This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Need a word or phrase translated?


It's called "marumoji." If you want to know more about it. The Wikipedia has a page on it (sorry, it's only in Japanese).
丸文字 - Wikipedia
 
regregreg said:
Does it mean anything when there's two extra strokes added to へ in the beginning of letters? Or is it only supposed to look, I don't know, cute or something?
Click to expand...

I've checked out the wiki page for which grapefruit had provided a link. It says it is a stylized way of writing hiraganas that was popular among girls back in the 80s.

○○○○へ = to ○○○○、

Just think of へ with "two extra strokes added" as an equivalent of people putting a smiley face in place of a dot in the letter " i " to make it look cute.
 
Last edited:
"3 minutes after 5 o'clock"

--> Go ji sampun desu.

"3 minutes before 5 o'clock"

--> Go ji sampun mae desu.
 
I think 5時前3分 (ごじまえさんぷん) is correct. At least I hope it is. It's how I've said it in the past...
 
How do you say 340,000 in Japanese? I'm a bit rusty when it comes to larger numbers.

Thanks!
 
Glenn said:
I think 5時前3分 (ごじまえさんぷん) is correct. At least I hope it is. It's how I've said it in the past...
Click to expand...

...goji sanpun mae as Buntaro san said is correct.

Simi said:
how do you say 340,000 in Japanese? I'm a bit rusty when it comes to larger numbers.
thanks!
Click to expand...
If you put a comma at every four digits (340,000 => 34,0000), then you can easily count large numbers in Japanese. So, it would be sanjuuyon man.
 
Last edited:
Aaaaahhhhh, that sucks. Oh well, lesson learned (I hope).

goji sanpun mae, goji sanpun mae, goji sanpun mae, goji sanpun mae...
 
Glenn,

...have you been smoking a doobie?
 
epigene said:
You're not totally wrong, Glenn! :emoji_flushed:

羽田発、八時前十分〜♪ - くうざん本を見る
Click to expand...

Alright! So deep inside I'm either an Okayamaian or an Oitaite (I hope nobody takes that as meaning those are the official adjectives for Okayama and Oita...). I do like that they consider my (?) way of saying it a 大変合理的な言い方 and 非常に合理的でわかりやすい. I'll take that as a compliment. :emoji_flushed: Thanks for that, epigene!

Buntaro said:
Glenn,

...have you been smoking a doobie?
Click to expand...

No, I'll just refer you to my custom user title. The repetition was so that I would remember it better, if that's why you're asking.
 
You're welcome!

When 五時前3分 was posted, I remembered that I've heard it used before. I don't recall correctly but I think it's probably because my parents are from western Japan (Hiroshima) and some of my relatives are from Okayama.

More recently, I've heard it used at a TV studio. I think it was being used deliberately so no one confuses "five minutes to the hour" with "5 minutes past the hour." I agree that this usage is quite practical and rational, though I probably won't use it in everyday situations.
 
Text translation...

わたしはあなたの文化と生活なら対。日本にきょおみがあります。にほんとイングランドはとてもきがあです。にほんのけしきはとてもげきてきです。イングランド輪とても平らです、だからすむにちかいおやまがだいすきです。
もし、見物するのに井伊と色があったらわたしにおしえてください！


Okay, here's the thing – I've been asked to do a speech to an elementary school I'm teaching in, 3 to 4 minutes, no English allowed. This is way above by level, but I'm giving it my best shot anyway. This is a section that I've translated from English and firstly, I doubt it makes any sense , and secondly, I need to make it suitable for Elementary school kids. It's all basically comparisons between Japan and England and how I'm really happy to be living next to mountains!

I'm pretty sure the last sentence is A-ok as I got help with it...
Any suggestions on how I could make this more understandable would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks
 
Are these Japanese sentences correct?

If Yamada-san is rich, I want to marry him tomorrow.
山田さんは金持ちたら, 私は明日彼と結婚したいです。
Before I go to bed, I like to read a novel while listening to music.
私は寝る前に、音楽を聞きながら小説を読むことが好きです。
I might start studying Japanese at the university called Tokyo University next year.
私は来年東京大学と言う大学で日本語を勉強し始めるかもしれません。
My computer was stolen because I went out with the door open.
私はドアを開けたまま出かけたので 私のコンピューターが盗まれました。
I am doing a part time job everyday in order to give a birthday present to my younger brother.
私は弟に誕生日プレゼントを与えるために毎日アルバイトをしています。
I have been to China as many as five times, but I have been to Japan only once.
私は中国へ5回も行ったことがありますが日本へ一度だけ行ったことがあります。
In summer, you can see a lot of festivals here and there in Japan
夏に、日本であちこちで多くのフェスティバルを見ることができます。
In Japan, it is warm in April but it is cool in October.
日本では、4月は暖かいですが10月は涼しいです
cheers.
 

Isn't it more beneficial to actually find some Japanese person and get help, rather than getting your speech corrected here? In that way, you have more chance to use Japanese and get connected to people, etc...:?
 
General note: you almost never need to use Watashi ha twice in one sentence, and usually don't need to use it at all.


