Japanese with Anime

A blog about the language spoken in anime.

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Tuesday, August 29, 2023

konna koto mo arou ka to こんなこともあろうかと

In Japanese, konna koto mo arou ka to こんな事もあろうかと, meaning "[I] thought something like this might happen, [so I prepared this in advance]," is a phrase commonly as a gag in comedy manga and anime, by a character who is just too well prepared, specially for a situation nobody would have expected to happen.

Examples of konna koto mo arou ka to こんな事もあろうかと.
Manga: Ya Boy Kongming!, Paripi Koumei パリピ孔明
Manga: SPY×FAMILY
Monday, July 31, 2023

い Particle

In Japanese, sometimes a phrase ends with dai だい or kai かい that would normally end with the da だ copula or the ka question marker. This extra i い is a sentence-ending particle and is generally used to make a sentence more soft and amicable.

  • nandai
    なんだ
    What is it?
  • sou kai
    そうか
    Is that so?
  • iku zoi
    行くぞ
    Let's go!
  • akireta wai
    呆れたわ
    [I give up] (on y'all, on this situation, etc.).

The sentences above mean the same thing as themselves without the particle: nanda, sou ka, iku zo, akireta wa.

Examples of the i い particle in Japanese.
Source: Various.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Counters

WIP

In Japanese, a "counter," or josuushi 助数詞, is a word that comes after a number to say what sort of thing is being counted, e.g. "3 slices," mi-kire切れ. More technically, it's a morpheme suffixed to a quantifier, which includes non-numbers like zen~ 全~, "all," and nan~ 何~, "how many."

  • keeki wo mi-kire tabeta
    ケーキを3切れ食べた
    [I] ate three slices of cake.
  • banana wo san-bon tabete-iru
    バナナを3食べている
    [I] have eaten three bananas.
  • nan-nichi ga kakaru?
    がかかる
    How many days will [it] take?
  • suu-byou de owatta
    で終わった
    [It] ended in a few seconds.
  • {suu-kiro mo aru} ton'neru
    キロもあるトンネル
    A tunnel [with] {many kilometers [of length]}.
Saturday, April 29, 2023

Introduction to Japanese Grammar

So you know nothing about Japanese and you want to know what a sentence in Japanese says. Well, this article is for you. For starters, the basic structure of a simple, typical Japanese sentence looks like this:

For example:

  • {{sugoku(adv.)} sugoi(adj.)} hito(n.) wa(p.)
    sugoi
    (adj.) na(p.)
    すごくすごい人はすごいな
    People(n.) [that] {are {incredibly(adv.)} incredible(adj.)} are incredible(adj.). (literally.)
    An {{incredibly} incredible} person is incredible.
  • yo(n.) no(p.) naka(n.) niwa(p.)
    {ii
    (adj.)} hito(n.) mo(p.)
    {warui
    (adj.)} hito(n.) mo(p.)
    iru
    (v.) yo ne(p.)
    世の中にはいい人も悪い人もいるよね
    In the world(n.), there are(v.) {good(adj.)} people(n.) and {bad(adj.)} people(n.), too, aren't there?
  • jibun(n.) wo(p.) shinjiru(v.) na(.p),
    ore(n.) wo(p.) shinjiro(v.)!
    {omae(n.) wo(p.) shinjiru(v.)}
    ore
    (n.) wo(p.) shinjiro(v.)!!
    自分を信じるな、俺を信じろ!
    おまえを信じる、俺を信じろ!!
    Don't believe(v.) in yourself(n.), believe(v.) in me(n.)!
    Believe(v.) in the me(n.) [that] {believes(v.) in you(n.)}!!
  • shinjiraremasen(v.)
    信じられません
    [I] can't believe(v.) [it].

As you can see above, you often have a "n. p. n. p." noun-particle pattern, and v.'s tend to come after p.'s.

Some sentences have different structures, and we still don't know what adverbs, adjectives, verbs, nouns, and particles look like exactly. In this article we'll see all of this and some more, so you'll have a starting point even if you know nothing about Japanese.

