Test your Japanese savvy!

[Gaijinian]

花

That is actually what I thought, too.
SHITSUMON! What is Koizumi's first name (not too difficult...)?

 

[Glenn]

純一郎

You're right: not too difficult.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

If you see 日米 in a newspaper, what does it probably mean?

 

[Glenn]

Japanese-American relations

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

What does ダブる mean?

 

[Glenn]

"double" (the verb)

How about マクる?

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Written in katakana like that? I have no idea...

 

[Glenn]

Really? I stumped you? You must only hang out with people your age, then.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

If you can also write it as 捲くる then we can talk. Otherwise...I guess I really am turning into an Ossan....

 

[Glenn]

I just found out that there's also ファミる along the same lines, and here at UH there's ハミる. I don't know if that helps you at all (I'm certain the last one doesn't).

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

It doesn't have anything to do with golden arches, does it by any chance?

 

[Glenn]

Yes, it does.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Going to McDonalds?!?!

If I were about 10 years younger, I would think that's funny. Now all I can do is slap my head in disbelief! hahaha

 

[Glenn]

I'm sure lots of Japanese people thirty and above feel the same way you do.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

If I ever get around to it, I should post a short essay by 遠藤周作 called 変な外人. It's about Japanese youth, and it was written in the 70's. Funny thing is, it could easily apply to today's youth. Just goes to show that things don't always change as much as we think!

 

[Glenn]

You know that there are letters and whatnot from ancient Greece in which older people are complaining that younger people are destroying the language? That's something that will never change.

Speaking of 遠藤周作, have you read ミスユニバースの審査?

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I think I might have heard that about the Greek before someplace. It sounds really familiar!

No, I haven't read that one. Is it from 狐狸庵先生?

Extra points if you know what that refers to!

 

[Glenn]

I don't know. I only know it because we had to translate part of it for a class. The excerpt we dealt with was pretty good.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

狐狸庵 is a kind of pen name that he used a lot, usually when writing humorous essays and social commentary. The name of the story you mentioned really sounds like something that would fall under 狐狸庵's area of expertise!

Was it funny?

Getting back to the "savvy" thread, how many zeros are there in an 億?

 

[Glenn]

8

Hmm, it said 遠藤周作, and that's the only name I know him by. Yeah, there was some humor in there.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Yeah, 狐狸庵 was interesting because he made no pretensions to be anyone other than himself. Himself being 遠藤周作, of course! I have a few books written by 遠藤, and that's the name on the title page, but it's all 狐狸庵 inside.

So how's this for a question, what is the reading for 狐狸庵?

 

[Glenn]

It wouldn't be コリアン, would it? That's pretty funny.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

As a matter of fact, it would!