If Yamada-san is rich, I want to marry him tomorrow.
山田さんは金持ちたら, 私は明日彼と結婚したいです。

→お金持ちだったら

Before I go to bed, I like to read a novel while listening to music.
私は寝る前に、音楽を聞きながら小説を読むことが好きです。

の rather than こと is usually used before がすきです.

I might start studying Japanese at the university called Tokyo University next year.

私は来年東京大学と言う大学で日本語を勉強し始めるかもしれません。

The Japanese, like the English, is redundant. Drop "という大学"


I am doing a part time job everyday in order to give a birthday present to my younger brother.
私は弟に誕生日プレゼントを与えるために毎日アルバイトをしています。

与える is seldom used to indicate giving real things to people. More often used in a more symbolic way 影響を与える等. use あげる

Maybe something like ...プレゼントがあげられるように,アルバイトをしていてお金を貯めています。


I have been to China as many as five times, but I have been to Japan only once.

中国に行ったことは５回もありますが、日本に行ったのは一回だけです（一回しかない）。

In Japan, it is warm in April but it is cool in October.
日本では、4月は暖かいが10月は涼しいです

This is completely wrong. Not the Japanese, but the content. At least in my experience. Obviously it also varies by where in Japan you are and what year it is (this October has been warm).
 
I don't know if it's done, but it seems possible. The only problem I have with it is that 五時三分 means 5:03, which means three minutes after five o'clock, which is shorter than throwing 後 in there, which makes more sense to me.
 
NewHero said:
Couldn't we express the concept of "after" here with 後 ?
So you have?:
Go ji sanpun ato desu.
Click to expand...

The only instance that I can think of is during some morning TV/Radio show when the caster tells you what time it is. S/He might say something like, 「5時を3分過ぎました。 ここで首都圏の交通情報です。 交通センターのASHIKAGAさ～～ん！」
 
Newhero,

You asked,

"Couldn't we express the concept of "after" here with 後 ?

So you have?:

Go ji sanpun ato desu."

--> No. Go ji sanpun ato desu means something different: First event A happens, then event B happens. Referring to event B, we can say event B happen five hours and three minutes after event A happens, irregardless of what time A happens. In this situation, we would say Go ji sanpun ato desu. So, here we are saying that B will happen in five hours and three minutes (from right now, for example).
 

If that is what you want to say, the correct way is "5時間3分後 (Go-JIKAN san-pun go)" . 5時 means 5 O'clock and not 5 hours. While you COULD say あと, it is more common/natural to read the kanji 後、ご in this case.

Example : 彼の乗った飛行機は6時に東京を出発して、5時間3分後にバンコックに着きました。 Kare no notta hikouki wa 6 ji ni Tokyo wo shuppatsu shite, 5 jikan 3 pun go ni Bangkok ni tsukimashita. His plane left Tokyo at 6 O'clock and after 5 hours and 3 minutes, arrived in Bangkok.
 
Ashikaga,

I think your answer is more correct than mine. Thanks for setting the record straight.
 
Hello again guys! Doumo, arigatou gozaimasu. I had another question, if I may?

If I am on the subway, sitting down, and I wish to offer an elderly person or a woman with children etc. my seat, what would be a polite way of saying this? Please keep in mind, my Japanese skills are so atrocious as to be negligible! Not to mention the terribly Canadian accented pronunciations = ).

I was informed that
Yoro sikattara douzo
Click to expand...
would be fine to use -- roughly meaning, "have a seat if you would like". Is that the most polite form?

On another note: I'm Canadian, but of ethnic Chinese descent. If someone were to ask, how exactly would I say this, and note the differentiation between simply saying I'm Canadian i.e. "Watakushi wa Kanadajin desu", and I'm of Chinese descent i.e. "______________" ?

P.S. If it's possible, could the translations please be in Romaji? I am unable to discern more than a few characters in hiragana / katakana / kanji (for my previous question on this thread, I had to resort to a translator -- rather embarassed to have to admit that!).
 
XShaolin7,

Since you are a beginning student of the Japanese language, you need to use a more basic statement.

Douzo suwatte kudasai.

--> Please sit down.

Then, if you wish, you can add the yoroshikattara phrase,

Yoroshikattara, douzo suwatte kudasai.

--> If it pleases you, please sit down.

~~~

You should also correct body language. Stand up, make eye contact with the person you are offering the seat to, point to it with four fingers (not one finger) and thumb extended, and say Douzo suwatte kudasai. or Yoroshikattara, douzo suwatte kudasai.

~~~

"I am Chinese Canadian."

--> Watashi wa Chuugoku kei Kanada jin desu.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Sticky
Need a Kanji Translated? Just ask!
81 82 83
Replies
2K
Views
308K
Ukigumo
N
"Proverb" Translation
2
Replies
35
Views
75K
Swede
S
M
Help with translation
Replies
12
Views
59K
Jerry1834
J
H
What is "half-width" number?
Replies
6
Views
79K
Mike Cash
A
Need to change car navigation/audio/video system language to English
Replies
11
Views
115K
Rich345
R
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…