December 10, 2010

Japanese Proverbs - Examples

The Japanese language is filled with proverbs of all sorts, many from classical references from ancient Chinese to modern versions of English proverbs, all used in every aspect of the language. Whether you are traveling to Japan for fun or on business, or are living there, you'll find proverbs indispensible to understanding and using the daily language. Browse below to find the ones you want or simply explore the many possible ways to express yourself in Japanese.


合縁奇縁
[あいえんきえん, aien kien] shared bond, mysterious bond (lit.: shared/mutual fate/destiny/bond, strange/mysterious fate/destiny/bond. This phrase is a classical yojijukugo (a four-character idiom in the style of classical Chinese) used to refer to the mysteries of attraction and relationships between men and women; perhaps also between men and men, or women and women, though no such usage has been seen classically).

挨拶は時の氏神
[あいさつはときのうじがみ, aisattsu wa toki no ujigami] arbitration during a quarrel is a gift from the gods (lit.: a greeting is a a local diety who turns up at the right time). Note that here the word 挨拶 is used to mean arbitration rather than its usual meaning of greeting. The word 氏神 refers to a local diety, usually of a town or village.

空いた口に牡丹餅
[あいたくちにぼたもち, aita kuchi ni botamochi] an unexpected windfall; a sudden gain (lit.: a bean-jam cake[falling] into an open mouth)

相手のない喧嘩はできぬ
[あいてのないけんかはできぬ, aite no nai kenka wa dekinu] you cannot have a fight alone; it takes two to tango (lit.: a fight without a partner cannot be had; i.e.: conflict requires other people, though perhaps this ignores internal conflict; Japanese culture places great emphasis on group harmony, so often an individual will walk away from a possilbe conflict, which is the embdiment of this proverb)

会うは別かりの始まり
[あうはわかりのはじまり, au nowa wakari no hajimari] to meet is the beginning of parting (n.b.: this sentiment expresses a Buddhist idea common in Japan about the transience of all things)

秋茄子は嫁に食わすな
[あきなすはよめのくわすな, akinasu wa yome ni kuwansuna] do not let your daughter-in-law eat autumn eggplants (n.b.: this refers to the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, a traditionally poor one, and that a mean mother-in-law would not share one with her dauhter-in-law)

悪因悪果
[あくいんあっか, akuin akka] you reap what you sow (lit.: bad causes bring bad results; n.b.: this is a Buddhist sentiment, one that emphasizes the idea of karmic retribution)

悪妻は六十年の不作
[あくさいはろくじゅうねんのふさく, akusai wa rokujuu-nen no fusaku] a bad wife is a shipwreck of the house; a bad wife is the ruin of her husband (lit.: a bad wife is a poor harvest for sixty years; note that this proverb is also used with 100 years as well)

悪事千里をはしる
[あくじせんりをはしる, akuji senri o hashiru] bad news travels fast; bad new has wings (lit.: bad new runs one thousand "ri" [about 2.44 miles], a traditional measure of distance in Japan)

朝起きは三文の得
[あさおきはさんもんのとく, asaoki wa sanmon no toku] early rising makes three mon of profit; early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise

朝起きは七つの得あり
[あさおきはななつのとくあり, asaoki wa nanatsu no toku ari] the early bird catches the worm; early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise (lit.: early rising has seven advantages)

朝茶柱がたつと縁起がいい
[あさちゃばしらがたつとえんぎがいい, asacha-bashira ga tatsu to engi ga ii] a tea leaf floating upright in a cup in the morning means good fortune (an ancient Japanese superstition; recall that even today Japanese make tea using leaves, not tea bags, and that reading tea leaves is still a common practice among fortune tellers worldwide)

朝爪を切れば日に恥をかく
[あさつめをきればひにはじをかく, asa tsume o kireba hi ni haji o kaku] if you trim your nails in the morning, you will be put to shame that day (an ancient Japanese superstition )

朝の紅顔、夕べの白骨
[あさのこうがん、ゆうべのはっこつ, asa no kougan, yuube no hakkou] a rosy face in the morning, white bones in the evening; today red, tomorrow dead (this expresses the frailty of life)

明日のことをいうと天井の鼠が笑う
[あしたのことをいうとてんじょうのねずみがわらう, ashita no koto o iu to tenjou no nezumi ga warau] if you speak of tomorrow, the rats in the ceiling will laugh (i.e.: prediction is difficult, especially about the future, as Niels Bohr said)

明日は明日の風が吹く
[あしたはあしたのかぜがふく, ashita wa ashita no kaze ga fuku] tomorrow is a new day (lit.: on the morrow the winds of tomorrow will blow)

足の裏が痒いのはいい前兆
[あしのうらがかゆいのはいいぜんちょう, ashi no ura ga kayui no wa ii zenchou] an itch on the bottom of your foot is a good omen (an old Japanese superstition whose origins remain elusive)

