Need a word or phrase translated?

[lamshopping]

Hello there everyone

I have some odds and ends (a word here and a word there) that I would like to ask the experienced members here. Just a few vocab words I have stocked up.

1. What does ほんわか mean? It is used quite often but it is another one of those words that just doesn't show up in a dictionary. (Are there any sites out there that specialize in more trendy words?)

2. I came across the word 美ら海、 美ら島。 What is the romaji of 美ら？？ I know it is generally うつくしい or び but 美ら？？ Yet again, it is not showing up in the dictionary.

Would someone be kind enough to translate the 2 questions? Thank you. If they did show up in the dictionary, I wouldn't bother the members here. Thanks again.

 

[Elizabeth]

Hello there everyone
I have some odds and ends (a word here and a word there) that I would like to ask the experienced members here. Just a few vocab words I have stocked up.

1. What does ほんわか mean? It is used quite often but it is another one of those words that just doesn't show up in a dictionary. (Are there any sites out there that specialize in more trendy words?)

I think the basic meaning is peaceful, but it may also be used in place names, perhaps ?

2. I came across the word 美ら海、 美ら島。 What is the romaji of 美ら？？ I know it is generally うつくしい or び but 美ら？？ Yet again, it is not showing up in the dictionary.

On this one, a quick search of the web and the romaji appears to be chura.

Would someone be kind enough to translate the 2 questions? Thank you. If they did show up in the dictionary, I wouldn't bother the members here. Thanks again.

Not a bother. Share the knowledge !

 

[undrentide]

1. What does ほんわか mean? It is used quite often but it is another one of those words that just doesn't show up in a dictionary. (Are there any sites out there that specialize in more trendy words?)

ほんわか is one of the mimetic words, to describe something soft, mild, tender, gentle, etc., often used to describe a personality or the atmosphere the person wears.
Another usage I can think of is to describe something steaming gently.
Like a steamed bun just taken out of the steamer.

2. I came across the word 美ら海、 美ら島。 What is the romaji of 美ら？？ I know it is generally うつくしい or び but 美ら？？ Yet again, it is not showing up in the dictionary.

It is pronounced ちゅら (chura), and it is not found in dictionaries because it is Okinawan (some call it a dialect, others call it a separate language from Japanese). According to the explanation I found on the net, it originally is written as 清ら（きよら） which means elegant and beautiful. Okinawan pronunciation of 清ら is ちゅら, then gradually people started to use 美ら.
I guess because of the meaning of the word ちゅら.

 

[lamshopping]

Thanks @Elizabeth and @Undretide. Your responses were very helpful.
Is Okinawan that different from standard Japanese? ちゅら? I wonder how many more variations there are of other words. Sounds fascinating actually.

 

[undrentide]

Is Okinawan that different from standard Japanese? ちゅら? I wonder how many more variations there are of other words. Sounds fascinating actually.

I once visited Okinawa years ago. They have TV programmes (and I assume radio programmes as well) in Okinawan, and I could not understand what they're talking about at all!!
Wikipedia has some information. Japanese version seems to give more detailed explanation about the difference between Okinawan and Japanese.
Ryukyuan languages - Wikipedia
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/琉球語

 

[vernhunt]

Hey there!
If it isn't too much trouble to ask, I'd appreciate it very much if someone were to be kind enough to translate the following phrase from Japanese into English.

Osakaben o wakaru?

Peace and thanks,
-vernhunt

 

[undrentide]

Osakaben o wakaru?

It means "do you understand Osaka-ben (Osaka dialect)?"
I think "Osaka-ben ga wakaru?" more commonly used expression, though.

 

[vernhunt]

Thanks very much!

-vernhunt

 

[Glenn]

Whenever I see ~o wakaru I immediately think gaijin.

I once visited Okinawa years ago. They have TV programmes (and I assume radio programmes as well) in Okinawan, and I could not understand what they're talking about at all!!

If that's the case, it must be a different language. From what I've read and heard something stops being a dialect and starts being a different language if mutual intelligibility falls below 70%.

 

[undrentide]

If that's the case, it must be a different language. From what I've read and heard something stops being a dialect and starts being a different language if mutual intelligibility falls below 70%.

I should like to agree, but then I remember an old man I met in the mountain in Tochigi -ken many years ago. I and my friends could not understand him at all and middle aged man who was with this old man "interpreted".

But of course, when talking about dialects and intelligibility, I should be careful about the reason I could not undersand - sometimes not only the words or grammar but also the heavy accent affect it as well.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I should like to agree, but then I remember an old man I met in the mountain in Tochigi-ken many years ago. I and my friends could not understand him at all and middle aged man who was with this old man "interpreted".

But of course, when talking about dialects and intelligibility, I should be careful about the reason I could not undersand - sometimes not only the words or grammar but also the heavy accent affect it as well.

True, and I've heard what Glenn said, too, but never forget that politics has a role as well.

 

[Cue]

YES, vernhunt, watashi Osaka-ben wakaru!

Should you have any question about Osaka-ben(Osakan language), feel free to ask me! I'm so very willing to help you!

 

[Glenn]

True, and I've heard what Glenn said, too, but never forget that politics has a role as well.

Well, they shouldn't in a linguistic discussion of whether something is a language or dialect, but even then sometimes politics get in the way. China's situation seems to be one where that's the case, and I've heard that the Nordic languages are really more like dialects of one language too, but I don't really know about that.

