Need a word or phrase translated?

[mdchachi]

According to a user on HiNative, Powapowa is just a sound. There's really no meaning.

Obviously no one is going to write a passage in a story and throw in a sound all of a sudden for no reason or meaning.
You should have read further. Also according to hinative (probably the same page) it says:
...in casual settings we employ this word to describe someone who is very chill, tranquil, sometimes even careless and sleepy.

So in this context I think he's saying that she's carefree or absent-minded. In English we might say an "air head." It might be a way that one would describe a stoner but I think that's unlikely the context for a story set in Japan.

 

[Achilles 1-1]

Obviously no one is going to write a passage in a story and throw in a sound all of a sudden for no reason or meaning.
You should have read further. Also according to hinative (probably the same page) it says:
...in casual settings we employ this word to describe someone who is very chill, tranquil, sometimes even careless and sleepy.

So in this context I think he's saying that she's carefree or absent-minded. In English we might say an "air head." It might be a way that one would describe a stoner but I think that's unlikely the context for a story set in Japan.

View attachment 121594

We don't say air head anymore. We say retarded and/or idiot.

 

[mdchachi]

We don't say air head anymore. We say retarded and/or idiot.

Kids might still say that to be mean but retarded was retired years ago.
In fact they passed a law not so long ago to remove that word from all references in federal law.
In any case, in this context I believe he's calling her powapowa to her face with some affection so neither retard or idiot would be the best translation.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Retirement does this to me.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I encountered this adjective (?) in a story's dialogue, which describe about a person is "powapowa//ぽわぽわ" - All i could guess is "being distracted" but not sure since i'm not native. Appreciates some opinions about its correct definition in this case.

*dialogue context -A conversation between a boy trying to encourage a girl - who thought she's a failure and only cause troubles when she's trying to help people.

Boy「何回も失敗してる、みたいな言い方自体が間違いなんだよ。だろ？少なくとも俺やA-sanは、そんな風に思ってない」
Boy「みんな、そのままの桃香でいて欲しいんだよ」
Girl「このままのわたしって……？」
Boy「お人好しで、ちょっとドジでもあるな……普段は凄くぽわぽわしてて」
Girl「あ、酷いっ」
*A-san and the boy are both her friends.

Here's a response that might help.

https://ja.hinative.com/questions/15942561

 

[zeroh4nter]

伸びをした唇は、俺の耳元をくすぐりながら囁く。
I'm not sure how to understand this part 伸びをした唇 correctly, hope someone could give opinions about its correct meaning. All i can guess is : "Her out stretched lips"
Context is a little girl nestle close to the protagonist to explain with him about the quality of a rule or something.
俺の疲労を感じてか、雛里がさりげなく寄り添ってくれる。
雛里「豪傑でも、知謀の人である必要もない。何かが出来る人は、他人にそれをさせたがらず、自分を上回る才覚を嫉む」
伸びをした唇は、俺の耳元をくすぐりながら囁く。
雛里「君主の資質とは、他人の力を借りて自分の力に出来ること……なんだそうですよ」

 

[mdchachi]

伸びをした唇は、俺の耳元をくすぐりながら囁く。
I'm not sure how to understand this part 伸びをした唇 correctly, hope someone could give opinions about its correct meaning. All i can guess is : "Her out stretched lips"
Context is a little girl nestle close to the protagonist to explain with him about the quality of a rule or something.
俺の疲労を感じてか、雛里がさりげなく寄り添ってくれる。
雛里「豪傑でも、知謀の人である必要もない。何かが出来る人は、他人にそれをさせたがらず、自分を上回る才覚を嫉む」
伸びをした唇は、俺の耳元をくすぐりながら囁く。
雛里「君主の資質とは、他人の力を借りて自分の力に出来ること……なんだそうですよ」

This is what Perplexity thinks:

伸びをした唇 in this context doesn't mean "outstretched lips" but rather refers to lips that are relaxed or slightly parted[1][2]. The phrase 伸びをする typically means to stretch or extend oneself, often after being in a fixed position for a while[1][2].

In this scene, it appears that Hinari is speaking in a relaxed, intimate manner to the protagonist. A more accurate translation would be:

"Her relaxed lips whisper, tickling my ear."

This interpretation fits better with the overall context of Hinari nestling close to the protagonist to explain something. The relaxed state of her lips emphasizes the casual, intimate nature of their interaction[1][2].

The entire passage could be translated as:

"Perhaps sensing my fatigue, Hinari casually nestles close to me.
Hinari: 'Even a great hero doesn't need to be a person of wisdom and strategy. Those who can do something often don't want others to do it, and they envy those with superior talents.'
Her relaxed lips whisper, tickling my ear.
Hinari: 'The quality of a ruler, it seems, is the ability to borrow others' strengths and make them one's own.'"

This translation captures the intimate and explanatory nature of the scene, with Hinari sharing wisdom in a close, relaxed manner.

