おかえり~

Just stuff that I like, find beautiful and/or makes me happy. Recently that means lots of Japanese. Background image by Anna Aniskina

[yorminroud]

Got a handmade cursed cat Alastor as a gift 💘 Made by the talented @fideitoscosplay

Seems to be getting along with his siblings Plum and Popcorn Wall... For now.

[marie-toh]

From sketch to digital

[learnjp]

English Proverbs | ことわざ Hey guys, today we’re going to have a look at some English proverbs and their Japanese translations! I tried to do the most common ones, but if I’ve missed your fave just let me know and I’ll try to add it to the post! Proverb is 「ことわざ」in Japanese! The following proverbs are the same in English and Japanese:

Laughter is the best medicine. 笑いは百薬の長・わらいはひゃくやくのちょう

The grass is always greener on the other side. 隣の芝は青い・となりのしばわあおい

No news is good news. 便りのないのは良い便り・たよりのないのはよいたより

Silence is golden. 沈黙は金・ちんもくはきん

Time is money. 時は金なり・ときはかねなり

Easier said than done. 言うは易く行うは難し・いうはやすくおこなうはむずかし

Good things come to those who wait. かほうはねてまて

All’s well that ends well. 終わりよければすべて良し・おわりよければすべてよし

Better safe than sorry. 備えあれば憂いなし・そなえあればうれいなし

Where there’s smoke there’s fire. 火のないところに煙は立たぬ・ひのないところにけむりはたたぬ

Rome wasn’t built in a day. ローマは一日にして成らず・ロームはついたちにしてならず

Practice makes perfect. 習うより慣れろ・ならうよりなえれろ

The following proverbs have a slightly different translation in Japanese than the English meanings we’re used to:

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. 郷に入っては郷に従え・ごうにいってはごうにしたがえ Enter the village, follow the township.

There’s no place like home. 我が家が一番・わがやがいちばん My house is the best.

You can’t judge a book by its cover. 人は見た目に寄らない・ひとはみためによらない Appearance doesn’t matter.

A picture is worth a thousand words. 百聞は一見にしかず・ひゃくぶんはいっけんにしかず Seeing is believing.

The early bird gets the worm. 早起きは三文の徳・はやおきはさんもんのとく Waking up early brings benefits.「＊＊＊」

There’s no use crying over spilled milk. 覆水盆に返らず・ふくすいぼんにかえらず Spilled water will not return to the basin.

Tomorrow is another day. 明日は明日の風が吹く・あしたはあしたのかぜがふく The winds of tomorrow will blow tomorrow.

Let sleeping dogs lie. さわらぬ神にたたりなし・さわらぬかみにたたりなし An undisturbed God wreaks no vengeance.

Out of sight, out of mind. 去るものは日々に疎し・さるものはひびにうとし The departed become distant over time.

Birds of a feather flock together. 類は友を呼ぶ・るいはともをよぶ Similar types call (each other) friends.

Ignorance is bliss. 知らぬが仏・しらぬがほとけ Not knowing is Buddha.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. 捨てる神あれば拾う神あり・すてるかみあればひろうかみあり If there is a God that throws you away, there’s another God who picks you up.

No pain, no gain. 苦は楽の種・くはらくのたね Pain is a seed of pleasure.

「＊＊＊」= My boyfried told me about a little story that goes with this proverb. He heard about this story on a television program when he was younger. Nara prefecture is famous for deer. Some time ago in Nara if someone woke up early and found a dead deer in front of their house, they had to pay a fine for it even if they didn’t kill the deer since deer are so special there. Early one morning a man woke up and from inside his home he witnessed a car hitting a deer in front of his house. The car drove away and the man realised the deer had died so he reported this to the police. As a result of waking up early and witnessing the hit and run, he didn’t have to pay the fine. This proves that there are a lot of good benefits to waking up early.

[yorminroud]

頭隠して尻隠さず（ あたまかくしてしりかくさず）

An ostrich policy.

Literally means: To hide your head and not your butt.

[yorminroud]

Hanakotoba: The Japanese language of flowers

Hanakotoba (花言葉), the Japanese language of flowers, is still very much used in modern Japanese art, such as paintings or poetry. Even in novels, manga or anime, the symbolism of flowers is used to describe the characters or foreshadow events. I’ll be making a series of posts talking about the different meanings behind flowers.

Cherry blossom, “sakura”

Even if it's not the national flower, the cherry blossom is a symbol of nationalism in Japan, and the flower Japanese people tend to like the most.

In the old times, Samurais felt identified with it, because they had to live their lives to their best, no matter how short they might be, just like the cherry blossom, that falls to the ground in a matter of days.

It is related to the concept of "物の哀れ" (mono no aware), a traditional Japanese concept to refer to the brevity and transience of things, and the deep melancholy towards the reality of life.

