Generic Japanese question thread

[kittens]

I have a question. Do they make inferior eyeglasses in Japan? The reason I ask is because I'm always seeing someone in an anime pushing up their glasses usually in some pretentious way.

LOL I think you are watching too much anime

[Keropi]

Just want to say: Beautiful sig!!!!! The colors are gorgeous!!!

Thanks Aernath! That was one of the main reasons I liked it too.

Kimi is very often used in real life. But this sounds like you call someone who works for you (like your boss might call you with "kimi".)

Thanks Kittens! That helps explain why I've so often heard "kimi" said in those anime situations where massive explosions take place and the main character is calling out to a slumped over stranger to see if they are okay, passed out, seriously injured or dead.

The first time I thought about "kimi" was back when I was playing my Sentimental Graffiti 2 game three years ago. I kept running into this same character (Yuu) while walking around the neighborhood. She didn't know me very well at that early point in the game (not sure she even knew my name yet) so a couple times she happened to say "kimi" (in what seemed to be half-way said to me and half-way said to herself thinking out loud) when she recognized me walking towards her.

[awajikiwi]

Thank-you Kittens, you cleared up my confusion over "omae". The difference between Inuyasha's growled "omae" to Kagome after an "oswari" and Guts' throaty "omae" to Casca after.....ummm....just "after"

I Omae when talking to my kids, wife or good friends, apart from that I tend to avoid it. We have other words for you where I live too, "Ya" and "Omahan", My mother-in-law uses Omahan when she talks to me, and when my wife is r_e_a_l_l_y angry at me all I hear is Omae. But since I live in Kansai (West Japan) this could be a Kansai thing.

My rule of thumb is if you know the persons name use it with -san or sama. My first 6 years in Japan were working in a hotel and it is not good to call a customer "anata".

Temee can be useful if you have the Japanese and "balls" to back it up

[Cloud]

Interesting. Interesting explanation. What is living in Kansai West Japan this could be a Kansai thing like?

[klet]

2. I notice in anime they frequently have the somewhat stuck-up girls/women (often upper class girls) using (-wa) a lot in their speech patterns. People don't talk like this in real life either right? ?^_^?

Using "wa" as an ending partical is very effeminate. Correct me if I'm wrong, but often the main girl in an anime is kind of boyish, and the witchy girls are usually much more girlie and confident in their attitudes.

In my Japanese class, we've been taught to use the "wa" ending (well, the girls have ) so I imagine that it is commonly used in polite Japanese.

And yet, it is something that "husband and wife" might actually say to one another?

There is no Japanese equivalent to "dear" or "honey" or "schnookims." "Omae" and "anata" are as close as you're going to get.

Another thing to remember is that almost all anime characters are in their teens, and so have a lot more leeway in their speech, dress, etc. Once you graduate from the university (or get a job if you didn't go to college) society expects you to shape up, stop dying your hair, and buy a suit. In other words, slightly rude behavior or strange styles are tolerated from youth much more easily than from adults.

[Keropi]

Using "wa" as an ending partical is very effeminate. Correct me if I'm wrong, but often the main girl in an anime is kind of boyish, and the witchy girls are usually much more girlie and confident in their attitudes.

Depends what kind of anime you watch.

Usually in the anime I'm watching the main girl is nice. But I'm not referring to the speech patterns of the tomboyish main girls like Asuna in Negima or Naru in Love Hina. I mean the "wa"s that are used by the somewhat (or very) stuck up ojousan female characters like Ayaka in Mahou Sensei Negima. And I'm wondering what they are trying to show by having them speak that way?

That speech pattern is just about only given to the proud or arrogant female characters in the anime. The "well-mannered", polite ojousans just about never speak with them in anime (not in the repetitive manner the stuck up girls do). Often this way of speaking is done by the snobby, upper class female bullies in the class (or wherever). If they're not villains, they're at least somewhat snooty.

My question is why is that "wa" speech pattern just about only given to the snobby, (usually) upper class girls? It can't be there to show that they're speaking like an upper class girl/woman because if it were the "nice" ojousans would be speaking that way too.

I mean...I know the way they speak in anime is not like real life, but this still has me curious. ?^_^?

[Cloud]

I knew I was right. YOU? If you were, would you tell me?

[klet]

Depends what kind of anime you watch.

My experience pool is very shallow, believe me. Ask kymaera. Lately, I've been watching whatever's on his shelf, and I have a very long way to go.

That speech pattern is just about only given to the proud or arrogant female characters in the anime. The "well-mannered", polite ojousans just about never speak with them in anime (not in the repetitive manner the stuck up girls do). Often this way of speaking is done by the snobby, upper class female bullies in the class (or wherever). If they're not villains, they're at least somewhat snooty.

Well, "wa" as an ending particle indicates that the speaker has a strong conviction about what she has just said. I'd imagine that an over-use of the wa particle could merely be emphasizing how snooty these girls are. It's kind of rude to always be sure of yourself in Japanese. Also, it's a little rude to use wa (or the neutral version of the particle, "yo") around your superiors, because you shouldn't show too much conviction around them, since that implies that you think you know more than them.

Err, sorry if that's not making any sense to you. It makes sense to me, but my mind works in round-about, illogical ways.

[Keropi]

Err, sorry if that's not making any sense to you. It makes sense to me, but my mind works in round-about, illogical ways.

Hmm...no, that makes a lot of sense actually.

Now I can understand why it's used so frequently in anime. It's an easy way of displaying a character's personality.

[awajikiwi]

2. I notice in anime they frequently have the somewhat stuck-up girls/women (often upper class girls) using (-wa) a lot in their speech patterns. People don't talk like this in real life either right? ?^_^?

Using "wa" as an ending partical is very effeminate. Correct me if I'm wrong, but often the main girl in an anime is kind of boyish, and the witchy girls are usually much more girlie and confident in their attitudes.

In my Japanese class, we've been taught to use the "wa" ending (well, the girls have ) so I imagine that it is commonly used in polite Japanese.

And yet, it is something that "husband and wife" might actually say to one another?

There is no Japanese equivalent to "dear" or "honey" or "schnookims." "Omae" and "anata" are as close as you're going to get.

For dear or honey just add -chan to end of her first name if that doesn't work try "Oi".

Another thing to remember is that almost all anime characters are in their teens, and so have a lot more leeway in their speech, dress, etc. Once you graduate from the university (or get a job if you didn't go to college) society expects you to shape up, stop dying your hair, and buy a suit. In other words, slightly rude behavior or strange styles are tolerated from youth much more easily than from adults.

20 years ago maybe, Now we have a "NEET" problem. Google NEET and Japan for more information. Most of my friends don't wear a suit

[Keropi]

I have another question.

I know what "sugoi" means, but I often hear the teenage anime guy characters saying "sugei" (or ??"suikei") where I might expect a "sugoi".

Is "sugei" (or whatever it is) a guy used variant of "sugoi"? I don't recall ever hearing female characters saying "sugei".

Hmm...now that I think of it, is "sugoi" actually a feminine word? ?^_^?

[kittens]

"sugei" is very informal version of "sugi". Also you are correct that many guys use this word.....

Hmm...now that I think of it, is "sugoi" actually a feminine word? ?^_^?

Nopes If a man has to use in formal situation they use "sugoi" "sugei" is very very informal version of "sugoi"

[Keropi]

Hmm...that's good to know. Thanks Kittens!