs are divided up into three different groups according to how they conjugate, which we will refer to as Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 later on.

• • in Japanese it doesn’t matter who is doing the action, the verb will not change.

• Singulars and Plurals

• • Japanese words almost never change to reflect plurals. Nezumi, the word for “mouse,” could refer to one mouse or ten mice!
    

• Forming Questions

• • In Japanese, it’s extremely easy to create questions. By simply putting ka at the end of a sentence, you can turn it into a question!
    

• Formal and Informal Speech

• • Japanese uses entirely different grammar structures when it comes to polite speech. There are three politeness levels in spoken Japanese: informal, formal, and honorific.
    

• Counters

• • Japanese has a long list of counters, or words that we use to count specific items. The corresponding counter depends on the appearance or makeup of the item. For example, there are different counters for sheets of paper and bottles because they differ in shape.
    

• Omission

• • In Japanese, the writer often omits the subject from the sentence when it’s understood who is doing the action. In fact, stating the subject every time will actually make your Japanese sound unnatural. The key is to only state the subject when it’s absolutely necessary.
    

We start with Alberto’s haiku calendar for March. It’s lovely, as always, but there’s one difference this time; he’s the one who wrote the haiku! お疲れさまでした! (Otsukaresamadeshita! Good job!)

See the comments section for his explanation of this haiku.

Now we’ll return from the ethereal haiku world and come back down to earth with a thud! In an ongoing investigation of 激 (GEKI, hage(shii): violent, intense, agitated, sudden), I’ve come across a sample sentence with the following translation:

When the flight crew has the aircraft under control, everything is working normally, and yet it still crashes into the ground, that’s CFIT.

Really? You call that CFIT? Not “all hell has broken loose for no good reason” but just “CFIT”? Sounds rather mild, I would say.
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梅一輪　一輪ほどの　暖かさ　　　　服部嵐雪

厳しい寒さの続く日は、春の暖かさが待ち遠しいものです。そんな気持ちを表わした俳句を紹介しましょう。 Read the rest of this entry »

This Japanese All About lesson will teach you about the three types of artistic scripts that make up the written Japanese language, kanji, hiragana, and katakana, and the roles they play in putting together sentences.

The Japanese writing system uses two syllabic scripts, known separately as hiragana (ひらがな) and katakana (カタカナ) and collectively as kana (かな), as well as thousands of Chinese characters known as kanji (漢字). Each script serves a different function.

• Hiragana: grammatical elements and for words that do not use kanji (or for words where the author doesn’t know the kanji).
  • We use the hiragana syllabary for two types of words; okurigana (送り仮名), which are inflected verb and adjective endings; and for grammatical elements called “particles.” Hiragana is also used to write furigana (ふりがな), small symbols placed above or to the side of a kanji character that indicate how it is read.

• Katakana to write borrowed words of foreign origin and onomatopoeic sound effects.
  • We use the katakana syllabary for gairaigo (外来語), words of foreign origin, onomatopoeic words that indicate sounds, scientific names, and also for emphasis, much like how italics are used in English.

There are forty-six characters in the hiragana and katakana scripts, for a total of ninety-two characters in all. These characters represent specific syllables which are made up of a consonant plus a vowel or just one vowel sound.

In Japanese, there are five vowels (a, i, u, e, and o) and fourteen basic consonants (k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w, g, z, d, b, and p).

Kanji is used for words of both Japanese and Chinese origin as well as many Japanese names.]

Kanji are made up of smaller parts known as radicals. Many characters have been combined with others to create new ones. When written on the page, each character is given exactly the same amount of space, no matter how complex it is. In written Japanese, there are no spaces between characters.

Most kanji have at least two different kinds of readings: kun yomi (訓読み), which is the Japanese reading, and on yomi (音読み), which is the original Chinese reading.