Main source

Image 1. Sakura blossom by Yokoo Eiko (Take a look at her art, it’s amazing)

[yorminroud]

Translation mistake or intersex erasure?

This has been on my mind for some time now, but I didn’t dare to write it while the popularity of Devilman Crybaby was at its peak, because I was afraid the fans would get mad at me 😰

So, in episode 10, while Tako is describing Satan, he says this:

「気高く、美しく、両性を持ち、十二の羽を持つと言われています 」

Which would translate as:

“They are noble, beautiful and intersex, and said to have 12 wings”.

But apparently, the translator didn’t look at the image or read the script, thus made this translation...

First point: Ok, 羽（はね/hane） usually means “feather”, while 翼（つばさ/tsubasa）would be an unambiguous term for wings, but here they CLEARLY have 12 wings. Haven’t counted the feathers, but I’m sure there’s more than 12.

Anyway, the worst mistake is that 両性（りょうせい/ryōsei）, intersex, became 良性（りょうせい/ryōsei）, benign. They may be read the same way, but the meanings?? I don’t know if it was a translation mistake, a spelling mistake in the script or something else, but the result was erasing a main character’s canon intersexuality.

In the past, many characters from anime, manga or Japanese videogames that challenged heteronormativity have been turned into cishet characters in the translated version, some of the most famous examples being Neptune and Uranus from Sailor Moon, the most loving cousins ever, and Gracie and Saharah from Animal Crossing, that apparently were too feminine to be males, so they became females in the localization.

Also, since the translations to languages other than English was made from the English script, this mistake is in all the subtitules/dubbings I have access to (except in the Spain’s Spanish dubbed version).

I thought that these things didn’t happen anymore, that our society had become more open and tolerant, and hopefully this was just a mistake, but I don’t know what to think anymore...

[ohitoyoshi]

Kanji that look like Katakana

…and vice versa. Well, since katakana was derived from kanji elements in the first place, it’s no surprise to see things like ム、マ、ネ、イ、リ appear in kanji. But look at these guys!

二 ｖｓ ニ (ni) 二つ 「ふたつ」 2 (things) 二十 「にじゅう」 20 二十歳 「はたち」 20 years old ニュース news

三 ｖｓ ミ (mi) 三つ 「みっつ」 3 (things) 三月 「さんがつ」 March ミルク milk

八 ｖｓ ハ (ha) 八 「はち」 8 八百屋 「やおや」 ハンカチ handkerchief

口 ｖｓ ロ (ro) 口 「くち」 mouth 人口 「じんこう」 population タメ口 「ためぐち」 casual talk ローマ字 romaji

力 ｖｓ カ (ka) 力 「ちから」 power 全力 「ぜんりょく」 all one’s might カレー curry

工 ｖｓ エ (e) 工事 「こうじ」 construction work エアコン AC, air conditioner

夕 ｖｓ タ (ta) 夕べ 「ゆうべ」 evening タバコ tobacco

才 ｖｓ オ (o) 才能 「さいのう」 talent オートバイ motorcycle (wasei: autobike)

千 ｖｓ チ (chi) 千 「せん」thousand 千葉県 「ちばけん」 Chiba prefecture チーズ cheese

Divination 卜「うらない」 that looks like ト (to) is also worth mentioning, but it’s rare and normally would be written as 占い anyway.

[bonsaiempire]

Pemphis Bonsai by Rudi Julianto from Indonesia

[similarjapanesewords]

Hello! I'm wondering if a step mother or adoptive mother can also be called okaasan or ofukuro? And is ofukuro a disrespectful term?

I honestly know nothing about this matter, I’m sorry!

[yorminroud]

If you’re adopted, you can call your mom お母さん or おふくろ just as you would do with your birth mother, there’s no difference!

おふくろ is not disrespectful, but only teen/adult males can use it when talking about their own mothers without it being weird.

For the sake of it, have a small motherhood-related vocabulary list:

生母（せいぼ）/実母（じつぼ）: Birth mother

養母（ようぼ）: Adoptive mother

継母（ままはは）: Stepmother

母親（ははおや）: Mother; used to talk about your mother with other people (more informal)

母（はは）: Mother; used to talk about your mother with other people (more polite)

おふくろ: Mother; used by adult males to talk about/address their own mother

お母さん（おかあさん）: Mother/mom; used to talk about other people’s mothers or to address your own mother

母さん（かあさん）: Mom; used to informally address your mother

ママ: Mommy; don’t use it if you’re an adult, you’ll sound creepy

If you’re a mother and you’re talking to your children, you may use お母さん or ママ instead of 私.

