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What Japanese language and customs have you learned from watching anime?

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  • edited March 2009
    Old bump!

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is some of what I've picked up, not just from anime, but from a whole lot of places-

    I've learned most all of the honorifics (-san, -chan, -tan, -kun, -sama, etc.), and the relative/family/people names (onii-chan, obaa-san, ojuo-san, etc.).
    Ore- I (really masculine)
    Watashi- I
    Kuso- Shit, but intensity is more like 'damn'
    Gomenasai, Gomen- Sorry
    Sumi masen- Excuse me/sorry (I think it is supposed to be a more polite form)
    Baka- Stupid/Idiot
    Anno ne- You know,
    Anno- Umm, errr...
    Demo- But,
    Itadakimasu- Sort of like saying grace, but different kinda.
    Shira- white
    Yuki- snow
    Onna- woman
    Goshusho-sama - I'm not sure what the equivalent is in English, but I think it means 'My condoloences' or something similar. I've also heard it said after meals.
    Kawaii- Cute, adorable
    Kowaii- Scary
    Banpaia- Vampire
    Succubasu- Succubus
    Maho- magic/witch
    Of course, arigatou/arigatou gozaimasu- Thank you, thank you very much (polite)
    Sora- Sky
    Hime- Princess
    Youkai- Demon/monster?
    Gakuen- Academy
    Neko- cat
    No- indicates possession, ex. Logan no baka= Logan is stupid.
    Dai suki/Ai shiteru- I like you (also I really like you, I love you)/ I love you
    Dame- no, don't
    Ie (I can't fucking spell it right, lol)- no
    Nani- what
    Nan desu ka- What is it?
    Itte- ouch
    Yapari- I see
    Hai- Yes/I understand, but is more just like a confirmation of something somebody might say, ex. "Do you understand?" "Hai" (Yes).
    N, or un- more common yes
    Nippon, Nihon- Japan
    Nihongo- Japanese
    Ohaiyo, ohaiyo gozaimasu- Good mooring, good morning (polite)
    Konichiwa- Good day
    Konbanwa- Good afternoon
    Some of the numbers
    Ne- Can be used as 'Hey,' at the beginning of a sentence, or as '..., right?' at the end.
    Yen and how I can roughly guess at how much something costs in dollars.
    Daijoubu/daijoubu desu ka/ne- Are you ok?/It's ok
    Sake- a type of beer, but can refer to alcohol in general
    Megami-sama- Goddess
    Naishou- secret
    Chu- Japanese onomatopoeia for a kiss
    Usagi- rabbit/bunny
    Inu- Dog
    etc, etc.

    I've also learned a lot about the culture and way of thinking in Japan, I can't list them all obviously but some of the ones that come to mind-

    The culture around New Years, and New Years wishes on the tree and such.
    Valentines Day and White Day
    How people are more reserved about saying "I love you", and show it more than saying it.
    How words are ordered in sentences in Japanese.
    Sakura trees
    Bento (lunch boxes)
    How fucking awesome Japanese arcade machines are.
    Picture books/puri kura (from Emily)
    Some of how dating/relationships are in Japan. (Those videos are hilarious, especially the smiling dude...)
    How stressful life can be in Japan (really intimidates me some of the time)
    How Eastern-style houses are and some of the customs.
    How interesting toilets are (I want to use one, out of curiousity).
    How awesome real baths/shower combinations are over there (I also really want to take a bath there).
    What onsen are in anime, and what they actually are in real life (Again, I kinda wanna try one out, got-damn).
    Trains and mass-transit (I'm not familiar with mass-transit really at all, but that's just because of where I live).

    I can't even list them all... There are too many, and I can't even remember them all right now. If some people are speaking in Japanese, some of the time I can kinda pick up random words or phrases. I know I don't really know a whole lot (or as much as I think), but I'm sure if somebody went up to me and said "Hey, have you heard of this phrase or culture thingy" and it wasn't really that obscure, probably 60% of the time I might know it or at least heard of it. Emily or anyone else who knows may need to correct me on some of it, though. If you haven't guessed, I'm kind of a fan of Japanese culture to some little extent, or I'm at least interested in it. It spawned from anime (how sad), but now anime really isn't the only reason anymore.
    Post edited by Loganator456 on
  • The most important thing I have learned about Japanese culture is that if a girl punches you in the face, you always fly up into the sky and hit the sun/moon and there is a sparkle when you make impact.
  • If you are too cool, you'll never get the girl you really want because either she'll think you're arrogant or she'll be too busy forming a romantic relationship with the main protagonist.
  • some of what I've picked up
    etc, etc.
    *face de paume*
    Maho- magic/witch
    Hrm, I thought this was normally romanized to 'mahou' but I've seen people write it like that lately. Why is that?
    The most important thing I have learned about Japanese culture is that if a girl punches you in the face, you always fly up into the sky and hit the sun/moon and there is a sparkle when you make impact.
    Also, things and people can spontaneously burst into flames or explode.
  • edited March 2009
    Oh, shut up Nineless *FP*. Don't worry Logan, I still have plenty of trouble with hearing where things are being lengthened.

