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【No. 1119】Arienai (ありえない - I Can't Believe It)

Jan 10, 2018 14:43
Young people these days often say ありえない (arienai) when incredible things happen or they are in trouble.

Originally, ありえない (arienai) is a negative form of ありえる (arieru), which means that something is possible to happen.

Therefore, the original meaning of ありえない (arienai) is that something is impossible to happen or something cannot exist.

If something that cannot happen happens, it will be an incredible thing.

Also, such incredible things can cause a troubling situation.

Because of this, it seems that ありえない (arienai) has come to mean "I can't believe it" or "I'm in trouble."
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【No. 1118】Kaki no Tane (柿の種)

Jan 9, 2018 11:28
I'm now eating 柿の種 (kaki no tane), which is one of famous Japanese rice snacks.

柿 (kaki) means "persimmon" and 種 (tane) means "seed," so the literal meaning of 柿の種 is "seeds of a persimmon."

The etymology of "kaki no tane" is very simple -- it is because the shape of this snack is similar to seeds of a persimmon.

It is an orange color, is a bit spicy, and peanuts are often included in the same bag together.

Also, it is often served as a snack with alcohol.

When you come to Japan, please try it once.
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【No. 1117】Kaeru no Ko wa Kaeru (蛙の子は蛙 - Like Father, Like Son)

Jan 8, 2018 21:07
Yesterday, I talked about an idiom related to a parent tiger and its cub.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to a Japanese proverb related to a frog parent and its child; 蛙の子は蛙 (kaeru no ko wa kaeru).

蛙 (kaeru) means "frog" and 子 (ko) means "child," so the literal meaning of this proverb is "a flog child is a frog."

Larvae of frogs, tadpoles, are not similar to their parents, but as they grow up they will finally change to look like their parents, frogs.

Because of this, "kaeru no ko wa kaeru" is used to mean that the nature/ability of a child resemble his/her parents.

However, note that this proverb often contains a bad meanings, which is something like that if parents are ordinary persons, their child will be ordinary.
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【No. 1116】Tora no Ko (虎の子 - Precious Thing)

Jan 7, 2018 14:30
Do you have any important things that you never want to let go?

Such things are called 虎の子 (tora no ko) in Japanese.

虎 (tora) means "tiger" and 子 (ko) means "child," so the literal meaning of the combination is "tiger's child."

This term comes from the fact that a mother tiger cherishes her child.

In fact, general feline animals nurture their children for three to six months after they were born, whereas tigers nurture their children for eighteen to twenty-four months.

Incidentally, "tra no ko" can refer to money that has been saved, and then it's translated as "nest egg" in English.
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【No. 1115】Ice-cream Headache

Jan 6, 2018 18:25
I have a terrible headache.

There are various kind of headache, and one of which is called "ice-cream headache" or "cold-stimulus headache."

This headache refers to a headache that occurs during a few minutes immediately after eating cold food such as ice cream.

Various studies related to the ice-cream headache have been conducted, but because of the short symptom, the onset mechanism has not been elucidated yet.

There are two widely accepted theories about the cause of the ice-cream headache.

One is says that when the temperature in your oral cavity sharply decreases, the blood vessel leading to the head will expand reflexively in order to raise your body temperature.

The other says that when the trigeminal nerve of your throat is stimulated with a cold thing, a transmission signal is generated, and your brain misunderstands it as joint pain.
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【No. 1114】Namae (名前 - Name)

Jan 5, 2018 17:44
Almost everything has 名前 (namae).

名前 (namae) is a term given to a thing or person, and is used for identification.

Since 前 (mae) is a term that means "organized," "complete," or "formal," you can say just 名 (na) instead of 名前 (namae).

There is a theory about the etymology about 名 (na) -- it comes from 音 (ne), which means "sound" -- but whether or not it's true is unclear.

Incidentally, a Japanese animated film 君の名は (Kimi no Na Wa - Your Name) was broadcast via television two days ago.

It was a very impressive movie.

【No. 1113】U-Turn Rush

Jan 4, 2018 13:50
Ive been staying at my parents house in Aichi prefecture since last Friday.

Unfortunately, I have to go back to Tokyo by tonight because I have work tomorrow.

Originally, I planned to drive to Tokyo yesterday in order to have leeway, but I watched the news about "U-turn rush" and stopped departing.