I’m not native, so if you see any mistakes, please point them out :)

[yorminroud]

後は野となれ山となれ （ あとはのとなれやまとなれ ）

After me the deluge, the future will take care of itself

Literally means:The future may hold valleys or mountains

[ohitoyoshi]

Japanese topsy-turvy words

Topsy-turvy… Yeah. Sounds dumb. IDK maybe there’s proper term for this. What I mean is a pair of words consisting of the same 2 kanji (with the same readings, mostly), only in a different order, like this:

日本 「にほん」 Japan 本日 「ほんじつ」 today

花火 「はなび」 fireworks 火花 「ひばな」 spark 

一万 「いちまん」 ten thousands 万一 「まんいち」 unlikely event, one in 10.000 chance 

会社 「かいしゃ」 company 社会 「しゃかい」 society

女子 「じょし」 girl 子女 「しじょ」 sons and daughters

父親 「ちちおや」 father 親父 「おやじ」 one’s father, old man

途中 「とちゅう」 on the way, midway 中途 「ちゅうと」 in the middle, half-way

階段 「かいだん」 stairs 段階 「だんかい」 level, phase

会議 「かいぎ」 conference, meeting 議会 「ぎかい」 congress, parliament

現実 「げんじつ」 reality, true fact 実現 「じつげん」 realization, materialization

海上 「かいじょう」 marine, by/at/on sea 上海 「しゃんはい」 Shanghai

苦痛 「くつう」 pain, agony 痛苦「つうく」 anguish

関連 「かんれん」 relation, relevance​ 連関 「れんかん」 relation, linkage​

形象 「けいしょう」 shape, figure 象形 「しょうけい」 hieroglyphics

[yorminroud]

悪事千里を走る （ あくじせんりをはしる）

Bad news travels fast.

Literally means: Evil deeds run a thousand ri (4000km/2500miles aprox)

[yorminroud]

今日は久しぶりに漢字を勉強してた。N1を受かりたいなら、一生懸命頑張るしかないよね…今の私だとN2さえ受からないと思う。

私はちょっと凝り性なので、 書き順、筆画、線の長さ、などなどに気を付けて、漢字を綺麗に書くまで何回も書き直す。こんなに長い間に全然練習しなかったから、今日の漢字は綺麗といえないけどしょうがない。これから、頑張りましょう！

Today I studied kanji for the first time in a (long) while. If I want to pass N1, I have to work really hard… Right now, I don’t think I’d even be able to pass N2.

Since I’m a perfectionist, I pay attention to the stroke order, type, lenght… And rewrite the kanjis over and over until I write them neatly. Since I haven’t practiced for so long, today’s kanjis don’t look neat, but there’s nothing else I can do. I’ll work hard from now on!

(I’m not native in either Japanese or English, so please correct me if you see any mistakes ^^)

[yorminroud]

I noticed there are a couple of difficult words, so I’ll make a list:

凝り性（こりしょう）: Meticulousness, obsession

書き順（かきじゅん）: Stroke order (in kanji)

筆画（ひっかく）: stroke type (in kanji)

And I think that’s it :)

[yorminroud]

今日は久しぶりに漢字を勉強してた。N1を受かりたいなら、一生懸命頑張るしかないよね…今の私だとN2さえ受からないと思う。

私はちょっと凝り性なので、 書き順、筆画、線の長さ、などなどに気を付けて、漢字を綺麗に書くまで何回も書き直す。こんなに長い間に全然練習しなかったから、今日の漢字は綺麗といえないけどしょうがない。これから、頑張りましょう！

Today I studied kanji for the first time in a (long) while. If I want to pass N1, I have to work really hard... Right now, I don’t think I’d even be able to pass N2.

Since I’m a perfectionist, I pay attention to the stroke order, type, lenght... And rewrite the kanjis over and over until I write them neatly. Since I haven’t practiced for so long, today’s kanjis don’t look neat, but there’s nothing else I can do. I’ll work hard from now on!

(I’m not native in either Japanese or English, so please correct me if you see any mistakes ^^)

[chintzmann]

Very proud to present this little piece I’ve been working on for my pattern portfolio. Hope you guys like it :)!

[wonderlartcafe]

Tsuchiya Koitsu, Shinobazu Pond, 1939.

[fujijada-deactivated20190307]

if you’re planning to go to japan and have never been before ( or wanna be prepared for the next trip ) , hun i’ve got some tips for u !! 

