Comments on: Intermediate Lesson #4 - Graduation Trip

by: Mel

Mon, 18 May 2009 17:37:53 +0000

Actually, I get it.

jyoutai= situation
nyuusha= (become) a company member

Thus, the translation of

ima no jyoutai de wa nyuusha dekinai kamo

In the situation now (current situation) he may not be able to become a company member.

Thanks.

by: Mel

Mon, 18 May 2009 16:34:58 +0000

Hi,

Could you explain:

jyoutai de wa nyuujyade kinai kamo (I apologize I don’t have Japanese font on this computer I am using)?

I understand kinai kamo and understand the english translation of the phrase but would like to know the actually meanings of the individual words (if possible). Thanks.

by: Dana Raynor

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 09:14:22 +0000

This one makes sence “One’s first step in wisdom is to kuesstion everything - and one’s last is to come to terms with everything.”

by: hatori

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:22:56 +0000

watashi wa iran kara kimashta
dozo yoroshko onegaishemes

by: hatori

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:18:11 +0000

im hatori
im fencer im depres
beacuse today im losing

by: René Malenfant

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 15:57:28 +0000

oops! should say “using kana for kanji that we don’t know”

by: René Malenfant

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 15:55:48 +0000

アルフォンソ,
Japanese often use katakana when they don’t know the kanji for a word, or the kanji is too complex to bother writing.

The kanji for ゴミ is 塵, but that’s 14 strokes, compared with gomi’s 5. I know they don’t learn that kanji is school, I’m pretty sure it’s not a Joyo kanji, and I don’t know if most Japanese people would even be able to read it.

The most famous examples of “using kanji for kanji that we don’t know” are for plant and animal names. To use some examples of plants and animals that have already been mentioned on this podcast:
オオカミ=狼 (wolf)
ジンチョウゲ=沈丁花 (daphne)
キンモクセイ=金木犀 (fragrant olive)

And on, and on, and on.

by: Jason

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 15:37:06 +0000

Now that you mention it, futari-kiri is also mispelled in the rouma-ji right above there.

by: René Malenfant

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 15:33:17 +0000

Just so you know, there’s a mistake in the show notes (at least the ones that get downloaded automatically as a part of the mp3 in itunes).

it says 卒業旅行 is “graduation school”

by: Jason

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 10:31:18 +0000

My fiancee - who’s lived in Osaka all her life - is pretty careful about using standard Japanese when we’re talking, but occasionally she gets upset or excited and rips away in her real dialect and I don’t understand a single word

関西弁（かんさいべん）はほんまに面白（おもしろ）いんやなぁ。

by: QuiZZie

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 01:24:42 +0000

Wow its been a big jump lately.. can’t catch all those jokes from 学長さん XD

by: ticklebug

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 19:40:15 +0000

I love these intermediate lessons. Keep them coming! Please!

by: Nathan

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 02:56:34 +0000

Ida-san,

No genius, here, unfortunately. Don’t worry, keep working hard and you’ll be able to reach your goal!

by: ida_90

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 11:21:02 +0000

whoa…. you’r a genius!!… you can writing malay…. but me… … yeah… just try it….:???: i hope one day leter, i can speaking, writing and reading japanese language….

by: Nathan

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 20:42:04 +0000

Ida-san,

I don’t know Malay, but I can figure most of it out if you use it. Aku boleh faham. “よくできました” is “yoku dekimashita”, which means “well done” (syabas). “しゅっしん” is “shusshin”, which means something like “hometown” (tempat lahir). The small “tsu” っ shows that there is a slight pause before the next syllable is said, which is usually written as a double consonant in romaji. Examples:

がっこう (gakkou) - sekolah
きっと (kitto) - nescaya

Hope that helps!