Need a word or phrase translated?

[Elizabeth]

Thanks Elizabeth. That seems a much simpler construction than in English!
Please excuse my ignorance (I don't really have any experience of informal Japanese), but presumably the copula da/desu is implied at the end of the sentence structure you give? Is it correct to say that you could make the sentence formal by saying e.g.:
Watashitachi wa sannin desu.
Or informal by saying:
Watashitachi wa sannin da.
Or is adding da/desu superfluous/wrong?
Gerard

Gerard,

Apologies for the brevity -- since I'm at work there isn't time to explain. But
just for a random example, "There were twenty of us staying at the hotel" I would say :

Watashitachi wa nijuu nin de hotel ni tomarimashita.

Hope this gives at least some idea what is going on and how to make these constructions.

 

[Zejji]

Gerard,
Apologies for the brevity -- since I'm at work there isn't time to explain. But
just for a random example, "There were twenty of us staying at the hotel" I would say :
Watashitachi wa nijuu nin de hotel ni tomarimashita.
Hope this gives at least some idea what is going on and how to make these constructions.

Thanks for the example, Elizabeth - very useful!

 

[ponnial]

Hello

I hope this is the proper way to introduce a new question...

I was reading a few pages from Mishima, and run on a quotation of a verse from 三好達治 that Mishima seems to like very much. Here is the quotation :
「春の押旅のをはりの鴎（かもめ）どり浮きつつ遠くなりにけるかも」
Through Mishima's comment and some other research on the web, I was able to grasp most of the meaning but then, I just could not find any explanation on the final part : なりにけるかも

My question would be double folded :
- What is the meaning of this expression ?
- How can one find informations on the meaning of forms derived or quoted from classical japanese ? I spent some time on the internet but was unable to find any explanation though the same form was found in Manyoshu poetry.

Please forgive my broken english

Ponnial

 

[undrentide]

「春の岬旅のをはりの鴎（かもめ）どり浮きつつ遠くなりにけるかも」

- What is the meaning of this expression ?

I guess it can be breakdown into なり＋に＋けり＋か＋も
なり to become
に particle to show the result of the change
けり past/strong feeling
か ending particle to express feelings
も ending particle to express feelings
It is similar to present expression なったものだなあ

I was not so good at classics when I was a student, so I'm not sure if the above are all correct... especially けり.

- How can one find information on the meaning of forms derived or quoted from classical Japanese ? I spent some time on the internet but was unable to find any explanation though the same form was found in Manyoshu poetry.

In 短歌 and 俳句 often old expression is used. If you are interested in classical Japanese, this website might be useful.

古典 文法

 

[ponnial]

「春の岬旅のをはりの鴎（かもめ）どり浮きつつ遠くなりにけるかも[/U]」
I guess it can be breakdown into なり＋に＋けり＋か＋も
なり to become
に particle to show the result of the change
けり past/strong feeling
か ending particle to express feelings
も ending particle to express feelings
It is similar to present expression なったものだなあ
I was not so good at classics when I was a student, so I'm not sure if the above are all correct... especially けり.

Thank you so much Undrentide ! The breakdown reminds me my own Japanese studies quite a long time ago... I forgot most it and realize that it will not come back without a strong commitment to it.

In 短歌 and 俳句 often old expression is used. If you are interested in classical Japanese, this website might be useful.

Thank you for the website. I will tell you my impressions once I'll have used it a while.

 

[miki78]

could someone please tell me how to say black wolf and white fox in Japanese please

 

[Takakoo]

could someone please tell me how to say black wolf and white fox in Japanese please

黒い狼・Kuroi ookami・Black wolf
白い狐・Shiroi kitsune・White fox

 

[miki78]

thankyou very much i have been trying for ages to work it out

thankyou again

 

[Satorian]

Could somebody please tell me what "One Among Many" would be translated into Japanese?

 

[rafe]

The difference between ガキ and ガキんちょ anyone?

TIA

 

[nova]

星の不万にしょせんがある

 

[Apple Bomb]

こんにちは皆さん、
文が一つあって、二つのちさい部分は分かりません。

「一九五八年九月二十六日、夕刻、ソニー・ロリンズは暮れなずむブルックリン・ブリッジの上で、一人テナー・サキソフォンの音階練習にはげんでいた。」

その「暮れなずむ」の「なずむ」はちゃんとどう意味ですか。「なず」だけなら、分かると思うけど、ちょっと違うみたいですね。

そして、最後の「げんでいた」というのは何でしょうか。

 

[undrentide]

「一九五八年九月二十六日、夕刻、ソニー・ロリンズは暮れなずむブルックリン・ブリッジの上で、一人テナー・サキソフォンの音階練習にはげんでいた。」

その「暮れなずむ」の「なずむ」はちゃんとどう意味ですか。「なず」だけなら、分かると思うけど、ちょっと違うみたいですね。

「なずむ」は辞書によると「変化しそうでなかなか変化しない」ことをあらわす動詞です。
「暮れなずむ」は「（日が）暮れそうでなかなか暮れない」つまり、日暮れ時（日が沈んで暗くなる前）が長く続いているという意味になります。

「なずむ」（泥む、滞む）は日常あまり使われない言葉です。「暮れなずむ」だけは慣用的によく使われていますが。
（昔流行した歌に「暮れなずむ街の～」というフレーズがあったので、その影響かもしれません。）

そして、最後の「げんでいた」というのは何でしょうか。

「げんでいた」ではなく、「励んでいた（はげんでいた）」ですね。
「励む」は「何かを熱心に行うこと」です。

 

[kisaragi]

This is a big one

Time to separate the boys from the men :emoji_wink:
I have 2 requests.
- the first one is a manual. My brother bought a small bonsai tree in a carton box (in Japan). It's some sort of a "do-it-yourself-bonsai-tree-set" ...
But he can't do anything because he can't read the manual.