1. before you go to any country, you gotta learn their language. japanese is difficult, yes, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least brush up on basics. here’s some important phrases and the context you’d use em in:

こんにちは konnichiwa - hello [ used when you greet people ! be nice n say hello ! ]

はじめまして hajimemashite - hello | please take care of me | it’s nice to meet you [ this is used for when you meet someone for the first time. it’s a very polite term that show’s respect when you meet another person. ]

よろしくおねがいします yoroshikuonegaishimasu - please be kind to me | nice to meet you [ this is said after you finish your introduction. it has different meanings but it’s generally used as a polite form that shows humbleness. also this is used when you’re working with people. ]

ありがとう・ありがとうございます arigatou/arigatougozaimasu - thank you | thank you very much [ pretty much sayin thanks. in japan, i can’t express how important it is to show gratitude!! the last term is more formal - use this with people that you don’t know / are older than you / are of higher status ]

すみません sumimasen - excuse me | sorry [ honestly my most said word in japan. bump in to someone? sumimasen. want to get someones attention? sumimasen. interrupt people talking? sumimasen. block the way that someones looking? sumimasen. sumimasen the shit out of everything ok ]

どういたしまして douitashimashite - you’re welcome [ self explanatory? no there isn’t a shortened version ]

i guess i’ll go over a more extensive list in a later post! lemme know 

2. be punctual. whether it’s to meeting with friends or an event. but especially TRAINS. that train is going to leave without you and it’s going to leave at 2:14pm on the dot. the trains don’t have like interval times like every five minutes or ten minutes, so if that train is leaving one minute past the hour you better be there.

3. train etiquette. applies to public areas too. be quiet, avoid using loud conversation or giggling because the japanese are very aware of other people and the train is full of businessmen catching up on sleep, mothers taking care of their children, and students who are using the spare time to study. so it’s super important to be quiet !! also, when standing put your bag between your legs. the trains get cramped very fast, and you want to be able to fit as many people as possible. + when it’s super busy and you’re standing near the exit, get out so that people behind you can leave and once theyre gone quickly jump back in !

ごめんなさい gomenasai - sorry | excuse me

すみません sumimasen - sorry | excuse

ここですわってもいいですか？koko de suwattemoii desuka? - can i sit here?

すわってください suwatte kudasai - please sit

4. remember ya yen. this stuff gets confusing. the rule of thumb is to take two zeros off the amount of yen, that’s ( not exactly but it’ll do for easy conversion ) how much it is in dollars.

100 yen = 1 dollar

1000 yen = 10 dollars

10'000 yen = 100 dollars

100'000 yen = 1000 dollars

5. prepare yourself for the weather. i can only speak on behalf of the weather when i went. october - september is technically autumn, but it is humid as hell. it depends where you go , but tokyo at this time doesn’t seem to cool down in the evening so be prepared. here’s some weather related things you can ask

今日の天気はどうですか？ kyou no tenki ha doudesuka? - how is today’s weather?

さむい samui - cold

あつい atsui - hot

むしあつい mushiatsui - humid

6. buy your deodorant in your own country. you just can’t find it in japan ?

7. some clothes won’t fit. unless you’re super skinny, clothes are quite smaller compared to sizes in other countries. however, there are still some good finds !! my recommendation if you’re looking for clothes that will fit foreigners is to go to takeshi street in harajuku. there’s lots of vintage, thrifted and cool stores there that have more available sizes !!

8. keep coins on you at all times. there is a vending machine in japan for every 23rd person, which means at the end of most streets there will be one. try to play a game where you punch your friend every time you see one… just try it you’ll no longer have an arm

9. pack lightly. THERE’S SO MUCH AMAZING THINGS YOU’LL WANNA BUY AND HALF OF IT WILL BE JUNK BUT THATS OKAY.

10. tax. okay where i live they already put tax on the price but in japan they don’t. this means that “oh look its 300 yen” and you only brought 300 yen? lmao sike it’s probably going to be a bit over 300 yen. this happened to me so many times & i couldn’t be bothered and would whip out their 100 dollar note #rip100yenstoreclerk

11. you will get a lot of attention , some of which is unwanted. learn to master your “scary foreigner look” and don’t be afraid to whoop someone’s ass if they’re creepy. but also if nice people attempt to converse with you in english to improve their skills, be patient and nice. but if you don’t want any of the attention, say one of the following

だめ dame - stop | don’t do that | that’s not allowed

やめろう yamerou - lit. let’s stop | stop

たすけてください tasuketekudasai - please help me

12. know the location of your country’s embassy in japan. always.

13. transport is very easy if you get a PASMO or SUICA card. put money on these cards so that you can tag on and off buses and trains instead of having to pay a fare every time.

that’s all for my top tips !! if i have any more i will probably add them in the future but these are the most importants ones.

happy travelling ! がんばれ！

[yorminroud]

"やめろ" means someting like "fucking stop!!!!". I think the only time I've ever said that was when a drunk salaryman groped me in a club. It's very rude and sounds violent, so only use it in extreme cases. If you want someone to leave you alone, you can politely say "放っておいてください（ほうっておいてください）" or "一人にしてください". Both mean “leave me alone”.

Maybe you meant "やめよう"? This one does mean "let's stop", but it's colloquial language, though. If talking to a stranger, it’d be better to say “やめましょう”.

Bonus: When Japanese people try to practice their English with me and I don’t have the time, I just pretend I don’t speak English... It usually works.