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Archive for the ‘Learn Japanese’ Category

Country names in Japanese

author Posted by: kirin on date Jan 27th, 2013 | filed Filed under: Learn Japanese

Finally I’ve made another one of learn-Japanese videos! icon smile Country names in Japanese

*I don’t know why but sometimes the video seems not working…Here’s an alternative link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD7bui7TPGc&feature=share&list=UUUQYdilXr8HOOhLdsRB5Reg

I was unable to cover all the country names in Kanji, but it seems each country has its name in kanji version.
This page may have your country in kanji version. icon wink Country names in Japanese

Yet, please don’t misunderstand that every country in kanji is recognizable in Japan.
If you wish to remember country names in Japanese, do it in katakana when the country has both names in katakana and kanji.

Hope you enjoyed the video!
Kirin

Apple’s adventures in Kiyomizu-dera Part 1 (and a short Japanese lesson on directions thrown in!)

author Posted by: Apple on date Dec 6th, 2012 | filed Filed under: Learn Japanese, Travel

Apple is back too, because I’m back! YAY!!! icon biggrin Apples adventures in Kiyomizu dera Part 1 (and a short Japanese lesson on directions thrown in!) icon biggrin Apples adventures in Kiyomizu dera Part 1 (and a short Japanese lesson on directions thrown in!) icon biggrin Apples adventures in Kiyomizu dera Part 1 (and a short Japanese lesson on directions thrown in!) Don’t miss her Japanese lesson at the latter part of this post!!!!

===Apple’s post starts from here===

Hi!! This is Apple!

I’m really happy that Kirin decided to go on with TKE. I’ve been meaning to write but have been busy.

Firstly, it feels like a long time since I’ve been to Tokyo, so I can’t write much of Tokyo places or trends for now. I went to Kansai in Spring this year, so I thought of sharing some interesting places I’ve been to when I was there. I wrote some articles (Shirahama & Kobe) early this year just after coming back from my trip, but I think maybe they were not interesting because nobody really left any comments. T^T Haha!

Ok, anyway, today I’m going to share with you one of my favourite places in Kansai!

It’s Kyoto!!

Being a city kind of girl really (I love Tokyo!), I’d initially thought Kyoto would be dull to me. My boyfriend was very excited though.

One of the places we visited in Kyoto is the famous tourist attraction, Kiyomizudera (清水寺)! Kiyomizu (清水) means clear water, or pure water. The temple is so named as there’s a waterfall of pure water within the complex.

Fun Fact: Not a single nail was used in the entire wooden structure of this temple!

Being Spring, we’d expected a scenery like this:

springkiyomizudera Apples adventures in Kiyomizu dera Part 1 (and a short Japanese lesson on directions thrown in!)Source

 However, this was what greeted us:

375147 10150667142995233 2041390331 n Apples adventures in Kiyomizu dera Part 1 (and a short Japanese lesson on directions thrown in!)

We were too early for Sakura! T^T

Read more »

Otsukaresama

author Posted by: kirin on date Jul 12th, 2012 | filed Filed under: Learn Japanese

Otsukaresama
Otsukaresama desu
Otsukaresama deshita

What do they all mean? You may wonder because you’ll hear them spoken in JP dramas probably at the scenes of workplace. Sometimes English sub for JP dramas says “good work” and you may wonder why we greet like that. I think there’s basically no perfect translation for Otsukaresama because it reflects something cultural. In fact, there’s no day without saying these, since I’ve started working at an office.

Basically Otsukaresama is a consoling word and greeting to the colleagues. Let me see in what occasion I’m using them.

Otsukaresama desu

1) When making a call to someone in the same company
The first thing we should say is “Otsukaresama desu”.
For example
person A: Hello this is the sales department, and this is A speaking.
person B: Otsukaresama desu. I’m B from HR department.
person A: Otsukaresama desu.

2) When sending out an email to someone in the same company
otsukaresamadesu Otsukaresama
It’s a sort of general habit for us to start with Otsukaresama desu. (with Kanji:ãŠç–²ã‚Œæ§˜ã§ã™ã€‚ with Hiragana: ãŠã¤ã‹ã‚Œã•ã¾ã§ã™ã€‚)

3) When seeing colleagues in a washing room or somewhere outside the office or far from my desk
There’s no equal word for “Hi” in Japanese, we’d use “Otsukaresama desu” as a greeting at work. Of course, I know you learn “Konnichiwa” is like “Hi” but we don’t use it like how you’d use “Hi”. If you say “Konnichiwa” as a substitute for “Hi”, it’d sound too rigid, serious and a bit funny.

4) When someone (colleague) gets back from an outside job or a fieldwork

Otsukaresama deshita

1) At the end of the day, when a colleague is leaving the office
It is a common sense in Japan for a worker who is leaving the office at the end of the day to say “Osakini shitsurei shimasu” to others who are still working (such as doing over-time work). That means “I’m leaving earlier than you” in a modest way. Then the rest of the workers respond to him saying “Otsukaresama deshita”.

2) When someone (colleague) gets back from an outside job or a fieldwork

Otsukaresama

1) It’s a casual way of “Otsukaresama desu” used between close colleague.
2) It’s spoken from a senior worker to his junior or from a boss to his subordinates.

Otsukare

1) It’s a very casual way used between close colleagues or friends.

I still remember how I was shocked to hear “Otsukaresama” at work when I started working. I felt as if I were very tired when I heard it. “Tsukare” is to be tired or fatigue. “O” or “sama” I think are the frills of consoling or respecting thought. I personally don’t like this greeting honestly. XD

BTW, have you realized we don’t use Otsukaresama to the people from other company or the clients, customers and etc.? Otsukaresama is to be used for inner people not outer people. Then what kind of greeting do we use for outer people? It’s “Osewani natte orimasu” (ãŠä¸–話ã«ãªã£ã¦ãŠã‚Šã¾ã™) or “Osewani natte imasu“.(ãŠä¸–話ã«ãªã£ã¦ã„ã¾ã™)

osewaninatteimasu Otsukaresama

Well, but I’ll say “Osewani narimashita” (past tense) with thankfulness when I’m leaving the company office this Friday! icon biggrin Otsukaresama