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@mikanandmomo
ボクのステキな 17時。
Tickets, Shinbashi 新橋
温 • warm • n4 kanji
kun reading: あたた[かい], ぬく on reading: オン
classroom language ♡ (みんなの日本語)
はじめましょう • let’s begin
おわりましょう • let’s finish
やすみましょう • let’s take a break
わかりますか • do you understand?
はい、わかります • yes, i understand
いいえ、わかりません • no, i don’t understand
もう いちど 「おねがいします」 • once more [please]
いいです • that’s fine
ちがいます • that’s wrong
なまえ • name
しけん • test
しゅくだい • homework
しつもん • question
こたえ • answer
れい • example
all credit to the artist for the lovely picture ~☆
A New Era! Goodbye Heisei, hello Reiwa!
The name of the new era is officially announced! 令和 (Reiwa)
Today at about 11:30 a.m. JST the name of the next era was announced. Many Japanese people stopped what they were doing to be a part of this momentous occasion. But what does this mean? What exactly is an era? Let’s dive into it!
What is an era?
Japan has been using their own unique method of counting years based on the reign of the emperor since 645 AD, adapted from the Chinese method of dating using dynasties. This method is called 元号 (gengou). To date, there has been a total of 248 eras. An era begins when a new emperor ascends to the throne and ends with his death (or, in rarer cases, abdication). This time, the emperor is elderly, has health issues, and has asked to step down from the throne. This is the first abdication since 1817.
Currently, it is April 1st on the 31st year of the Heisei Era. That can be written like this:
平成31年4月1日 (Heisei 31nen, shigatsu tsuitachi)
“Heisei 31” can be abbreviated like this:
平31
H31
What’s more commonly used in Japan, gengou or the western system?
On official documents, it is standard to use gengou. Also, all money uses it to denote the year it was minted. However, nine out of ten Japanese people will tell you that the western system (西暦 seireki) is easier to understand. For this reason, people will often choose to use seireki when talking or in non-official paperwork. You will often commonly see both side-by-side, with one or the other in parentheses.
What are the eras up until now?
Lol I’m not gonna list all 248. Sorry. However, all Japanese people know all the eras from Meiji to present, so I’ll talk about those. The Meiji Era was kicked off by the Bakumatsu, in which the centuries-long system of an all-powerful shogun and largely ceremonial emperor was overthrown, and Japan opened itself up to trade with the rest of the world for the first time in over 200 years. The start of the Meiji Era marks the start of modern Japan, the beginning of a more traditional monarchy (according to western standards), and the adoption of Western technology, education, etc.
明治 Meiji
25 Jan 1868 – 30 Jul 1912
大正 Taisho
30 Jul 1912 – 25 Dec 1926
昭和 Showa
25 Dec 1926 - 7 Jan 1989
平成 Heisei
8 Jan 1989 – 30 Apr 2019
令和 Reiwa
1 May 2019 - ?
How are era names chosen?
This is actually really interesting. In centuries past, government officials would determine the gengou within 1-2 years of the emperor’s enthronement. The names were chosen using auspicious kanji like 明 (bright), 永 (eternity), 寿 (longevity), 和 (peace, Japan), etc. There were few rules, except that an era name could not be used more than once.
Nowadays, when these dates are used by all Japanese people on a daily basis instead of just by the select elite, several criteria have been established.
The meaning of the kanji must reflect the image of Japan and the way Japan wants to move forward in history. (Nothing negative or unlucky)
The kanji must be easy to write and pronounce. (The 嘉 of 嘉永 [Kaei Era, 1848 - 1855] wouldn’t stand muster today because it’s ridiculous to write.)
It can only be two characters. (In the past, there were some eras with four kanji.)
The starting letter cannot be M, T, S, or H. (This is because the gengou is commonly shortened to “H31" to mean Heisei 31, or 2019. If the next era used the same consonant, we wouldn’t know which era was being referred to.
It cannot be a word already in use. It cannot be used in a surname, company name, or place name of any kind.
A small group of select historians, literary experts, and political scientists (I think this time it was 8 or 10?) sequester themselves away for several long months while they decide the new gengou. The gengou is of the utmost secrecy up until it is announced, so they are completely cut off from the outside world. No phones, no television, no radio, no contact with family, no internet until it is announced. Why is it so secret? Because Japan likes to be spooky and mysterious, I guess. lol I’m honestly not sure, but it’s probably just because that’s how it’s always been done.
