Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
James: Using Slang Expressions to Avoid Direct Speech
James: Hi everyone, and welcome back to JapanesePod101.com. I'm James.
Risa: And I'm Risa!
James: This is Must-Know Japanese Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 3. In this lesson you'll learn Using Slang Expressions to Avoid Direct Speech.
James: These expressions will help you to avoid saying something directly, like Japanese people do, or to indicate in advance that you are telling something honestly.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
James: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are:
Risa: 別に (betsu ni)
Risa: びみょう (bimyō)
Risa: みたいな (mitai na)
Risa: ぶっちゃけ (butchake)
James: Risa, what's our first expression?
Risa: 別に (betsu ni)
James: literally meaning "apart." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "not particularly, nothing."
Risa: [SLOW] 別に [NORMAL] 別に
James: Listeners, please repeat.
Risa: 別に
[pause - 5 sec.]
James: Use this slang expression when you want to express that it's not necessary to make special mention about something. Note this phrase has another meaning, "apart" or "separately."
James: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Risa: [NORMAL] 明日の買い物、別に何時でもいいよ。 [SLOW] 明日の買い物、別に何時でもいいよ。
James: "Any time will be fine with me for tomorrow's shopping."
Risa: [NORMAL] 明日の買い物、別に何時でもいいよ。
James: Okay, what's the next expression?
Risa: びみょう (bimyō)
James: literally meaning "subtle." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "yes and no, not sure."
Risa: [SLOW] びみょう [NORMAL] びみょう
James: Listeners, please repeat.
Risa: びみょう
[pause - 5 sec.]
James: Use this slang expression when you want to describe that you have mixed feelings about something or something is not clear. This word originally means "delicate" and "subtle," now it has also come to mean "unclear" or "obscure."
James: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Risa: [NORMAL] このアイス、味がびみょう。 [SLOW] このアイス、味がびみょう。
James: "This ice cream tastes kinda iffy."
Risa: [NORMAL] このアイス、味がびみょう。
James: Okay, what's our next expression?
Risa: みたいな (mitai na)
James: literally meaning "looks like." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "kind of, like."
Risa: [SLOW] みたいな [NORMAL] みたいな
James: Listeners, please repeat.
Risa: みたいな
[pause - 5 sec.]
James: Use this slang expression when you want to avoid declaring something. It's originally used with a noun, but has come to be used after a sentence to obscure the meaning.
James: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Risa: [NORMAL] カラオケ行くの?私も一緒に行こうかな、みたいな。 [SLOW] カラオケ行くの?私も一緒に行こうかな、みたいな。
James: "Are you going to Karaoke? I'm kinda thinking of going with you."
Risa: [NORMAL] カラオケ行くの?私も一緒に行こうかな、みたいな。
James: Okay, what's the last expression?
Risa: ぶっちゃけ (butchake)
James: literally meaning "reveal in private." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "to tell the truth, between you and me."
Risa: [SLOW] ぶっちゃけ [NORMAL] ぶっちゃけ
James: Listeners, please repeat.
Risa: ぶっちゃけ
[pause - 5 sec.]
James: Use this slang expression when you want to add sincerity to a statement and it works to notify in advance that you will be saying something directly. It originates from the word
Risa: 打ち明ける (uchiakeru),
James: meaning "to confide" or
Risa: ぶちまける (buchimakeru),
James: meaning "to tell frankly."
James: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Risa: [NORMAL] その恰好、ぶっちゃけ変だよ! [SLOW] その恰好、ぶっちゃけ変だよ!
James: "Honestly, your style is not really cool!"
Risa: [NORMAL] その恰好、ぶっちゃけ変だよ!
QUIZ
James: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four situations, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
James: When you're not sure if you like the TV drama or not, you use:
[pause - 5 sec.]
Risa: びみょう
James: "yes and no, not sure"
James: When you don’t mind whatever you are going to eat, you use:
[pause - 5 sec.]
Risa: 別に
James: "not particularly, nothing"
James: When you want to tell your friend honestly that you are not interested in that game, you use:
[pause - 5 sec.]
Risa: ぶっちゃけ
James: "to tell the truth, between you and me"
James: When you want to tell that you kinda feel like getting drunk, you use:
[pause - 5 sec.]
Risa: みたいな
James: "kind of, like"

Outro

James: There you have it; you have mastered four Japanese Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at JapanesePod101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time!
Risa: またね!

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