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【No. 1740】DRAGON QUEST WALK

Sep 22, 2019 19:25
DRAGON QUEST WALK

On September 12th, SQUARE ENIX released a smartphone app, "DRAGON QUEST WALK" in Japan.

This game uses GPS location information like "Pokémon GO," and the purpose is to move to destinations or to fight against monsters.

It has already become a social phenomenon -- the number of downloads has exceeded five million only in one week.

Unfortunately, I feel that the number of smartphone zombies has also increased.

Incidentally, anywhere displayed on GoogleMap can be set as a destination of this game.

Several days ago, a screenshot that showed a gang office as the destination was uploaded on Twitter -- this fact caused controversy.
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【No. 1739】Tsuki (月 - Moon)

Sep 21, 2019 16:26
Tsuki

I like to see tsuki (月).

Tsuki (月) means "moon," and there are several theories about its etymology.

One theory says that it comes from the term tsugi (次ぎ), which means "next," because the moon is bright next to the sun.

Another theory says that it comes from tsuki/tsuki-ru (尽き/尽きる), which means "run out," because the brightness of the moon runs out once a month.

Incidentally, it was announced that the game "Moon" for PlayStation released in 1997 will be distributed on Switch next month, then it has become a hot topic in Japan.
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【No. 1738】A Difficult Riddle

Sep 20, 2019 11:10
A Difficult Riddle

Today I will give you a little difficult nazonazo (なぞなぞ - Riddle).

Q: 'Tanaka-san, Yamaguchi-san, Etō-sam, warau to chichioya ni naru no wa dare?' (田中さん、山口さん、江藤さん、笑うと父親になるのは誰？ - "Who will become a father when he laughs: Tanaka-san, Yamaguchi-san, or Etō-san?")

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The answer to this riddle is Etō-san (江藤さん - "Mr. Etō").

Warau (笑う - "laughing") can be rephrased as egao ni naru (笑顔になる - "becoming a smile").

In addition, egao ni naru (えがおになる) can be regarded as " e becomes o ," and if e of Etō-san becomes o, he will become otō-san (お父さん - "father").
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【No. 1737】Interesting Riddles Part 3

Sep 19, 2019 10:58
Interesting Riddles Part 3

Today I will give you two interesting Japanese nazonazo (なぞなぞ - "Riddle").

Q1: 'Machigai darake no mēru wa nanji ni todoku?' (間違いだらけのメールは何時に届く？ - "What time does a corrupt e-mail arrive?")

Q2: 'Sekai no chūshin ni iru mushi wa?' (世界の中心にいる虫は？ - "What a kind of insect that is at the center of the world?")

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The answer to Q1 is goji (5時 - "5 o'clock").

Because goji can be written in kanji as 誤字, which means "typo."

The answer to Q2 is ka (蚊 - "mosquito").

Because the central character of sekai (世界/せかい - "world") is ka (か - "mosquito").
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【No. 1735】Interesting Riddles Part 1

Sep 18, 2019 14:43
Interesting Riddles Part 1

Yesterday, I introduced the term nazonazo (なぞなぞ), which means "riddle."

Next, I would like to introduce some interesting Japanese riddles.

Question: 'Kame to rakuda to sai ga kaimono ni ikimashita. Nani wo kau deshō?' (カメとラクダとサイが買い物に行きました。何を買うでしょう？ - "A turtle, a camel, and a rhino went shopping. What would they buy?")

The answer is kamera (カメラ - "camera").

By combining kame (カメ - "turtle"), rakuda (ラクダ - "camel"), and sai (サイ - "rhino"), it becomes kamera kudasai (カメラ下さい - "Please give me a camera").
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【No. 1736】Interesting Riddles Part 2

Sep 18, 2019 19:56
Interesting Riddles Part 2

Today I will give you two famous/interesting Japanese nazonazo (なぞなぞ - "Riddle").

Q1: 'Hikkuri-kaeru to karuku naru dōbutsu wa?' (ひっくり返ると軽くなる動物は？ - "What is a kind of animal that becomes lighter when turning upside down?").

Q2: 'Kuroi inu to shiroi inu, docchi ga shizuka?' (黒い犬と白い犬、どっちが静か？ - "There are a black dog and white dog. Which is quieter?")

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The answer to Q1 is iruka (イルカ - "dolphin").

Because the reverse reading of it is karui (カルイ/軽い), which means "light."

The answer to Q2 is kuroi inu (黒い犬 - "black dog").

Because you can make the kanji 黙 (meaning "silent/silence") by combining 黒 (meaning "black") and 犬 (meaning "dog").
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【No. 1733】Ichihayaku (いち早く - ASAP)

Sep 17, 2019 15:18
Ichihayaku

When describing you do something quickly before anyone else, you can use the Japanese expression ichihayaku (いち早く).