    It's [possessor] no [possession] so "logan no baka" comes out as "logan's idiot", you need "wa" (written "ha") which is roughly "is".

    Also, everyones probably seen it but Googling "Laws of Anime" is worth a laugh.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • Nandayo? - The only word I've learned, it means something like "What?" or "What are you talking about?"
  • edited March 2009
    Mini lesson time! Hooray!
    Anno ne- You know,
    Anno- Umm, errr... - say it like "Ano." Don't double the n, and if you want to lengthen it, lengthen the o.
    Shira- white - By its self, this character (white) is Shiro. If you want to say something is white, it is "Shiroi" However, in certain kanji combinations it is pronounced "Shira" (Shirayuki-hime = Snow White)
    Goshusho-sama - I'm not sure what the equivalent is in English, but I think it means 'My condoloences' or something similar. I've also heard it said after meals. - While you are right that "Goshuushousama" means "my condolences," what people say after means is "Gochisousama." Gochisou means to treat someone to delicious food, so it means something like "Thank you for the feast"
    Itte- ouch - Heehee. The actual word is "itai," but when someone hurts themselves this is usually what comes out. Itetete!!
    Yapari- I see - Yahari or Yappari.
    Emily or anyone else who knows may need to correct me on some of it, though. If you haven't guessed, I'm kind of a fan of Japanese culture to some little extent, or I'm at least interested in it. It spawned from anime (how sad), but now anime really isn't the only reason anymore.
    Don't be ashamed of that! A big reason why I started to learn about Japan was the fact that my family was into anime. (My dad brought home ghibli movies from Japan and stuff.) Actually, Oh My Goddess was one of my first anime and it taught me some interesting stuff.
    It's [possessor] no [possession] so "logan no baka" comes out as "logan's idiot", you need "wa" (written "ha") which is roughly "is".
    Actually, it's perfectly natural as a colloquialism. People say "So-and-so no baka!" all the time.
    Post edited by gomidog on
  • edited March 2009
    This isn't something I learned from an anime, but it's worth the time to find out the pronunciation of your last name in Japanese and see if that matches to any real Japanese word. My last name is Khaze and, in Japanese, the closest way to say it is Kaze. Kaze means "wind" but it can also mean "sick" in the way that you "caught the wind". My Professor made a pun out of it. "Kaze-san wa kaze desu ka." This translates to "Is Kaze-san sick?"
    So, to avoid bad puns and jokes, do take the time find this out. This is a double warning if you have the last name "Bacca".
    Post edited by Victor Frost on
  • I learned that is is very bad etiquette to use your full power until the very last possible second.
  • Mini lesson time! Hooray!
    Anno ne- You know,
    Anno- Umm, errr... - say it like "Ano." Don't double the n, and if you want to lengthen it, lengthen the o.
    Shira- white - By its self, this character (white) is Shiro. If you want to say something is white, it is "Shiroi" However, in certain kanji combinations it is pronounced "Shira" (Shirayuki-hime = Snow White)
    Goshusho-sama - I'm not sure what the equivalent is in English, but I think it means 'My condoloences' or something similar. I've also heard it said after meals. - While you are right that "Goshuushousama" means "my condolences," what people say after means is "Gochisousama." Gochisou means to treat someone to delicious food, so it means something like "Thank you for the feast"
    Itte- ouch - Heehee. The actual word is "itai," but when someone hurts themselves this is usually what comes out. Itetete!!
    Yapari- I see - Yahari or Yappari.
    Oh! I didn't realize about 'shira' and 'Gochisousama', that makes more sense now. I knew about 'itetetetetete!' (hehe), I've seen plenty of the fighting in shows.
    Emily or anyone else who knows may need to correct me on some of it, though. If you haven't guessed, I'm kind of a fan of Japanese culture to some little extent, or I'm at least interested in it. It spawned from anime (how sad), but now anime really isn't the only reason anymore.
    Don't be ashamed of that! A big reason why I started to learn about Japan was the fact that my family was into anime. (My dad brought home ghibli movies from Japan and stuff.) Actually, Oh My Goddess was one of my first anime and it taught me some interesting stuff.
    I really like Oh My Goddess also, I think it was one of the first 10 anime I watched in whole.
  • I really like Oh My Goddess also, I think it was one of the first 10 anime I watched in whole.
    OAV or TV show? I watch the OAV and then my dad bought the comics in Japanese.
  • I really like Oh My Goddess also, I think it was one of the first 10 anime I watched in whole.
    OAV or TV show? I watch the OAV and then my dad bought the comics in Japanese.
    Both, kinda. I saw the TV show (both seasons) before I saw the OAV, and the OAV felt kinda rushed, but had some charm. I didn't see it all, though. The TV show had more content, so I liked it better, but I since I haven't seen the whole OAV I can't really say for sure. I have a feeling that I'll still like the TV show better, though. I read the synopsis on the OAV and it didn't seem all that more interesting, so I just never watched the rest of it. Should I go for the OAV?

