Learn Japanese Today

デブ

Reading: debu (usually written in katakana)

Definition: Fatty, or fat. Can be either a noun or a na- adjective. Rarely used in a positive context.

I have a special attachment to this word not only because derogatory colloquialisms are the best way to endear yourself to native speakers (sad, but true), but also because of a story my high school Japanese sensei told me.

My sensei was one of many young Japanese girls that came to America to teach Japanese and ended up marrying German newspaper reporters. Or maybe there weren’t that many. Anyways, the important part is that her husband and his family are hakujin (white people). And like any good hakujin family, her husband had a brother named Dave. Maybe you see where this is going already. Don’t spoil it.

It may surprise you to know that to the inexperienced Japanese ear, all the Vs in English turn into Bs, and just about every word ends in u. And that’s how my sensei that her brother-in-law was named “fatty” for years. Brings a tear to your eye that one does.

And this week, since I’m feeling extra generous, I’ll incorporate a bonus word. This one is a gitaigo, or onomatopoeia, and if there’s one thing you should know about Japanese people, it’s that they take their gitaigo seriously.

Anyways, ごろごろ is the sound a fat person makes when they roll down a hill. No joke. And it’s really not used for much else.

Here’s your practice sentence:

あのデブは階段で落ちて下までごろごろ転がった。ちょう面白かった。

ano debu wa kaidan de ochite shita made goro goro korogatta. chou omoshirokatta.

That fatty fell down on the stairs and rolled all the way to the bottom. It was hilarious.

Take care.

なんぱ

Reading: (usually written in kana alone)  nanpa

Definition: Flirt, pick up girls, chase skirts…

This word doesn’t make the cut for most textbooks for obvious reasons. Well, not quite so obvious reasons. If (When) I make a textbook, this word will definitely be in it. I mean come on, it’s not hurting anyone. But yeah, most textbooks don’t really include any words that have any sort of sexual subtext or anything you’d ever really want to do. But don’t worry, old Todd is here.

This is a word used often among younger guys in such phrases as “nanpa shiyou” (let’s pick up some girls!) and “nanpa umai, Takeshi wa” (Takeshi is great at flirting.) This is one of those words you can use to encourage your Japanese friends to come out of the woodwork and go actually meet people. That’s how I use it.

And here’s your example sentence:

Chotto nomisugite shimatte, nanpa heta ni nachatta

I drank a little too much and I became terrible at picking up women.

Go get ‘em tigers.

Are you ready for this week’s word? You think you are, but you’re not.

雰囲気

Reading: ふんいき (funiki)

Definition: Atmosphere (of a situation), mood. This is generally used as a broadened use of kanji, meaning feeling, to apply to a setting or situation. For example, you might say an awkward date had a henna funiki (weird atmosphere) or a restaurant had ii funiki (good atmosphere).

I’m calling special attention to this word today because, of the Japanese people I’ve talked to, the general agreement is that funiki is the most often mispronounced word by foreigners. I know one of our favorite things about Japanese is that even the most complicated words are blissfully easy to pronounce once you know the sounds, except for this one.

Most gaijin read this word and say it how they say any other word fun-i-ki. That’s where the problems start. This isn’t one of those stereotypical easy to pronounce words. It’s a toughy. To try to phoeneticize it, the actual way it’s said goes something like fu-in ki. I don’t know how to describe it better. When Japanese people say it, it sounds like the n comes both before and after the i, but not in the way that would sound in English. Ask a Japanese friend to say it for you, I can’t describe it well enough.

I’ve decided that this blog needs a little more routine. Especially on Saturdays. Man, I never have anything to post about on Saturdays. Until now.

That’s right, it’s Word of the Week, or WotW for short (not to be confused with World of the Warcraft). Everyweek I’ll take a look at a word I find interesting, funny, or useful in a way that isn’t generally addressed in class.

Alright, time for this week’s word:

暖かくなかった

Reading: atatakakunakatta

Definition: Was not warm

This definitely used to be my favorite word, scratch that, it still is. I mean, just try saying it a couple of times.

Atatakakunakatta, atatakakunakatta, a-ta-ka-ta-tu - CRAP!

Not only is this word a natural tongue-twister, it also sounds like it could be something someone is saying in the background over and over in an underground rap song. Something with a lot of bass drum and sitar.

I suppose you grammar-lings will fuss at me if I don’t tell you that this is just a conjugation of the adjective atatakai, which means warm.

I’m going to level with you, this word does not get said very often. At least it’s rare enough that I still giggle every time I say it. You basically say it when something that was supposed to be warm (bath, meal, etc) was in fact, not warm. GASP! If it’s snowing outside, you aren’t going to go around saying atatakakunakatta. Unless you’re kidding. If you’re kidding, Japanese people will find it hilarious. Then you can all laugh at this hilarious word.

And now it’s time for a real life practice sentence so you can be cool and use the Word of the Week in REAL LIFE!

お風呂に入ったけど、水は暖かくなかったから、びっくりした。

Ofuro ni haitta kedo, mizu wa atatakakunakatta kara, bikkuri shita.

I got in the bath, but I was shocked to discover the water wasn’t warm.