Nigel...

[Speakerguy]

ano kanji wa nan desu ka?

 

[dknguyen]

"What is kanji?" Is that what you mean to say? Or do you mean:

おかんじお　よみますか。
okanji o yomimasuka.

(or something roughly like that).

My japanese sucks:
わたし わ　かんじ　よおみません。
watashi wa kanji o yomimasusen

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

If he's asking what the kanji in my avatar means?, it' 'jitsu' from 'Ju Jitsu, meaning art or craft.

dknguyen: - poorest of your avatars so far, the previous two were far cuter!

 

[Pommie]

From my distant recollection of Nihon (Japanese),

The original question is, (literal translation)
That kanji over there, which is it.

watashi wa kanji o yomimasusen = I don't read Kanji.

From my experience,
Nihongo wa totemo muzukashii desu.

I once taught my business partner to say "watashi wa meishi desu" (I am a business card) when he handed over a business card. It amused our clients no end. It should have been "watashi no meishi desu".

Another Nihongo thing, my full name is michael webb and in japanese this becomes micuru weeb due to the rules of there language. Micuru weeb is a microwave in Japanese. Another thing that amused our clients.

Mike.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Funnily enough, my daughter (who has just started 6th form at a new school) was in maths the other day, and she get's a shout from the other side of the classroom.

"Mel, can you count to ten in Japanese"

Mel - "I'm not a language student"

"No, but can you count to ten in Japanese"

Mel - "Yes I can" - and proceeded to do so.

Another day some of the kids were doing some sort of puzzle or quiz, and it gave a load of Kanji to be translated - sounds a bit difficult to me?.

Anyway, they asked Melissa (christ knows why?), and she looked and then said "they are days of the week, each line has that same symbol on, and that means 'day', and there are seven lines - so probably days of the week".

At least now she's in a class of clever people!

 

[Pommie]

Sounds like you have a future leader.

I just tried counting to ten and initially couldn't. It's about 8 years since I last had any contact with Japanese and I'm a little shocked at how hard it is to remember it.

On a lighter note, a strange thing about days of the week is that Monday is still moon day in Japanese - Getsuyobi. Friday is Kinyobe - kin = gold, so kinyobi = gold day = payday. I wonder if this is true of other languages.

Time for "mo ippai kudasai".

Mike.

 

[mvs sarma]

Funnily enough, my daughter (who has just started 6th form at a new school) was in maths the other day, and she get's a shout from the other side of the classroom.

"Mel, can you count to ten in Japanese"

Mel - "I'm not a language student"

"No, but can you count to ten in Japanese"

Mel - "Yes I can" - and proceeded to do so.

Another day some of the kids were doing some sort of puzzle or quiz, and it gave a load of Kanji to be translated - sounds a bit difficult to me?.

Anyway, they asked Melissa (christ knows why?), and she looked and then said "they are days of the week, each line has that same symbol on, and that means 'day', and there are seven lines - so probably days of the week".

At least now she's in a class of clever people!

These are children meant for tomorrows world and they would be developing their skills accordingly- Hope for a brighter tomorrow.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Sounds like you have a future leader.

I just tried counting to ten and initially couldn't. It's about 8 years since I last had any contact with Japanese and I'm a little shocked at how hard it is to remember it.

I don't think she's ever met a Japanese person?, I've met a few through work, but that's all.

The counting probably comes from been a black belt, the dan grades are (I think?) the Japanese numbers?.

Sho - dan (1st dan)
Ni -dan (2nd dan)
San -dan (3rd dan)
Yon -dan (4th dan)

So presumably Sho, Ni, San, Yon?.

 

[Pommie]

I don't know sho - 1 is ichi - maybe sho is master or similar. Also, 4 can be either shi or yon, they are interchangable.

Hopefully, speakerguy will join in and some light may be thrown on the original post.

Mike.

 

[mvs sarma]

Internet usage makes them gain additional knowledge like extra curricular activity, perhaps.

That way, But for Internet, I would not be able to even Know about Nigel Goodwin

Thanks to the WWW and its inventors and ofcourse communication companies. ( selfish I am- as Once worked for Indian Telecom)

 

[dknguyen]

If he's asking what the kanji in my avatar means?, it' 'jitsu' from 'Ju Jitsu, meaning art or craft.

dknguyen: - poorest of your avatars so far, the previous two were far cuter!

Perhaps, but she is far smarter and of a more appropriate age than the other one.

 

[Speakerguy]

Pommie got the literal translation of my question right. I was having trouble figuring out a way to ask it, and that was the best I could come up with.

The standard counting (one through ten) is:

ichi
ni
san
shi
go
roku
shichi
hachi
nana
juu

But there are variations, like four is sometimes yon, seven is sometimes nana, nine is sometimes kyuu, but above are the most basic.

Then there's the screwed up counter system:

hitotsu
futatsu
mittsu
yotsu
itsutsu

Thats "one thing" through "five things". It would be hitori, futari, etc for "one person, two people, ...". And then they have all kinds of funky endings for different types of objects, long objects have one, books have another, there's no sense to it. Your daughter's approach is the best way to it actually. Fortunately the language is losing (in popular usage) the more obscure ones and just using the -tsu counter for them. Looks like today's kids don't speak the Emperor's Japanese

Watashi wa meishi desu is pretty funny. I tell all my friends that the most important phrase for them to know is "Youshiki no toire wa doko desu ka?" and that they should always say it with significant intensity

Japanese was ~3 years ago for me in college, so I still have a little left. It's going fast living in the southern US.

 

[arunb]

Just wondering....why are you guys into Japanese ??

 

[mvs sarma]

Just wondering....why are you guys into Japanese ??

In fact Arunb

we should learn at least one extra language, let it be japanease, chinsese, French or German. this will of immense help in the international scnareo.

 

[ThermalRunaway]

I agree. The British (and American) are generally quite ignorant in this respect. We expect everyone else to speak English, not many of us make the effort to speak someone elses language. I'm guilty of this as well.

Brian

 

[dknguyen]

Just wondering....why are you guys into Japanese ??

Because I like Japanese music more than CHinese or Vietnamese music.

Also, because as far as I can tell, they have no genders for their nouns (unlike French and German which killed me) and then the verbs rules seem to be more straightfroward.

 

[mvs sarma]

I agree. The British (and American) are generally quite ignorant in this respect. We expect everyone else to speak English, not many of us make the effort to speak someone elses language. I'm guilty of this as well.

Brian

I feel you are modest . we in India, a country with many languages- struggle to communicate - english and Hindi(the National language) come to help. But in the international scnario, really i was stuggling and for a translation of german text on say www.elektor.de, Yahoo comes handy. Thanks to YAHOO Translator.
This ofcourse i was getting on Firefox browser.

I am rather enthusiastic but at my 62+, i may take much loger time to cope with a language class. However I shall join one and spend few months- let me see why I can't??

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I agree. The British (and American) are generally quite ignorant in this respect. We expect everyone else to speak English, not many of us make the effort to speak someone elses language. I'm guilty of this as well.

Yep, me too!

I did French at school (but failed it), my daughter did Spanish.

 

[Pommie]

Just wondering....why are you guys into Japanese ??

It makes for a more interesting life.

What are you into?

Mike.

 

[Pommie]

I am rather enthusiastic but at my 62+, i may take much loger time to cope with a language class. However I shall join one and spend few months- let me see why I can't??

Wow, your 62 years old. I have seen your knowledge increase over time and thought you must be a school teacher or similar. What is/was your profession? Whatever, good on ya and keep doing it.

Mike.