    As for the manga/comics, I've never read any of them.
  • edited March 2009
    I really liked the TV show as well. It felt like a more leisurely retelling, and it was charming as ever. However, as someone who has a little sister, the Skuld episode (episode 3 of the OVA) was very funny to me.
    Post edited by gomidog on
  • I really liked the TV show as well. It felt like a more leisurely retelling, and it was charming as ever.
    I remember watching the OVA back when anime was called "Japanimation". I felt it was a bit rushed, but that's how most OAVs are.

    I recently got the TV series (seasons 1 & 2) for Christmas, so I've been enjoying them at my leisure. I enjoy at the end of season 1 with Urd having a child body and Skuld having the grown up body. Those episodes were very cute.

    I still have yet to watch season 2.
  • Yeah, the TV show is really leisurely, charming, and just better, I think. The music is great, it's longer, more polished, looks better, has more plot/stories, and I just in general like it a lot better than what I've seen of the OAV.
  • I learned that you gotta have the blue hair.

    ...No, wait, that was Strong Bad.
  • edited March 2009
    I've learned that Japanese girls often trip over nothing and that Japanese boys look like girls.

    Katamari (yes, it is a game, not an anime - I know) taught me that the Japanese need to tidy up.
    Post edited by Kate Monster on
  • that Japanese boys look like girls.
    Some of them do, though. It's so h...HOT.
  • that Japanese boys look like girls.
    Some of them do, though. It's so h...HOT.
    Pffffffffffft, reverse traps > traps.
    I learned that you gotta have the blue hair.

    ...No, wait, that was Strong Bad.
    KAMINAAAAAAAAAA! *Manly tears are being shed* I must say, blue hair gives +2 to awesome/GAR.

    Tetsuwan Birdy (OVA and TV) has taught me that earth is already swarming with (crazy strong) aliens and (crazy strong) combat robots. Also, keep destroyed robots away from goo.
  • I learned the "Sorry" pose from a scanslation of Negima. That's about it.
  • If you sneeze randomly, that means someone's talking about you. Learned this from Dragon Ball.
    On a side note, I've been sneezing a lot this week.
  • If you sneeze randomly, that means someone's talking about you.
    I sneeze every second of every hours of every day. Sometimes twice. XD
  • edited March 2009
    I learned that sexual arousal in Japanese males leads to incredibly high blood pressure to the point that they bleed profusely from the nose.
    I also learned that many Japanese women store the organs that most human beings have in their waist and torso in their breasts.
    Post edited by Kate Monster on
  • I learned that sexual arousal in Japanese males leads to incredibly high blood pressure to the point that they bleed profusely from the nose.
    While in Japan, my friend Jon was on a train sitting opposite two girls when both of his nostrils started gushing blood, must have been worth seeing.
  • I learned that sexual arousal in Japanese males leads to incredibly high blood pressure to the point that they bleed profusely from the nose.
    While in Japan, my friend Jon was on a train sitting opposite two girls when both of his nostrils started gushing blood, must have been worth seeing.
    Could it just be that the air was dry and his nasal tissue was cracked?
  • What? It was just a coincidence which would have been funny to witness.
  • All schools have sailor fuku. (In hentai dubs so do the colleges.)
  • Nige dame da. (repeat ad infinitum and clench your fist) - I shall not run away (and face my problems.)

    Also that "anta" and "baka" go very well with each other, bonus points if the phrase is pronounced as a question.

    These were the most important lessons anime gave me regarding japanese custom and culture.
  • Nige dame da. (repeat ad infinitum and clench your fist) - I shall not run away (and face my problems.)
    To go absolutely not anywhere near where you went, Onegai! yammate! (Probably horribly misspelled, yes)
  • If you sneeze randomly, that means someone's talking about you.
    I sneeze every second of every hours of every day. Sometimes twice. XD
    That's because I'm talking about you every second of every hour. Sometimes twice : p
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