明日は明日、今日は今日
[あすはあす、きょうはきょう, ashita wa ashita, kyo wa kyou] tomorrow is tomorrow, today is today (i.e.: focus on this day now, and think or worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes)

明日は雨、人は泥棒
[あすはあめ、ひとはどろぼう, asu wa ame, hito ha dorobou] tomorrow will see rain, and people are thieves (i.e.: be careful with people and things; they can be unpredictable)

遊び人暇なし
[あそびにんひまなし, asobi-nin ni hima nashi] pleasure seekers have no leisure (i.e.: their time is consumed by all their activities)

頭隠して尻隠さず
[あたまかくしてしりかくさず, atama kakushite shiri kakusazu] partly hide one's faults, to; make like an ostrich, to (lit.: hide the head but not the buttocks)

頭の大きい人は運がいい
[あたまのおおきいひとはうんがいい, atama no ookii hito wa un ga ii] destiny awaits a man with a big head; a person with a large head will have good fortunate (an ancient superstition in Japan, akin to European phrenology)

頭の休養、目の正月
[あたまのきゅうよう、めのしょうがつ, atama no kyuuyou, me no shougatsu] very interesting, intriguing, fascinating (lit.: a vacation for the head and New Year's celebration for the eyes)

当たるも八卦当たらぬも八卦
[あたるもはっけあたらぬもはっけ, ataru mo hakke, ataranu mo hakke] fortune telling is random (lit.: getting it right is fate, and getting it wrong is also fate; i.e.: the future is uncertain, and fortune telling will sometimes be right and often be wrong)

仇は恩で奉ぜよ
[あだはおんでほうぜよ, ada wa on de bouzyo] return good for evil (lit.: repay your enemy with a favor)

暑さ寒さも彼岸まで
[あつささむさもひがんまで, atsusa samusa mo higan made] both heat and cold last only until the equinox (n.b.: the equinox is the boundary between the warmer and colder halves of the year, so this proverb implies that summer heat, which can be stifling in Japan, and winter cold, which can be brutal, both will pass with time)

痘痕も笑窪
[あばたもえくぼ, abata mo ekubo] love is blind; pimples become dimples [when in love] (n.b.: the entire sayings goes 惚れてしまえば、痘痕も笑窪 [horete shimaeba, abata mo ekubo], meaning that when one is smitten, pockmarks or other defects become dimples or something else appealing)

危ない事は怪我のうち
[あぶないことはけがのうち, abunai koto wa kega no uchi] to knowingly flirt with danger invites injury (lit.: dangerous things are harm to oneself; i.e.: you have to take responsiblity for attempting something risky)

虻蜂取らず
[あぶはちとらず, abu hachi torazu] fail by being too eager, to; he that grasps too much holds fast nothing (lit.: catch neither the horsefly nor the wasp)

甘いものに蟻
[あまいものにあり, amai mono ni ari] what brings profits attracts people; you can attrack more flies with honey than with vinegar (lit.: ants go to sweet things; i.e.: you have to draw people in with something appealing)

余り物には福がある
[あまりものにはふくがある, amari mono ni fuku ga aru] one man's garbage is another man's treasure (lit.: leftovers can bring good fortune; i.e.: you never know what use something may eventually have)

阿弥陀の光も金次第
[あみだのひかりもかねしだい, amida no hikari mo kane shidai] no penny, no paternoster (lit.: the light of Amida Buddha is given in proportion to the gold offered by the supplicant)

網の魚
[あみのうお, ami no uo] a fish in a net (i.e.: a person who will be captured soon)

雨降って地固まる
[あめふってちかたまる, ame futte chi katamaru] the calm after the storm; strength through hardship; what does not kill you makes you stronger (lit.: after rain falls, the ground hardens; i.e.: difficulties and challenges can lead to greater strength than before they started)

争いには声高の者が勝つ
[あらそいにはこわだかのものがかつ, arasoi niwa takagoe ga katsu] in a quarrel the louder person wins (in other words, reason and right have nothing to do with winning an argument; shouting and screaming determine the victor)

あるはなきに勝る
[あるはなきにまさる, aru wa naku ni masaru] anything is better than nothing (lit.: to have[something] is better than nothing)

合わせもの、離れもの
[あわせもの、はなれもの, awase mono, hanare mono] what may be joined may be separated. (this is a Buddhist view of the world, commenting on the transience of all phenomena, including human relations)

案じるより生むはやすい
[あんじるよりうむはやすいむ, anjiru yori umu wa yasui] giving birth is easier than when planned; all things are difficult before they seem easy; the paralysis of analysis (lit.: bringing something forth is easier than planning it; i.e.: doing something often turns out to be easier than it seemed beforehand)
  
From: www.languagerealm.com

October 26, 2010

Accent: How to develop a Japanese accent

Q: I have a question how do u develope the Japanese accent? u sound so cool when you speak japanese   - rika

A: Thank you!  It just depends how you learn.  If you learn from a book or use roman abc letters then there’s a very good chance you’ll have a horrible accent.  It’ll probably sound good to you or your friends, but not so in Japan!