Then, once you figured out the structure of the sentence, all that's left is to look up the words of the sentence in a dictionary (e.g. jisho.org), and with luck you'll understand what it means.

Note: this article is only about grammar. It's recommended you familiarize yourself with the Japanese "alphabets" before continuing.

Friday, March 31, 2023

Can You Learn Japanese with Anime?

WIP

One question many weebs ask themselves is: can you learn Japanese with anime? Or: can you learn Japanese with manga? Or with light novels, visual novels, Japanese games, Japanese songs, Japanese dramas, etc.?

The answer is... yes, you can! Except you still have to study. If you work real hard and spend all your time reading raw manga in Japanese, you'll get really good at Japanese... found in raw manga, which is maybe all you wanted anyway.

In this article, I'll explain how it works, and provide some guidance to learn Japanese by consuming media.

Friday, February 10, 2023

ka no you ni かのように - Meaning in Japanese

In Japanese, ka no you ni かのように means someone does something "as if" something else were true. Syntactically, this is (likely) the ka か particle turned into a no の adjective qualifying you 様 followed by the ni に adverbial copula. Other conjugations include: ka no you na かのよう, ka no you da かのよう, and ka no you desu かのようです.

  • tenshi da
    天使だ
    [It] is an angel.
  • tenshi ka no you da
    天使かのよう
    [It] is as if [they] were an angel.
  • {tenshi ka no you na} kao
    天使かのような顔
    [They have] a face [that] {is as if [they] were an angel}.
    They have a face that makes you think they're an angel.
    They have a face like that of an angel.
  • {tenshi ka no you ni} sora wo tobu
    天使かのように空を飛ぶ
    To fly {as if one were an angel}.
Tuesday, January 31, 2023

you ni suru ようにする - Meaning in Japanese

What does ~you ni suruようにする mean in Japanese?

Most likely, it means "to make [something] become in a way that does/doesn't do something," i.e. "to make [it] start doing" or "to stop doing" something; specially "to make it so it would do something" when something else happens, "to ensure" it happens in that case; or "to make it possible for [it] to do something/for something to happen;" Syntactically, this is you followed by the ni に adverbial copula modifying the verb for "to make become," suru する.

  • watashi wa {{Tarou ga rouya kara nigerareru} you ni} shita
    私は太郎が牢屋から逃げられるようにした
    I made [it] {so [that] {Tarou can escape from the jail cell}}.
    I made it possible for him to escape from there.
  • {{{efekuto wo kurikku suru to} kieru} you ni} shimashita
    エフェクトをクリックする消えるようにしました
    [I] made [it] {so [that] {{if [you] click on an effect}, [it] disappears}}.
    I made the effects disappear when clicked.
Tuesday, December 6, 2022

you ni naru ようになる - Meaning in Japanese

What does ~you ni naruようになる mean in Japanese?

Most likely, it means "to become in a way that does/doesn't do something," i.e. "to start doing" or "to stop doing" something; or "to become able/unable to do something;" it can also mean to "to become like/similar to something else." Syntactically, this is you followed by the ni に adverbial copula modifying the verb for "to become," naru なる.

  • watashi wa {{mai-nichi hon wo yomu} you ni} natta
    私は毎日本を読むようになった
    I became {such way [that] {reads books every day}}.
    I started reading books every day.
  • {{hon wo yomanai} you ni} naru
    本を読まないようになる
    To become {such way [that] {doesn't read books}}.
    To stop reading books.
  • {{kanji ga yomeru} you ni} naru
    漢字が読めるようになる
    To become {such way [that] {is able to read kanji}}.
    To start being able to read kanji.
    To become able to read kanji.
  • kimi no you ni naritai
    君のようになりたい
    [I] want to become like you.
Examples of you ni naru ようになる in Japanese.
Manga: Chainsaw Man, チェンソーマン
Manga: Mieruko-chan 見える子ちゃん
Manga: Gintama 銀魂
Wednesday, November 30, 2022

you ni ように - Meaning in Japanese

What does you ni ように mean in Japanese?

