Japanese Language Questions? Ask Here.

ASZSephiroth wrote:There's a nihonjin word that means "How are you - Dochira", but one of my friends who knows the language inside and outside tells me that it's a term used for 'where'. Is she wrong or is this site wrong?

"dochira" means "which"

Thanks! That all I wanted to know. Please lock.

ASZSephiroth wrote:Thanks! That all I wanted to know. Please lock.

no problem...by the way...and i don't mean this to be critical or disparaging in the least bit but....

the word nihonjin means "japanese person/people" you don't really use it as an adjective to qualify another noun. :sweat:

I'm a novice in the language. I have no teacher to help me with things like that.

ASZSephiroth wrote:I'm a novice in the language. I have no teacher to help me with things like that.

no worries...just droppin' a friendly hint....

nihon = japan jin = person

Thanks I apprecite the friendly hint! *bows*

ASZSephiroth wrote:Thanks I apprecite the friendly hint! *bows*

no need to thank me...i truly was not trying to be critical but merely pass along a bit of understanding that i've picked up along the way :mrgreen:

This thread is merge-a-licious! :beaten:

‘‰¤š

What are other ways of saying "bye" in Japanese? From watching jdramas, i could discern at least 2 more but i've no idea how to write it.

SolitaryShell wrote:What are other ways of saying "bye" in Japanese? From watching jdramas, i could discern at least 2 more but i've no idea how to write it.

There are a bunch of ways.

Many variations along the lines of "de wa mata": jya mata, jya, jya ne, mata ashita, mata kondo ... These are like "see you again", "see you tomorrow", "see you next time".

Sayonara - literally it means "if it is so", allegedly from the dialog of samurai changing of the guard: "is everything ok?", "yes", "if it is so, bye...", it came to be used for "goodbye".

Also, somewhat more rarely used: abayo, (o)saraba, bai-bai

I like abayo.

ASZSephiroth wrote:There's a nihonjin word that means "How are you - Dochira"

I'm fine, thanks for asking. :rofl:

believe it or don't, i've been waiting for you to post that... :rofl:

krim wrote:believe it or don't, i've been waiting for you to post that... :rofl:

Well I can't disappoint now, can I?

What's the difference between "watakushi" and "watashi"? Is "watakushi" like more humble?

"watakushi" is just a very formal way of saying i/me.

Oh I see. Thanks.

š wrote:

There are a bunch of ways.

Many variations along the lines of "de wa mata": jya mata, jya, jya ne, mata ashita, mata kondo ... These are like "see you again", "see you tomorrow", "see you next time".

Sayonara - literally it means "if it is so", allegedly from the dialog of samurai changing of the guard: "is everything ok?", "yes", "if it is so, bye...", it came to be used for "goodbye".

Also, somewhat more rarely used: abayo, (o)saraba, bai-bai

I like abayo.

so saraba means goodbye?? man, thanks! i have been searching for the meaning of that word but i couldn't find it anywhere :crazy: i just have one question.. i've been wondering.. can we shorten -yuku to just -ku? for example "aruite yuku" to "aruiteku"??

kurokage wrote:so saraba means goodbye?? man, thanks! i have been searching for the meaning of that word but i couldn't find it anywhere :crazy:

Have you tried the dictionary on this site? :) (Lots of people don't seem to use the search box on the top right of the pages here at jdorama, but if you pull down the menu that starts with "Drama", you'll find a "JDict", which is a nice Japanese <-> English dictionary.)

i just have one question.. i've been wondering.. can we shorten -yuku to just -ku? for example "aruite yuku" to "aruiteku"??

Yes, I believe the helper verb yuku (iku) can lose its initial syllable in informal speech.

I was wondering what the pronunciation is of these two kanji together:

–[@‚Ó‚³@(fusa)
•R@‚Ђà (himo)

so when you write it like this:

–[•R

is it 'fusahimo' or is it different?

thnx in advance for the answer!

X-U wrote:I was wondering what the pronunciation is of these two kanji together [...]–[•R[...]is it 'fusahimo' or is it different?

Not really sure. I checked a couple of online dictionaries and didn't find that word. But I did a google.co.jp search and found a few pages that seem to indicate that it is, indeed, "fusahimo". Here is one example.