Since the emperor’s abdication is scheduled for April 30th, the new gengou was announced one month in advance, today. Because many computer programs and official government/business forms have been pre-made with “Hesei” on them (sort of like how we may sometimes make templates that have 20__ written on them), you can imagine how busy this change will make company and government employees. They will be spending this month creating new templates or getting rubber stamps with the new era on it and stamping over the obsolete Heisei. Poor guys.
So what does Reiwa mean?
Let’s take a look at each kanji.
令 rei
orders, ancient laws, command, decree
和 wa
harmony, Japanese style, peace, soften, Japan
When I first saw it, I thought it was something like “decree of peace,” which sounded very…militaristic? I mean, can you command that there be peace? Haha. But then I looked further, and it appears that this is taken from a line of poetry in the Man’yoshu, which is the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry.
Classical: 于時、初春令月、氣淑風和、梅披鏡前之粉、蘭薫珮後之香。
Modern: 時、初春の令月にして、氣淑く風和ぎ、梅は鏡前の粉を披き、蘭は珮後の香を薫す。
Summary: 人々が美しく心を寄せ合う中で文化が生まれ育つ
English Summary: Culture blooms and grows through the beautiful cooperation of the people.
Okay, so it’s not as dour as I thought it was at first haha. It’s actually pretty!
What do you think about the new name? Is it fitting? Do you have any other questions about eras?
So I’ve joined a Japanese class. The first class is tomorrow and I’m kind of terrified. I haven’t been a proper student of anything in a few years and this will be the first time I will be speaking Japanese with other people in a more formal setting. I’m relatively good at reading and writing but have next to no experience speaking (other than the bare minimum, and very broken, Japanese I spoke when visiting Japan). I guess, I’m just nervous because I’m not joining a complete beginner class so other students will have more practice speaking Japanese than me, even if I possibly have been studying it longer. Anyway, I’m just a little nervous but also very excited to be around other people with the same interests and goals as me. Fingers crossed!
(Also, if any of you guys have any tips or have taken Japanese classes I’d love to know what your experiences/thoughts are)
日本語が上手ですね
日本語が上手ですね!
にほんごがじょうずですね!
Your Japanese is so good!
A seemingly innocuous phrase spoken by Japanese people to learners of Japanese that is surprisingly difficult to respond to. Raise your hand if you know what I mean! (Is it just me? I don’t know…)
When I was first learning Japanese, people would say this to me and I would have no idea what to say. I think that I first became tongue-tied because someone else told me that when Japanese people say it, they don’t mean it - they just say it to be polite. So, when I heard it from Japanese people I met and spoke to in Japanese, I felt rather dejected.
I asked my friend (who was Japanese) how I should handle that question. She recommended that I say:
少ししか話せません、が…
すこししかはなせません、が…
I can only speak a little, but…
When I was still starting out in Japanese, this was a great response. It was Japanese-like because it demurred. And ended with a trailing が. Rather than saying ありがとうございます (thank you very much), which seems kind of like you are bragging (like, yes I am good at Japanese, thanks), instead you communicate that you are working on improving your level. The response also sounds advanced (bonus).
However, when I returned from studying abroad and I could speak Japanese conversationally, this response became inadequate. I was obviously not a beginner, and I could obviously speak more than a little. So this response sounded silly and kind of stupid. The first time I said it after getting back home, it was really awkward. I then switched to saying そうですか or “oh, really?” instead. This worked alright, but it still wasn’t a great response. It felt really shallow.
So I finally asked my (Japanese) husband what kind of response I should make, now that I am above a true beginner level. His recommended answer:
日常会話くらいですね
にちじょうかいわくらいですね
I can manage everyday conversation
I like this because it is, again, Japanese-like. It doesn’t sound silly or stupid because it’s obvious that I can speak well, and it acknowledges that I can carry on conversation, but it still demurs.
I also want to mention that I asked my husband about this question and my belief that people don’t actually mean you are good at Japanese when they say this to you. In response, he asked me if when I tell people they are good at English, whether I mean it or not. That was eye-opening. Of course I am impressed that they are making an effort to speak a foreign language and I truly mean it when I say it. So now when people ask me I don’t feel quite as embarrassed as I used to (although some conditioned embarrassment still remains).