Most likely, it means something "will become," naru なる, in a way that does X, i.e. it will start doing X; it may also mean to stop doing X by becoming in a way that doesn't do X; it may mean "to make Y become," suru する, in a way that does or doesn't do X; to ensure X happens; to do Y so that X happens; at the end of sentences it may be a prayer wishing that X would happen; it may also mean to do or be X "like" one were Y, in similar way; or to do X like Y were true, as if. Syntactically, this is you followed by the ni に copula.

  • Tarou ga {{hon wo yomu} you ni} natta
    太郎が本を読むようになった
    Tarou became {in such way [that] {reads books}}.
    Tarou started reading books.
  • Tarou ga {{hon wo yomanai} you ni} natta
    太郎が本を読まないようになった
    Tarou became {in such way [that] {doesn't read books}}.
    Tarou stopped reading books.
  • {{me-datanai} you ni} shita
    目立たたないようにした
    [I] made [it] {so [that] {[it] doesn't stand out}}.
    [I] made [it] stop standing out.
    [I] made [it] inconspicuous.
  • {{itsu demo nigerareru} you ni} junbi shite-oita
    いつでも逃げられるように準備しておいた
    {So that {[I] could escape anytime}}, [I] prepared in advance. (e.g. I prepared a escape route in advance.)
    {To ensure {[I] could escape anytime}}, [I] prepared in advance.
  • {shukudai wo wasurenai} you ni ne
    宿題を忘れないように
    Ensure that {[you] don't forget [your] homework}, okay?
    Make sure you do your homework, alright?
  • shiken ni ukarimasu you ni!
    試験に受かりますように
    [Let it be that] [I] will pass the exam! (used when praying that one would pass some exam, e.g. to enter an university.)
  • {hane no you ni} karui
    羽のように軽い
    Light {like a feather would be}.
    Light {like a feather}.
    As light as a feather.
  • {marude katta ka no you ni} yorokonde-ita
    まるで勝ったかのように喜んでいた
    [He] was happy about [it] {in a way that was like if [he] had won}. (i.e. he lost a match, but he looked like he had won given how pleased he was with it.)
    [He] was so happy about [it] [it] was as if [he] had won.
Examples of you ni ように in Japanese.
Manga: Hataraku Saibou はたらく細胞
Manga: Chainsaw Man, チェンソーマン
Manga: Gabriel DropOut, ガヴリールドロップアウト
Manga: Historie, ヒストリエ
Manga: Ya Boy Kongming!, Paripi Koumei パリピ孔明
Manga: Sousou no Frieren, 葬送のフリーレン
Monday, October 31, 2022

you na ような - Meaning in Japanese

What does you na ような mean in Japanese?

Most likely, it means to be similar, as in "an X that is like an Y," or "an X that is like of an Y;" or it being "like," "as if," something had happened; or to say someone or something is "the sort" of person/thing that would do something. Sometimes it's found at the end of an incomplete sentence where ki ga suru 気がする is omitted, in which case it would mean "[I] have the impression that." Syntactically, this is you followed by the na な copula. It could also be the end of the volitional form followed by a na な particle, in which case it means "let's do X, shall we?"