 

[kawaiisan]

Hello everyone,

Just wondering if anyone could help me, how do you generally say something like "no wonder he's the head of school", or "no wonder he's number one", or "no wonder XYZ" etc. I thought it would be a bit different from "hazu datta", so yeah, a bit confused.

thanks in advance!
よろしく おねがいします!

 

[Glenn]

Good question. My offering: そういうわけで〜！ I'd like to hear other ideas as well.

 

[Elizabeth]

Hello everyone,
Just wondering if anyone could help me, how do you generally say something like "no wonder he's the head of school", or "no wonder he's number one", or "no wonder XYZ" etc. I thought it would be a bit different from "hazu datta", so yeah, a bit confused.
thanks in advance!
よろしく おねがいします!

I would just say it straight out as it sounds... 不思議じゃない、当然だ。。無理も（は）ない。。

:emoji_blush:

 

[Glenn]

Haha, forgot about those. Of course, mine is for if someone says something and you're stating that's the reason that someone is XYZ, and Elizabeth's is just stating that it's only natural or not strange that someone is XYZ, so I guess it just depends on what situation you're saying it in.

 

[kawaiisan]

thanks very much! Elizabeth-san and Glenn-san!

社長になることは当然だ。
社長になることは不思議じゃない。
社長になることは無理も（は）ない。

Is that how you'd use it? Not really sure how they would go in a sentence..

also, そういうわけで社長になる <-- is that correct? I'm quite bad grammar-wise in japanese, so yeah..

thanks again!

 

[Glenn]

The top three look good.

You could also use って to make it more like an opinion you have rather than just stating a fact: 社長になったって当然だ！

For the last one I was thinking more along the lines of そういうわけで社長になったんだ（な）！

Note: I used the past tense, because I figured he had already become company president, but yours are fine too if he hasn't yet but will be.

 

[Elizabeth]

The top three look good. :emoji_thumbsup:

For some reason のは seems better here than ことは (or のも？）。。。 that part I'm still very unclear on. :emoji_frowning2:

 

[Glenn]

I think you're probably right. From what I've read, の is more emotional and warm and こと is more analytical and cold, so の is used more for things you have some sort of emotional connection with, and こと is used more for stating facts. So, yeah, probably better to go with 社長になるのは当然だ etc.

 

[kawaiisan]

Glenn-san and Elizabeth-san, どうもありがとう

 

[Elizabeth]

Glenn-san and Elizabeth-san, どうもありがとう

This may be more detail than you ever wanted to know, but since I tracked it down...a nice post from Sep '06 courtesy of Japanese member umbabasan...
There are still a lot cases where it seems there isn't much difference between こと and の, or where there is only a strong preference for one over the other like ＸＸＸのがすきです。 whilein other instances a mistake is ungrammatical.
それぞれの会話の状況によるので一言では違いを言えません。☝


Since it seems confusing 「の」and 「こと」, may I keep going? Sorry if you have already heard about this.

These are the sentences you can NOT replace の with こと.
They all are telling who/what, when, where and why.
留学するの（when）は来年です。
会うの（when）はいつですか？。
歌うの（who）は誰ですか？。
結婚したの（who）は彼女の兄です。
仕事をするの（when）は明日からです。
一緒に遊んだの（where）はあの公園です。
失敗するのは（why）練習不足だからだ。
返事が来るの（when）は１週間後です。
勉強するのは（where）この教室だ。
人気があるの（what）は野球です。
スポーツを始めたの（why）は健康のためです。

Sentences の can be replaced with こと.
They are always followed by verb, adjective, adverb, form to do with your emotion. and other noun.
留学すること（の）が目標だ。
会うこと（の）が楽しみです。
歌うこと（の）が好きだ。
結婚したこと（の）を後悔している。
仕事をすること（の）は面倒くさい。
一緒に遊んだこと（の）を覚えている。
返事が来ること（の）を待っています。
失敗すること（の）には慣れています。
勉強すること（の）は得意だ。
人気があること（の）はうれしい。
スポーツを始めたこと（の）を知っています。

 

[Fuumei]

よくとれたね!

I'm not quite clear on the usage of "yoku" here in this sentence.

A man goes and buys tickets and then comes back, where he is greeted with this response.

よく= Good/Well (Could mean "properly" I think)
とれた= Able to buy/take (the tickets)

So literally what is this person saying?

 

[undrentide]

よくとれたね!
I'm not quite clear on the usage of "yoku" here in this sentence.
A man goes and buys tickets and then comes back, where he is greeted with this response.
よく= Good/Well (Could mean "properly" I think)
とれた= Able to buy/take (the tickets)
So literally what is this person saying?

よく indeed means well, but it is also used to emphasise one's feeling, both positive and negative.
よく、よくぞ : in admiration, amazement, surprise, etc., basically positive.
e.g.
よく（ぞ）言った！ I'm glad you've said that. (Admiration, "well said!")
よくやった！ Well done!
よくぞ聞いてくれました I'm glad you asked. (The speaker wanted to be asked
よくも: how could you! how dare you! (with negative connotation. Degree varies from lightly appalled to accusing, Blaming, disgusted, etc.)
よくも言ったな！ How dare you say that!
よくもやったな！
よくもまあ、これだけ散らかしたものだ。 How did you managed to mess it up!
Your question 「よくとれたね！」 is the former one, the speaker is either amazed or impressed that the person managed to get the ticket which is not easy to obtain (because the train is very popular or it is always crowded, etc.)
So it is something like "wow, you managed to get it!" or "how did you manage to get it?!".