TL;DR: So, when people tell you 日本語が上手ですね, here are two responses you can choose from:
If you’re a beginner, try 少ししか話せません、が… or “I can only speak a little, but…”
And if you’re intermediate or advanced, I recommend 日常会話くらいですね or “I can manage everyday conversation.”
Should I practice writing kanji?
A lot of people who are starting to study Japanese ask me about learning to write kanji. My view is that if you are serious about studying Japanese, it is a worthwhile endeavor. However, a lot of people don’t think that there is much benefit to learning to write kanji by hand, especially with the current predominance of devices for studying and communication.
It’s ultimately a personal choice, so you will have to decide whether you want to take the time to learn to write kanji by hand, but I think it would be hard to really become fluent in Japanese without learning to write kanji.
When I started studying Japanese it was in a formal classroom setting so I had to study it, but even today I include writing kanji by hand in my study sessions.
Why I write kanji by hand (in no particular order):
It helps me to remember kanji when I read it, because some kanji look similar (e.g. 持つ/待つ) and I am better able to distinguish them.
I can impress people by writing in kanji, rather than just writing out hiragana (it’s kinda cool when people notice my ability ^^).
It helps me to understand complex kanji that I don’t necessarily know by understanding the radicals (the building blocks of kanji).
People feel more comfortable about my (unprofessional, unpaid) interpretation ability when I write notes with sporadic, basic kanji.
Learning a new kanji, and then reading it in a manga or magazine, always makes me feel super accomplished.
持つ もつ motsu to hold; to possess
待つ まつ matsu to wait
三鷹の森ジブリ美術館に行きました。切符は1000円でした。
I went to the (Mitaka no Mori) Ghibli Museum. The ticket was 1000 yen.
美術館の中で、写真を撮ってはいけませんでした。
You cannot take photos inside the museum.
でも、美術館の外で、写真を撮ってもいいです。
But it is okay to take photos outside the museum.
とてもカラフルて、綺麗でした。
It was very colourful and beautiful.
好きな映画は千と千尋の神隠しですから、映画のアートを見て楽しかったです。
Spirited Away is my favourite movie, therefore I enjoyed seeing the movie art.
好きなスタジオジブリの映画は何ですか。
What is your favourite Studio Ghibli movie?
Vocab:
美術館 (びじゅつかん) = museum
切符 (きっぷ) = ticket
写真 (しゃしん) = photo
映画 (えいが) = movie
千と千尋の神隠し (せんとちひろのかみかくし) = Spirited Away
an afternoon in kyoto.
初めて京都に行ってきた。
“Any” Words
“Any” words in Japanese can be created by taking the words:
だれ - who
どこ - where
いつ - when
なに - what
and adding ~でも to the end of them. So..
だれでも - anyone
どこでも - anywhere
いつでも - anytime
なんでも - anything
ここで 待ち伏せしてれば、
あのお菓子を 一口もらえるはず…
ベビーピンクの苺レアチーズロールケーキ via: cookpad
just a rough japanese colour chart
✧・゚: * [please click for higher quality] *:・゚✧
✎ - day 2/100 / ♫ - light by wanna one
an afternoon in kyoto.
初めて京都に行ってきた。
Qualifying Nouns with Verbs and Adjectives
Types of Modifiers
In Japanese, qualifiers or modifiers of a noun always precede the modified noun. These modifiers can be:
Adjective phrases
高い本 (expensive book)
読みたい本 (the book I want to read)
Noun phrases plus の
日本語の本 (Japanese book)
Verb phrases
買う本 (the book I will buy)
買った本 (the book I bought)
Relative Clauses
Modifiers can be very long and look like sentences. For example, the entire string of words in these phrases except for the noun 本 is a modifier.
私が一番好きな本 (the book that I like the best)
父が昨日読んだ本 (the book that my father read yesterday)
父が昨日家で読んだ本 (the book that my father read at home yesterday)
This “long modifier” is also called a relative clause. It’s the part of a sentence that describes a noun. In English, the relative clause comes after the noun it describes.
For example:
The cake (that) I ate yesterday was delicious.