People often think that Ichi (いち) can be written in kanji as 一, which means "one," but actually it is written as 逸, which means "remarkable" or "extraordinary."

In addition, hayaku (早く) means "fast" or "quick."

That is to say, ichihayaku means "extraordinarily fast/quick" or "ASAP."

For example, you can say kare wa ichihayaku kitaku shita (彼はいち早く帰宅した - "He went home before anyone else").
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【No. 1734】Nazonazo (なぞなぞ - Riddle)

Sep 17, 2019 16:05
Nazonazo

When I was a child, I liked nazonazo (なぞなぞ).

Nazonazo is a kind of games that someone says a problem statement including a hidden meaning and others try to guess that -- it is often translated into English as "riddle."

Nazo (なぞ/謎) means "mystery" or "enigma," and the term nazonazo was borne by repeating it.

I think that the most famous nazonazo in Japan is:

'Pan wa pan demo taberare-nai pan wa?' (パンはパンでも食べられないパンは？ - "What kind of bread you can't eat?")

The classic answer is furai-pan (フライパン - "frying pan").

Note that "bread" and "frying pan" are pan (パン) and furai-pan (フライパン) in Japanese, respectively.
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【No. 1732】Atarimaeda no Kurakkā (あたり前田のクラッカー)

Sep 14, 2019 11:43
Atarimaeda no Kurakkā

Two days ago, I introduced the term atarimae (当たり前), which means "of course" or "natural(ly)."

There is a famous old pun that uses atarimae -- it is atarimaeda no kurakkā (あたり前田のクラッカー).

This pun became popular due to a TV commercial that was broadcast in the 1960s by a Japanese confectionery company named Maeda Seika, which specializes in crackers and biscuits.

It was made by just connecting atarimae and Maeda no kurakkā (前田のクラッカー - "Maeda's Cracker") -- it has no profound meaning.

In the past, many people said atarimaeda no kurakkā instead of saying atarimae.
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【No. 1731】Kubi no Kawa Ichimai de Tsunagaru (首の皮一枚で繋がる - Hanging by a Thread)

Sep 13, 2019 20:54
Kubi no Kawa Ichimai de Tsunagaru

Today I would like to introduce a phrase that describes my current situation.

It is kubi no kawa ichimai de tsunagaru (首の皮一枚で繋がる).

Since kubi (首) means "neck," kawa (皮) means "skin," "ichimai" (一枚) means "one layer," and tsunagaru (繋がる) means "to connect," the literal meaning of this phrase is "one's neck is connected only with one layer of the skin."

You may think that such a situation where one's head and body are connected only with the skin is already hopeless.

However, actually, this phrase is used to mean that something is not over yet or someone hangs by a thread.
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【No. 1730】Atarimae (当たり前 - Of Course) Part 2

Sep 12, 2019 14:52
Atariame Part 2

This entry is a continuation of yesterday's post.

The other theory of atarimae (当たり前 - "of course/natural/obvious") is that it comes from the phonetic equivalent.

Since 当 and 前 can be read as tō and zen, respectively, the combination 当前 can be read as tōzen, and the phonetic equivalent term tōzen (当然) means "of course" or "by rights."

By using Japanese readings for 当前, the term atarimae (当たり前) was borne.

Incidentally, please be careful when you use atarimae, because it is often used sarcastically.
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【No. 1729】Atarimae (当たり前 - No Wonder) Part 1

Sep 11, 2019 17:38
Atarimae Part 1

When referring to something obvious or what everybody knows, you can use the Japanese term atarimae (当たり前).

There are two major theories about the etymology.

The first theory is that it comes from the terminology used by fishermen and farmers.

When dividing the fish or crops, they called the divided parts for others wakemae (分け前), and called the divided part for oneself torimae (取り前).

Also, the divided part per person was called atarimae (当たり前), because "per person" can be translated as hitori atari (一人当たり) in Japanese.

Since receiving atarimae is a legitimate right, it has come to the current meanings.
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【No. 1728】Uhauha (うはうは - Exhilarated)

Sep 10, 2019 13:24
Uhauha

When describing that someone is so happy and so excited, you can use the Japanese onomatopoeia uhauha (うはうは).

This term became popular because of a TV commercial of curry broadcast in 1970.

In the TV commercial, a man said nyōbō mo uhauha yorokobu yo (女房もウハウハ喜ぶよ), the literal meaning of this line is "my wife will also be happy with a feeling of uhauha."

In other words, this commercial wanted to say that the product would make wives happy because curry is inexpensive, delicious, and easy to make.
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【No. 1726】Internet Slang Terms for Expressing Laughing Part 2

Sep 9, 2019 16:26
Internet Slang Terms for Expressing Laughing Part 2

This entry is a continuation of yesterday's post.

The internet slang 「(笑)」, which express laughing, has undergone several changes.