"U-turn rush" means a crowded situation that occurs when people who have come to their parents' home go back (u-turn) to Tokyo for work.

The highway that I planned to use seemed to have a 31 kilometers long traffic jam.

Since many Japanese do their work from today, not only roads but also trains were very crowded yesterday.

Today I will drive on unoccupied highways in comfort.
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【No. 1112】Otoshidama (お年玉 - New Year's Gift Money)

Jan 3, 2018 15:35
There is a kind of New Year events called お年玉 (otoshidama), which is important for children.

Otoshidama refers to money that is given by adults to children when starting the New Year.

It is said that this tradition comes from the fact that 鏡餅 (kagami mochi - round rice cake) preparing for welcoming 歳神 (toshigami - Shinto God) were given to children
as 年玉 (toshidama) after fulfilling the role.

Here, the literal meanings of 年 (toshi) and 玉 (dama/tama) are "year" and "ball," respectively.

There are several theories about the etymology of toshidama -- one says that it comes from 年の賜物 (toshi no tamamono - year's gift), and another sayd that it comes from 年の魂 (toshi no tamashii - year's soul).
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【No. 1111】Kakizome (書き初め)

Jan 2, 2018 16:32
On January 2nd in various places of Japan, a traditional event called 書き初め (kakizome) is held.

The 書き (kaki) means "to write," the 初め (some/zome) means "beginning," and this term means "art of writing using a brush and ink for the first time in the New Year."

Originally, kakizome was a ritual held at the imperial court, but it has spread among common people since the Edo period.

Also, to begin something on January 2nd is called 事始め (kotohajime - beggining things), and it's believed that it's easy to improve what you begin on that day.

That is to say, kakizome is conducted to improve your calligraphy skill.
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【No. 1110】Zorome (ゾロ目 - Repdigit)

Jan 1, 2018 16:56
Happy New Year.

Today is January 1st, and this is 1111th post.

When same numbers line up like this, it is called ゾロ目 (zorome) in Japanese.

"Zorome" was created by emphasizing the word, 揃い目 (soroime).

Here, the 揃い (soroi) means "to much up" or "to get together," and the 目 (me) means "pips of a dice."

Because of this, "zorome" originally meant that two dices show the same number.

These days, it has come to mean that same numbers line up.

Incidentally, there is no perfect power in zorome natural numbers composed of two or more digits (e.g., 111, 3333).
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【No. 1109】New Year's Eve Events

Dec 31, 2017 17:26
In my post just one year ago, I wrote about that December 31st is called 大晦日 "omisoka" in Japanese.
http://lang-8.com/kanotown/journals/224394078701397240103991911399205800908

Today, as I declared in the post, I will introduce you to a Japanese traditional event held in omisoka.

It is 除夜の鐘 (joya no kane), the literal meaning of which is a temple bell of December 31st night.

In this event, the temple bell is struck 108 times across midnight.

It is said that the reason is because people have 108 earthly desires, and they are purified by striking the bell.

Also, 年越しそば (toshikoshi soba) is another famous traditional event held in omisoka.

I told you about it in the following post.
http://lang-8.com/kanotown/journals/56610173602368085034687509221862048814
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【No. 1108】Toshi no Se (年の瀬 - The End of the Year)

Dec 30, 2017 20:00
The end of the year is sometimes referred to as 年の瀬 (toshi no se) in Japanese.

The 年 (toshi) means "year" and the 瀬 (se) means "shallow area of a river."

Since the flow of water becomes faster in the shallow area of the river, it's difficult to cross over there by ship.

On the other hand, many Japanese people in the Edo period often used money on deferred payments, and they settled these bills at the end of the year.

By comparing such a rush at the end of the year with a shallow area of a river, this term 年の瀬 (toshi no se) was born.
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【No. 1107】New Year Holidays

Dec 29, 2017 15:08
Today I'd like to tell you the information about New Year holidays in Japan.

According to a survey conducted by a Japanese company, the most common last business day for Japanese workers in 2017 is today, December 29th.

This is because December 29th, 2017 is Friday.

Also, the most common first business day in 2018 seems to be January 4th.

That is to say, New Year holidays are five to six days for many Japanese workers.

Saturday and Sunday are included in them, so the actual holidays that are given specially for New Year are about three days.

I thought that this number is small, but I found that it was more than holidays of the US.
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【No. 1106】Mochi (餅 - Rice Cake)

Dec 28, 2017 21:04
Today I did 餅つき (mochitsuki).