  • {taiyou no you na} hito da
    太陽のような人だ
    [He] is a person [that] {is like the sun}.
    [He] is a sun-like person.
  • {neko no you na} mimi
    猫のような
    ?Ears [that] {are like cats}. (unlikely.)
    Ears [that] {are like of cats}. (likely.)
    Cat-like ears.
  • {omise no you na} ryouri wa tsukurenai
    お店のような料理は作れない
    [I] can't make food {like of the store}.
    I can't make food like the food a restaurant makes.
  • {{yuurei demo mita ka no} you na} kao
    幽霊でも見たかのような
    A face {like {[he] saw a ghost [or something like that]}}.
    [He was making] a face like he had seen a ghost.
  • {{uso wo tsuku} you na} hito janai
    嘘をつくような人じゃない
    [He] isn't a person {the sort [that] {spews lies}}.
    He isn't the sort of person that lies.
  • {{doko ka de mita} you na}...
    どこかで見たような・・・
    (incomplete sentence.)
    • {{doko ka de mita} you na} ki ga suru
      どこかで見たような気がする
      ?[I] got a feeling {as if {[I] saw [it] somewhere}}. (literally.)
      [I] have the impression that {{[I] saw [it] somewhere [before}}.
      I feel like I have seen it before somewhere. (in the sense of "I'm not sure but that's the feeling that I got.")
  • benkyou shiyou na
    勉強しような
    Let's study, shall we?
    Let's study, alright?
Examples of you na ような in Japanese.
Manga: Sousou no Frieren, 葬送のフリーレン
Manga: Nichijou 日常
Manga: Kimetsu no Yaiba 鬼滅の刃
Friday, September 30, 2022

you da ようだ - Meaning in Japanese

What does you da ようだ mean in Japanese?

Most likely, it means "it seems that (something is true)" or "(this thing) is like/is similar to (this other thing)." Syntactically, this is you followed by the da だ copula (you desu ようです is polite form). There are also other words pronounced you よう it could be, like you, "business," but normally only you 様 is spelled with hiragana. For example:

  • kanojo wa marude {tenshi no} you da
    彼女はまるで天使のようだ
    She completely is like {an angel}.
    She is just like {an angel}.
  • douyara {muda no} you da
    どうやら無駄のようだ
    It seems {it is futile} after all.
  • {sekai ga owatta ka no} you da
    世界が終わったかのようだ
    It's like {the world ended}.
    It's as if {the world had ended}.
  • nan'no you da?
    なんのようだ
    What sort of business [do you have with me]?
Friday, September 2, 2022

よう - Meaning in Japanese

In Japanese, you よう (or yoo, yoo with a long vowel) may mean various different things depending on context, specially as there are multiple homonyms so it may spell different words. For disambiguation:

  • you, literally "appearance," used in "the way it is," homograph with ~sama ~様. It's an auxiliary (like a light noun that conjugates as a na-adjective) that's normally spelled in hiragana, and has various different uses.
    • henji ga nai. tada no shikabane no you da
      返事がない。ただの屍の様だ
      There's no response. It seems to be just a corpse.
    • nige-you ga nai
      逃げがない
      There's no way of escaping.
    • {{yuurei ga mieru} you ni} naru
      幽霊が見える様になる
      To become {in such way [that] {is able to see ghosts}}.
      To become able to see ghosts.
    • {{anata wo damasu} you na} mane wa shinai
      あなたを騙す様な真似はしない
      [I] wouldn't do something {like {deceiving you}}.
    • dono you na?
      どのな?
      What sort of? What sort of [thing is it]? The thing you're talking about is like what?
    • {{sekai ga owatta ka no} you ni} kanjite-ita
      世界が終わったかのように感じていた
      [It] felt {as if {the world had ended}}.
    • {{okane wo nusumu} you na} hito janai
      お金を盗む様な人じゃない
      [He] isn't a person {the sort [that] {would steal money}}.
    • {{hayaku} naorimasu} you ni
      早く治ります様に
      [Let it be so that] {[it] heals {quickly}}. (used when making wishes, praying for things.)
  • you, literally "business," "use." Sometimes spelled in hiragana.
    • nani ka you?
      何か
      [Do you have] any business [with me]?
      Do you have something to discuss with me?
    • nan'no you da?
      何のだ?
      What business [do you have with me]?
      (same meaning, basically.)
    • omae ni you ga aru
      お前にがある
      [I] have business with you.
    • jissen-you no katana
      実戦の刀
      A sword for real-battle. (as opposed to for training.)
  • ~you ~よう is the ending of some verb types in volitional form.
  • you 要 means "necessity" or "necessary."
    • you suru ni
      要するに
      In summary. (i.e. to say only what's necessary.)
    • you wa kateba ii-n-da
      要は勝てばいいんだ
      In summary, [I] just need to win. (nevermind the details, that's all that's necessary.)
  • you 陽 means "sunshine," or the spot where the sun hits. Also "yang." Meanwhile "ying" is in 陰. Related words are taiyou 太陽, "sun," and kage 陰, "shade."
    • you-kyara (or you-kya)
      陽キャラ (陽キャ)
      "Sunshine character." Slang for a character with "cheerful," youki 陽気, personality. An extrovert. A riajuu リア充. Etc.
    • in-kyara (or in-kya)
      陰キャラ (陰キャ)
      "Shade character." Slang for a character with "gloomy," inki 陰気, personality. An introvert. A hikikomori 引きこもり. Etc.
  • you 良う means "good," "well," a variant of yoku 良く, adverbial form of yoi 良い.
    • youkoso
      良うこそ
      Welcome.
      • yoku zo kita
        よく来た
        Well done coming [here].
  • you 酔う means "to get drunk." Although you're more likely to see it in the te-iru form: yotte-iru 酔っている, "[he] is drunk."