Citations:
[1] 伸びる, 延びる, のびる, nobiru - Nihongo Master
[2] 伸び, 延び, のび, ノビ, nobi, nobi - Nihongo Master
[3] 人中短縮術（リップリフト）の手術方法や費用について｜美容整形なら eクリニック
[4] 唇をつむぐ？結ぶ？心理ってなんですか？ - ずっと前からの癖で治したいです。気が付くと口をギュッと一文字に閉じています。 - Yahoo!知恵袋
[5] 顎を短くする方法とは？顎が長い「原因」と顎を短く見せる「裏技」「美容整形」を一挙解説 | 輪郭形成・小顔整形 コラム｜池袋の美容整形・美容外科（小顔整形・顔痩せ・輪郭整形）｜みずほクリニック
[6] 人中短縮術(リップリフト)なら宇都宮にあるグランツクリニックへ
[7] 年取って、顔の筋肉がたるんで、鼻の下が伸びた気がするって英語でなんて言うの？ - DMM英会話なんてuKnow?
[8] https://orbis-pictus.jp/glossary/パルピ.php

 

[zeroh4nter]

A character said this 「チッ、なんちゅう逃げ足や」 after her enemy suddenly ran away ,much thanks someone who could tell me exactly what being said here ! (i could only guess based on situation : "Damn, they run fast !" but not sure )

 

[mdchachi]

A character said this 「チッ、なんちゅう逃げ足や」 after her enemy suddenly ran away ,much thanks someone who could tell me exactly what being said here ! (i could only guess based on situation : "Damn, they run fast !" but not sure )

I think Perplexity is correct for this one:
The translation you guessed is quite close! The Japanese phrase 「チッ、なんちゅう逃げ足や」 can be translated as:

"Tch, what incredible speed they have running away!"

Breaking it down:

• "チッ" (chi) is an expression of annoyance or frustration, similar to "Tch" or "Tsk" in English.
• "なんちゅう" (nanchu) is a colloquial way of saying "なんという" (nan to iu), meaning "what a" or "what kind of."
• "逃げ足" (nigeashi) literally means "fleeing legs" but refers to the speed or ability to run away.
• "や" (ya) is a casual sentence-ending particle often used in Kansai dialect.

The character is expressing frustration at how quickly their enemy has fled, similar to your guess of "Damn, they run fast!"

 

[space]

in this case 人間界では五分の力すら出せない
(Ningenkai de wa gobu no chikara sura dasenai)

gobu no chikara means (half strenght) right?
not 1/5.

 

[Buntaro]

It's time to work on my Japanese vocabulary.

How to say "hazy" in Japanese, as in "The weather is hazy."? I keep getting the answer 曇り（くもり）(kumori), but that is not correct.

 

[Majestic]

もや

 

[Buntaro]

Thanks!

 

[Buntaro]

How do we ask, "What does he look like?" meaning how tall is he, does he wear glasses, does he have long hair, what kind of clothes does he wear? I know the word 格好 (kakkou) (appearance) and I am wondering if this is the word we use, as in "Dou iu kakkou shite imasu ka?"

 

[Majestic]

彼はどんな感じの人？ What kind of guy is he?

Could refer to clothes, or body type, or personality type, etc... If you wanted to know a specific thing, you could add on something like: 身長は？ (how tall is he?)

彼はどんな格好をしていますか？ （This one, to me, is more like "what type of clothes does he wear"? or "what's his style"?) Maybe it could be an oblique way to ask about body shape/type.

Toritoribe-san may have a better answer.

 

[Buntaro]

Thanks!

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Thanks!

I find it quite impressive that you have kept this thread alive for over 20 years

 

[mdchachi]

彼はどんな感じの人？ What kind of guy is he?

Could refer to clothes, or body type, or personality type, etc... If you wanted to know a specific thing, you could add on something like: 身長は？ (how tall is he?)

彼はどんな格好をしていますか？ （This one, to me, is more like "what type of clothes does he wear"? or "what's his style"?) Maybe it could be an oblique way to ask about body shape/type.

Toritoribe-san may have a better answer.

How about どういう見た目？

 

[Majestic]

Technically it's fine. I don't know if anyone would use that colloquially. It's just like "how's his appearance?" which is fine grammatically, but seems maybe just one step away from colloquial English.

 

[Buntaro]

Here is something that's been bugging me for a while. In written Japanese, is it more common to write:

どう言う人？ (Dou iu hito?) (What kind of person?)

or

どういう人？ (Dou iu hito?) (What kind of person?)

 

[Majestic]

I think the one on the bottom is most common. But the one on top isn't incorrect.

 

[Buntaro]

Thanks Majestic!

 

[Buntaro]

I'm wondering about translating "cellphone" into Japanese. I was watching a video from Japan and the schoolkids in the video used the word スマホ (sumaho) (smartphone) to refer to their phones. Do Japanese people still say 携帯電話（けいたいでんわ）(keitaidenwa) (cellphone)? Which is more common in conversation?

 

[トレバー]

I'm wondering about translating "cellphone" into Japanese. I was watching a video from Japan and the schoolkids in the video used the word スマホ (sumaho) (smartphone) to refer to their phones. Do Japanese people still say 携帯電話（けいたいでんわ）(keitaidenwa) (cellphone)? Which is more common in conversation?

I too also hear スマホ！

 

[mdchachi]

I'm wondering about translating "cellphone" into Japanese. I was watching a video from Japan and the schoolkids in the video used the word スマホ (sumaho) (smartphone) to refer to their phones. Do Japanese people still say 携帯電話（けいたいでんわ）(keitaidenwa) (cellphone)? Which is more common in conversation?

Good question. I don't think you hear 携帯電話 much any more now that everybody carries an iPhone or Android ie smartphone.