Mochitsuki is a traditional Japanese event that people make 餅 (mochi - rice cake) -- I explained about that just one year ago in the following entry.
http://lang-8.com/kanotown/journals/76091474305243240897493045035997627438

Today, I'd like to talk about one accepted theory about the reason why Japanese people eat mochi on New Year holidays.

The theory says that it comes from 歯固めの儀 (hagatame no gi - teeth hardening ritual), which was held during the Heian period.

In this ritual, people ate hard food from January 1st to 3rd in order to make their teeth strong, while wishing for longevity and health.

Here mochi were used as hard food.
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【No. 1105】Hara wo Waru (腹を割る - Heart to Heart)

Dec 27, 2017 12:23
Sometimes it is important to talk with someone heart to heart.

To lay one's heart bare like this is expressed as 腹を割る (hara wo waru) in Japanese.

The 腹 (hara) means "stomach" and the 割る (waru) means "to split," so the literal meaning of idiom is "to split one's stomach."

Before the age of science, people seemed to believe that one’s stomach thought things, and one’s heart (mind) was located in the stomach.

Because of this, 腹を割る (hara wo waru - to split one's stomach) has come to mean to talk heart to heart.
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【No. 1104】Yakatabune (屋形船 - Houseboat)

Dec 26, 2017 17:07
I'd like to take a 屋形船 (yakatabune) someday.

屋形船 means a Japanese style boat that is equipped with a roof and tatami mats, and it is mainly used for enjoying meals and sightseeing while cruising.

Here the 屋形 (yakata) means a mansion of nobles and the 船 (fune/bune) means a boat/ship.

Formerly, 屋形船 was used by nobles for enjoying cherry blossom viewing, moon viewing, and fireworks.

These days everyone can enjoy 屋形船, but the cost to reserve it is expensive, so it's not easy to take it.

If you have time, check for "yakatabune" or "屋形船" on Google Images.
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【No. 1103】Kuri Bocchi (クリぼっち)

Dec 25, 2017 12:40
Merry Christmas.

Have you ever heard the Japanese term クリぼっち (kuri bocchi)?

This is a slang term born on the Internet, which means to spend Christmas on your own.

The etymology is very simple -- クリぼっち (kuri bocchi) is a compound word of the クリスマス (kurisumasu - Christmas) and the ひとりぼっち (hitori bocchi - loneliness).

Since it's a standard to spend Christmas with a lover in Japan, even if you spend with your family, it may be called クリぼっち.

Incidentally, I will work at the university until late at night as usual.
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【No. 1102】Yoi Otoshi wo (良いお年を)

Dec 24, 2017 14:16
This year will be over in about a week.

There is a Japanese parting greeting that is used only during this time of year.

It is 良いお年を (yoi otoshi wo).

The 良い (yoi) means "good" and the お年 means "year."

This expression is short for 良いお年をお迎えください (yoi otoshi wo omukae kudasai), where the お迎えください (omukae kudasai) means something like "to wish you a prosperous something."

I think that the most similar English expression to 良いお年を is "Have a happy new year."

【No. 1101】Bounenkai (忘年会)

Dec 23, 2017 12:22
During this time of year, a lot of 忘年会 (bounenkai) are held in Japan.

A bounenkai is a drinking party that is held at the end of the year, in order to forget the past year.

There is no religious meaning or particular style.

The 忘 (bou) means "to forget," the 年 (nen) means "year," and the 会 (kai) means "party," so 忘年会 (bounenkai) literally means "forget the part year party."

I think that End of the Year Party is very similar to bounenkai.

Incidentally, today I will participate in a bounenkai - this is the third time this week.
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【No. 1100】Mizu wo Sasu (水を差す - Casting a Damper)

Dec 22, 2017 21:38
Yesterday, I introduced you to the Japanese expression 話の腰を折る
(hanashi no koshi wo oru), which means to interrupt others when theyare talking.

Today I'd like to talk about the similar expression, 水を差す (mizu wo sasu).

The 水 (mizu) means "water" and the 差す (sasu) means "to put in/pour," so the literal meaning of this expression is "to put water in something."

If you put water in hot water or tasty dish, they will become tepid or thin, then they can be ruined.

Because of this, 水を差す (mizu wo sasu) has come to be used the currect meaning.