In English, this follows the pattern: Noun X that Y.
Noun X = a particular noun
“that Y” = a descriptor clause (i.e. a relative clause)
In Japanese, a relative clause is ordered a bit differently. It still modifies a noun, but acts like an adjective and comes directly in front of the noun it describes.
昨日食べたケーキは美味しかったです。
The cake (that) I ate yesterday was delicious.
*Note: The particle は in the above sentence is not a part of the relative clause. It is marking the relative clause as the topic of the sentence.
Rules for Writing Relative Clauses
The verb just before the noun must be in the short form, not the polite form (~ます).
When a noun-modifying clause is used in a sentence, there are always at least two predicates in the sentence.
The first predicate appears inside the relative clause. This predicate must be in the plain form.
The second predicate appears outside the relative clause (i.e. is the end of the sentence). This predicate can be either in the plain form or the polite form. (Plain forms include: た, ない, たかった, ている/でいる.)
There is no は particle inside a relative clause. The particle は is replaced by が. が is used to mark the subject because a relative clause is always a subordinate (dependent) clause.
From the earlier example:
昨日食べたケーキは美味しかったです。
First predicate = 昨日食べたケーキ (The verb 食べた is in the plain form. Verbs or adjectives in the relative clause must always be in the informal form.)
Second predicate = 美味しかったです (The conjugation of 美味しい is in the polite form. Verbs or adjectives in the second predicate can be either polite or informal.)
The particle は is outside of the relative clause (昨日たべたケーキ). It marks the relative clause as the topic of the second predicate. (i.e. What about the cake i ate yesterday? It was delicious.)
Sentence Patterns:
Color coding:
Blue = relative clause (first predicate of the sentence)
Orange = noun being described by the relative clause
Green = particles
Purple = second predicate of the sentence
Relative clause は~
Subject が verb + modified noun は predicate
Ex: 田中さんが食べている食べ物は刺身です。(The food that Tanaka-san is eating is sashimi.)
Object を verb + modified noun は predicate
Ex: あそこで写真を撮っている人はだれですか。(Who is the person taking pictures over there?)
~は Relative clause です。
Topic は object を verb + modified noun です
Ex: 昨日来た人は日本語を勉強しています。(The person who came yesterday is studying Japanese.)
Relative clause に~
Subject が verb + modified noun に predicate
Ex: 今日年末結婚した友達に手紙が来ました。(A letter came from a friend who got married last year.)
Relative clause を~
Subject が verb + modified noun を predicate
Ex: 友達は私が作ったケーキを食べました。(My friend ate the cake that I made.)
These particles determine what the relative clause is doing (its function) in the sentence:
は after the clause puts emphasis on the predicate as the topic of the sentence.
は before the clause emphasizes the clause as the topic of the sentence.
に marks the noun being modified by the relative clause as a destination.
を marks the noun being modified by the relative clause as a direct object acted on by the verb after を.
*Note: There are particles inside the relative clauses (indicated in blue). These are a part of the relative clause!
More Example Sentences
先週見た映画は面白かったです。(The movie I saw last week was interesting.)
昨日読んでいた本を図書館に返した。(I returned the book I was reading yesterday to the library.)
めがねをかけている背の高いあの人は私の先生です。(That tall person (over there) who wears/is wearing glasses is my professor.)
猫が好きな女の人は私の友達です。(That woman who likes cats is my friend.)
Different tenses can also be used:
The tense of the verb or adjective inside the relative clause (along with other time words like 明日 or 昨日) can indicate whether the rest of the sentence is talking about something in the present, past, or future.
Telling the difference between the present or future tenses in Japanese depends on the context of the sentence (e.g. time words like 明日 or 昨日).
Present tense:
彼女が今日着ているドレスはすてきです。(The dress that she is wearing today is nice.)
Future tense:
彼女が明日着るドレスはすてきです。(The dress that she will wear tomorrow is nice.)
Past tense:
彼女が昨日着ていたドレスはすてきでした。(The dress that she wore yesterday was nice.)
Learn More
# 48 Learn Japanese - How to make “Relative Clause” by Masa Sensei
@kanjikiwi‘s post about Adjectival Clauses
Relative Clause (Modifying Noun) & Word Order by Misa Sensei (Japanese Ammo with Misa)