For example, some people use 「ｗ」 or 「草」 instead of 「(笑)」.

「ｗ」 is short for warai/wara, which is the reading of 「笑」, and both have the same meaning.

If you want to express a loud laugh, you can use 「ｗ」 repeatedly, just like 「ｗｗｗｗ」.

Furthermore, since 「ｗｗｗｗ」 looks like grass, some people came to use 「草」(which means "glass" and is read as 'kusa') to mean laughing.
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【No. 1727】Rōnyaku Nan-nyo (老若男女 - "Men and Women of All Ages")

Sep 9, 2019 17:03
Rōnyaku Nan-nyo

The four-character idiom rōnyaku nan-nyo (老若男女) refers to men and women of all ages.

Rō (老) means "old," nyaku (若) means "young," nan (男) means "men" and nyo (女) means "women."

That is to say, rōnakyu nan-nyo literally means, everyone, young and old, men and women.

The idiom 男女 (meaning "men and women") is read as danjo, but its reading becomes nan-nyo only in this four-character idiom.

Actually, I do not like this idiom very much, because I cannot speak it smoothly -- I will say rōnaku nyan-no with a high probability.
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【No. 1724】Kaeru ga Naku kara Kaero (蛙が鳴くから帰ろ)

Sep 7, 2019 15:19
Kaeru ga Naku kara Kaero

One of the most famous traditional children's songs in Japan is kaeru ga naku kara kaero (蛙が鳴くから帰ろ).

Kaeru (蛙) means "frog," naku (鳴く) means "call/sing/croak," kara (から) is a causal conjunction, and kaero (帰ろ) means "(let's) go home."

That is to say, the literal meaning of this song is "let's go home because frogs are croaking."

Frogs are a nocturnal animal that begins to croak in the evening, so the sound can be a sign for the time that childrens go home.

In addition, this song is also a pun -- both kaeru (蛙 - "frog") and kaeru (帰る - "to go home") have the same sound.
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【No. 1725】Internet Slang Terms for Expressing Laughing Part 1

Sep 7, 2019 16:47
Internet Slang Terms for Expressing Laughing Part 1

On the internet, there are various slang terms that express laughing.

"Haha" and "lol (laugh out loud)" are often used in English, whereas 「(笑)」「ｗ」, and「草」 are used in Japan.

「(笑)」 has been the most commonly used to express laughing on the internet, and the kanji 笑 (read as 'warai/wara') literally means "laugh."

I enclosed 笑 in parentheses in the above, but you can also write just 笑 without parentheses.

Note that it is not good to use 笑 (without parentheses) next to other kanji characters, because it is not easy to read and understand.

To be continued.
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【No. 1723】Nen-nen Korori (ねんねんころり)

Sep 5, 2019 22:56
Nen-nen Korori

I think that the most well-known traditional lullaby in Japan is Edo Komoriuta (江戸子守唄 - "Edo Lullaby").

The lyrics are as follows:

Nen-nen kororiyo okororiyo bōya wa yoiko da nen-ne shina (ねんねんころりよ おころりよ ぼうやはよいこだ ねんねしな).

Here, Nen-nen/nen-ne (ねんねん/ねんね) means "sleep," korori (ころり) is an onomatopoeia expressing that something rolls, bōya (ぼうや) means "boy," and yoiko (よいこ) means "good child."

That is to say, this lullaby means "sleep, roll, roll (lie down), you are good boy, so sleep."

If you are interested in the melody of this lullaby, please check it on YouTube.
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【No. 1722】Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu (お先に失礼します - Excuse Me for Leaving before You)

Sep 4, 2019 17:38
Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu

Today I would like to introduce a useful phrase that you can use when going home before your boss or colleagues leave.

It is osaki ni shitsurei shimasu (お先に失礼します).

Since osaki (お先) means "first/early," shitsurei (失礼) means "rudeness," and shimasu (します) is a polite expression of "do."

Here, osaki implies that you go home (or do something) before someone.

That is to say, this phrase can be interpreted as "I am going to do a rude action of going home before you, please forgive me."
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【No. 1720】Mawaranai Sushi (回らない寿司) Part 2

Sep 3, 2019 16:34
Mawaranai Sushi Part 2

This entry continues from yesterday's one.

The name of kaiten zushi (回転寿司 - the literal meaning is "rotating sushi") was derived from the fact that sushis are placed on a conveyor and go around in the restaurant.

Restaurants of kaiten zushi often serve sushi made with machines, so Japanese people usually have a cheap image of such restaurants.

Because of this, sushi made by sushi chefs are sometimes described as mawaranai sushi (回らない寿司 - the literal meaning is "not rotating sushi"); in other words, it implies high-class sushi.

Incidentally, kaiten zushi is translated into English as "conveyor belt sushi," "sushi-go-round" or "sushi train."