- the second one is (i think) very difficult. I recently bought a calligraphic scroll in a Japanese art shop. It should be some kind of Zen phrase, but it's too calligraphic for me.
I took several pictures and detail pictures.

Is there anyone who can read this?
I know I ask a lot, but this is the only place where I can get a good translation.
Thank you very much !

 

[inki]

could someone please translate the last thing
i've searched the whole internet ... i guess it's about london and a theater but i'm not quite sure

2007
彩の国シェイクスピア・シリーズ第16弾
「コリオレイナス」（蜷川幸雄 演出）

1/13～2/8 さいたま芸術劇場
2/13～2/18 梅田芸術劇場シアタードラマシティ
2月下旬 メルパルクホールFUKUOKA
3月初旬 愛知厚生年金会館
4月 ロンドン・バービカンシアター

 

[Buntaro]

Inki,

Are you asking about the last line only? It says the show will be at the London Babikan (Barbikan?) Theatre in April.

 

[gotoh]

こんにちは
Here's my request for translation.
ミ も スタ もない やつだな - こいつ
Actually it is the short sequence of katakana that bothers me. With こいつ, スタ could mean "star" and would probably mean "This guy thinks he's the star". But what about the short ミ ?
Thanks.

 

[Apple Bomb]

undrentideさん、どうもありがとうございました。

 

[Elizabeth]

could someone please translate the last thing
I've searched the whole internet ... I guess it's about London and a theater but I'm not quite sure

2007
彩の国シェイクスピア・シリーズ第16弾
「コリオレイナス」（蜷川幸雄 演出）

1/13～2/8 さいたま芸術劇場
2/13～2/18 梅田芸術劇場シアタードラマシティ
2月下旬 メルパルクホールFUKUOKA
3月初旬 愛知厚生年金会館
4月 ロンドン・バービカンシアター

They are all venue listings for Shakespeare's play Coriolanus.

 

[undrentide]

could someone please translate the last thing
I've searched the whole internet ... I guess it's about London and a theater but I'm not quite sure

2007
彩の国シェイクスピア・シリーズ第16弾
「コリオレイナス」（蜷川幸雄 演出）

1/13～2/8 さいたま芸術劇場
2/13～2/18 梅田芸術劇場シアタードラマシティ
2月下旬 メルパルクホールFUKUOKA
3月初旬 愛知厚生年金会館
4月 ロンドン・バービカンシアター

If you're talking about the last line of the above, as Buntaro san guessed correctly, it's Barbican in London, which is London home of the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company).
蜷川幸雄 (NINAGAWA Yukio) is a famous stage director. He directed many Shakespeare plays and this is one of them.
Yukio Ninagawa - Wikipedia

 

[undrentide]

kisaragi san,

I can explain about the manual for bonsai but it's a bit too much.
It covers three different type of plants, which one did your brother have?
赤松、黒松、or 五色唐辛子？
(I guess the carton box is marked with one of the above.)

As to the scroll, sorry but I have no clue.
Even the first three letters do not make sense to me. (Well, I admit that I have no knowledge about Zen, maybe that's why.... )

 

[undrentide]

こんにちは
Here's my request for translation.
ミ も スタ もない やつだな - こいつ
Actually it is the short sequence of katakana that bothers me. With こいつ, スタ could mean "star" and would probably mean "This guy thinks he's the star". But what about the short ミ ?
Thanks.

It should be
ミもフタもないやつ
ミ is 身 (container) and フタ is 蓋 (lid).
身もふたもない (which sometimes written in kana as quoted) means that the person is blunt, too frank and lacks in subtlety.

 

[gotoh]

It should be
ミもフタもないやつ
ミ is 身 (container) and フタ is 蓋 (lid).
身もふたもない (which sometimes written in kana as quoted) means that the person is blunt, too frank and lacks in subtlety.

Excellent. I did miswrite the フタ and thought it was スタ.
ありがとうございます!

 

[inki]

thank you so much ... i've searched the internet for that show ... just confused now cause there is now show in April just from February till March

 

[undrentide]

thank you so much ... i've searched the internet for that show ... just confused now cause there is now show in April just from February till March

Perhaps the show after April will be advertised later on?
I found a page at Saitama Art Foundation saying that it will be played at BITE (Barbican International Theatre Event) in April, but even the website of Barbican does not mention it yet. (I checked its event calendar but could not find it either.)
Barbican - bite07
*Somehow, information for April is missing...