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Japanese Greetings.

June 22nd 2007 05:00
Last time we saw Dr Spin he was using a couple of greetings to try and sweet talk a はらじゅく (Harajuku) girl. To do so he used several greetings.

Today we're going to cover Japanese greetings in greater depth.

おはようございます (Ohaiyou gozaimasu) is said in the Morning. It means, good morning. If you know the person very well you can shorten it to おはようOhaiyo).
おはようございますcan also be shortened to 'おうす' (pronounced oos) but only by males. From what I've seen, this is used predominantly in boarding schools early in the morning, and is best mumbled with a head facing down at some ungodly hour, pronounced with a kind of simian grunt.


こんにちはKonnichi Wa) is the general hello. You can say it any time during the day.

こんばんは means ‘good evening’. It’s only used in this time.

おやすみなさい means goodnight. You say it to someone before they or you go to sleep.

はじめまして (Hajimemashite) is a term that Dr Spin didn't use in his conversation. However, it is an incredibly useful term. The phrase literally means 'let's begin' and is used after introducing yourself to a new person, and indicates the beginning of your relations. The best way to think of the phrase is as 'how do you do'.

e.g
こんにちは
こんにちは

わたし は Dr Spin. はじめまして.
はじめまして. わたし は さちこ


どうぞう よろしくDouzou Yoroshiku) means 'pleased to meet you'. It is usually used after a lengthy self introduction (called a じこしょうかい (jikoshoukai) - which we'll look at in more depth later)

Of course, after all the fun is had you'll need to say goodbye. さよなら! (Sayonara)
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Dr Spin has just arrived in Japan. He has decided to attempt to seduce a はらじゅく (Harajuku) girl, despite his limited Japanese.

If you cannot remember all the Hiragana, have a look here; {ひらがな}

Dr Spin:すみません.
HG: こんにちは.
DS: こんにちは. おげんき ですか?
HG: はい, げんき です.
DS: なまえ は なん ですか?
HG: わたし は くろい かじ です.
DS: くろい かじ さん わたし いえ いきませんか?
HG: いいえ. あなた へんたい と おもいます

In ロマンジ (Romanji)- {カタカナ}

Dr Spin: Sumimasen.
HG: Konichi wa.
DS: Konichi wa. Ogenki desu ka?
HG: Hai, Genki desu.
DS: Namae wa nan desuka?
HG: Watashi wa Kuroi Kaji Desu.
DS: Kuroi Kaji San, watashi no ie ni, ikimasen ka?
HG: Iie. Anata wa Hentai to omoimasu.

Don't panic yet. This is fairly complicated stuff, so I'm going to cut it down into the basics you need to know, and some stuff that we'll come back to later.

THE IMPORTANT PART.

すみません Sumimasen. Excuse me. This translates quite accurately as it can be used both as a means of getting attention (as Dr Spin has used it) and for apology.

こんにちは Konnichi wa. Hello. This is used around the middle of the day.
Some Alternatives;
おはいよ ございます Ohaiyo Gozaimasu. Good Morning.
こんばん は Konban wa. Good Evening.

おげんき ですか Ogenki Desu ka? Literally means 'are you well?' However it is better translated as 'how are you?'
げんき です Genki Desu. Means 'I am well.'
げんき じゃない Genki jyanai. This is how you say 'I am not well. Nobody says this though as it isn't polite. If your dog died, your pet octopus bit you, your underwear was full of spiders and your lunch was stale, you'd still say "げんき です" ('Genki Desu'). It's part of Japan's polite culture. However...
びょき です Byoki desu. <--- This means 'I'm Ill' and it's a but more of an acceptable way to answer the げんき (Genki) question if you're a bit crook.

はい Hai. This means yes.
いいえ Iie. This means no.

なまえ は なん です か Namae wa Nan Desu Ka? This means 'what is your name'.
わたし は ____ です Watashi wa ________ desu. This is how you state your name. Watashi wa literally means 'I am'. Using this sentance you can say your name (Watashi wa Kuroi Kaji Desu means the Harajuku girl is named "Kuroi Kaji") or exen describe yourself - Watashi wa Pinku (I am pink).

さん San. San is used after names. When Dr Spin says 'Kuroi Kaji San' he is addressing Kuroi Kaji by name.

THE NOT SO VERY EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PART

The final two lines in the conversation

DS: くろい かじ さん、わたし の いえ に いきませんか?
HG: いいえ。 あなた は へんたい と おもいます

DS: Kuroi Kaji San, watashi no ie ni, ikimasen ka?
HG: Iie. Anata wa Hentai to omoimasu.

First one says "Kuroi Kaji, won't you come to my house? This is going to make more sense when we get into verbs and particles."
Second one says "No. I think you are a pervert." We'll get back to this when we get to thoughts and insults.

Poor Dr Spin hey?

This Article will ultimately be made in separate romaji and a kana versions.
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