I guess the key is to just listen to lots and lots of real Japanese and learn to speak it by copying what you hear, rather than trying to read and speak it.

One other really fantastic trick I use is to really mickey take the accent of the language I’m learning.
For example, speak an English phrase, but then say it in the thickest most stereotypical Japanese accent you can possibly imagine.  Really, really go over the top.   Then try saying it in Japanese with the same ultra thick accent. You’ll think it sounds silly, but it really, really works!

Having said that unlike say Italian or French where the stereotypical accent is still current, be careful you don’t copy a Japanese “samurai style” accent because no-one speaks like that anymore, as I found from experience!
Instead get a favourite anime character, or even better a Japanese TV comedian, and really try and imitate their accent.

When you speak, speak like you are that person, really get in their head and speak just like they do.  Copy their face and body language as well  This will really, really help!

Be genki,
Richard
From: learnjapanesefaq.com

October 18, 2010

Accent: Katakana - Part 1

Surfing the web, just came across "Richard's website" and found this great fun for listening enhancement.

Have fun:



I suggest you to have a look at my "Katakana posts" for more information...

October 16, 2010

Japanese Proverbs - An Intro

Kotowaza
 
A Japanese proverb (諺, ことわざ kotowaza) may take the form of:
  • a short saying (言い習わし iinarawashi),
  • an idiomatic phrase (慣用句 kan'yōku), or
  • a four-character idiom (四字熟語 yojijukugo).

Although "proverb" and "saying" are practically synonymous, the same cannot be said about "idiomatic phrase" and "four-character idiom". Not all kan'yōku and yojijukugo are proverbial.

For instance, the kan'yōku 狐の嫁入り kitsune no yomeiri (Literally: a fox's wedding. Meaning: a sun-shower) and the yojijukugo 小春日和 koharubiyori (Literally: small spring weather. Meaning: Indian summer – warm spring-like weather in early winter) are not proverbs.

To be considered a proverb, a word or phrase must express a common truth or wisdom; it cannot be a mere noun.

Usage

The Japanese love proverbs and use them frequently in their everyday life, often citing just the first part of a well-known phrase in an effort to be brief. For example, one might say I no naka no kawazu (井の中の蛙 a frog in a well?) to refer to the proverb I no naka no kawazu, taikai o shirazu (井の中の蛙、大海を知らず a frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean).

The heavy employment of proverbs enables Japanese language to be compact, quick and simple. Evidence might be found in Japanese animation and manga, but also appears in news and cultural programs, and in much fiction.

Examples of Japanese proverbs

Sayings

  • 案ずるより産むが易し。
    • Anzuru yori umu ga yasushi.
    • Literally: Giving birth to a baby is easier than worrying about it.
    • Meaning: Fear is greater than the danger. / An attempt is sometimes easier than expected.
  • 出る杭は打たれる。
    • Deru kui wa utareru.
    • Literally: The stake that sticks up gets hammered down.
    • Meaning: If you stand out, you will be subject to criticism.
  • 知らぬが仏
    • Shiranu ga hotoke.
    • Literally: Not knowing is Buddha.
    • Meaning: Ignorance is bliss. / What you don't know can't hurt you.
  • 見ぬが花
    • Minu ga hana.
    • Literally: Not seeing is a flower.
    • Meaning: Reality can't compete with imagination.

Idiomatic phrases

  • 猫に小判 neko ni koban
    • Literally: giving money to a cat
    • Meaning: casting pearls before swine / Giving something of value to a recipient that does not value it
  • 七転び八起き nanakorobi yaoki
    • Literally: fall seven times and stand up eight
    • Meaning: When life knocks you down, stand back up / Keep trying.
  • 猿も木から落ちる Saru mo ki kara ochiru
    • Literally: Even monkeys fall from trees
    • Meaning: Anyone can make a mistake.

Four-character idioms

  • 十人十色 jūnin toiro
    • Literally: ten persons, ten colors
    • Meaning: To each his own. / Different strokes for different folks.
  • 悪因悪果 akuin akka
    • Literally: evil cause, evil effect / bad causes bring bad results
    • Meaning: Sow evil and reap evil. / You reap what you sow.
    • Note: this is a Buddhist sentiment that emphasizes the idea of karmic retribution.
  • 弱肉強食 jaku niku kyō shoku
    • Literally: The weak are meat; the strong eat.
    • Meaning: Survival of the fittest.

Source: Wikipedia