| Japanese |
English
Equivalent |
| amari kowakunai n desu |
Not very scary
the amari means *very* and is used with negative sentences. The n just before
desu is often used when explaining something |
| Tokui |
Forte, specialization |
| Matane |
See you again soon! |
Tomodaichi
Tomo |
Friend |
| Otomodaichi |
Best Friend
otomodati ni naritai des - become best friends |
| Naritai |
Become |
| Sumimasen, nanji des ka? |
Excuse me, what time is it? |
| New York was ima janji des ka? |
What time is it in New York now? |
| Nanimo arimasenga, dozo
meshiagatte kudasai |
It's nothing really, but please
help yourselves (A host tries as much as possible to entertain his guests,
while the guests try to remain as reserved and polite as they can.) |
| Mokari makka? |
Do you get much money? |
| Ma bochi bochi |
So-so |
| Dochirae? |
Where are you going? |
| Chotto soko made |
Just over there |
| Honno tsumaranai monodesuga... |
This is only a little something,
but... (when giving a gift, politeness) |
| fuyuki todoki no ten |
sorry that the service has been so
poor |
| nanimo okamai dekinai koto |
excusing our poor hospitality |
| kata no ni |
troubles are called this - load of
the shoulder - A monkey on your back :) |
| Omamori |
Lucky Charm |
| Sei |
Family Name |
| Na |
First Name |
| Sensei |
Teacher |
| Gochisosama |
Old men often call their wives
"Gusai" (foolish wife), or speak about them in a very humble
way. When a married couple praise each other in front of a third person,
it is a way of expressing their affection. When they do this, people
around them feel sweet and say "Gochisosama" (Good taste), as if
they ate a delicious dish. |
| Sumimasen |
Excuse me, I'm sorry |
| Issho ni kuro shite kuremasen ka |
Won't you please share the
difficulties of life with me? Instead of saying "Love" or
"Ai" |
| sempai |
Senior |
| Kohai |
Junior |
| difference between "ja mata
ne," "ja," and "mata ne"? |
ja is short for "de wa"
which is basically an interjection like "Well..."
mata means "again"; in this usage, something like "we'll
meet again" is implied
ne is an interjection spoken when you expect the listener to agree with
you, sort of like "right?" or "OK?" |
| narimasho' |
act your age |
| nakayoku suru |
to get along |
| Nakama |
Friends |
| Mainichi |
every day / daily |
| chunen |
middle aged |
ありがとう
a ri ga to u |
Thank you |
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| Japanese |
English
Equivalent |
| Haikei
- Keigu |
The
most common pair used in formal letters. Women sometimes use "Kashiko"
as a closing word instead of "Keigu." |
| Zenryaku
- Sousou |
This
pair is less formal. It is usually used when you don't have time to write
a long letter, so |
Ogenki
de irasshaimasu ka.
(very formal)
Ogenki desu ka.
|
Have
you been doing well? |
Ikaga
osugoshi de
irasshaimasu ka.
(very formal)
Ikaga osugoshi desu
ka.
|
How
have you been? |
Okagesama
de
genki ni shite orimasu.
(very formal) |
Fortunately
I'm doing well. |
Kazoku
ichidou
genki ni shite orimasu. |
The
whole family is doing well. |
| Otegami
arigatou gozaimashita. |
Thank
you for your letter. |
Nagai
aida
gobusata shite orimashite
moushiwake gozaimasen.
(very formal) |
I
apologize for neglecting to write for such a long time. |
| Gobusata
shite orimasu. |
I'm
sorry I haven't written for a long time. |
Gobusata
shite orimasu ga,
ogenki de irasshaimasu ka. |
I'm
sorry I haven't written for a long time, but have you been doing well? |
Sukkari
aki rashiku natte mairimashita ga, ikaga
osugoshi de irasshaimasu ka. |
It
has become very autumn like;
how have you been? |
Samui
hi ga tsuzuite orimasu ga,
ikaga osugoshi desu ka. |
Cold
days continue;
how have you been? |
Douka
yoroshiku
onegai itashimasu. |
Kindly
look after this matter for me. |
| ~
ni yoroshiku otsutae kudasai. |
Please
give my regards to ~. |
| Minasama
ni douzo yoroshiku. |
Please
give my regards to everyone. |
| Okarada
o taisetsu ni. |
Please
take care of yourself. |
| Douzo
ogenki de. |
Take
care of yourself. |
| Ohenji
omachi shite orimasu. |
I
look forward to hearing from |
| Ogenki desu ka? Watashi-tachi wa minna genki
desu. Koko Seattle wa iyo-iyo aki ni natte, hi ga dandan dandan mijikaku
natte ikimasu. Yoru samuku natte, soto he iku noni seetaa mo iru kurai
desu. Kotoshi no fuyu wa samusou de, kaze wo hikanai you ni to, ki wo
tsukete imasu. ... ... |
Are you in good health? We're all fine. Here in
Seattle, fall has finally arrived, and the days continue to become shorter
and shorter. At night it's now cold enough that one needs a sweater to go
outside. This winter looks to be a cold one, and we're taking care to
avoid catching cold. ... Etc, etc. |
| Hayashi-sensei ni kaite iru no wa ... ... |
The reason I'm writing you is that.... |
O-karada ni ki wo tsukete kudasai.
Jisetsu kara go-jiai kudasai. |
Please take good care of yourself.
(These two are virtually identical in meaning.) |
Keigu, (for men and women)
Sou-sou, (women only)
Kashiko, (women only) |
Closing Salutations |
| Ai wo komete,
Anata no tomo |
With love,
Your friend,
These are more western ways of saying your endings |
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