Ironically, you よう doesn't mean "you," the second person pronoun. For that, yuu ユー would be the katakanization, e.g. ai rabu yuu アイ・ラブ・ユー, "I love you."

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

you 様 - Meaning in Japanese

WIP

In Japanese, you よう, also spelled you 様, homonymous with ~sama ~様, has several different meanings: it refers to the way something is "like," to say one thing is like another; to say that it's like something that isn't true were true; it can be used to say someone is or isn't the sort of person that would do something, also works for sorts of things; it's used to make future-tensed certain phrases (verbal statives) that would otherwise be present-tensed; it can refer to the desired way things should be that you attempt to cause by doing a certain thing; it's used to say that you have been making yourself do, or not do, something, trying to gain a habit or lose it; it's used in sentences that express wishes, specially in prayers; it's used to say there doesn't seem to be a way to do something; and it's used to express you have made a conclusion based on some evidence but you aren't certain the conclusion is true, you're merely proposing it based on available evidence.

  • marude {tenshi no} you da
    まるで天使のようだ
    [She] is just like an angel.
    It's as if [she] is an angel.
    (comparison with noun.)
  • {{tori no} you ni} sora wo tobu
    鳥のように空を飛ぶ
    To fly {like {a bird}}.
    (adverbial comparison.)
  • {sekai ga owatta ka no} you da
    世界が終わったかのようだ
    [It] is as if {the world ended}.
    (counterfactual analogy.)
  • {{uso wo tsuku} you na} hito janai
    嘘をつくような人じゃない
    [He] isn't a person {the sort [that] {would lie}}.
    (sort of person.)
  • Tarou ga {{yasai wo taberu} you ni} natta
    太郎が野菜を食べるようになった
    Tarou became {in such way [that] {eats vegetables}}.
    Tarou started eating vegetables.
    (future tense auxiliary.)
  • {{nigerarenai} you ni} doa ni kagi wo kaketa
    逃げられないようにドアに鍵をかけた
    {So that {[he] couldn't escape}}, [I] put a lock on the door.
    (desired end result.)
  • {{uso wo tsukanai} you ni} shite-imasu
    嘘をつかないようにしています
    [I] have been [trying to] {{not spew lies}}.
    (habit enforcement.)
  • yuki ga furimasu you ni
    雪が降りますように
    [Let it be so that] it snows.
    (wish.)
  • naoshi-you ga nai
    直しようがない
    There's no way to fix [it].
    (feasibility.)
  • douyara {muda no} you da
    どうやら無駄のようだ
    It seems {it is futile}.
    (uncertain conclusion.)
Sunday, July 10, 2022

you 用 - Meaning in Japanese

In Japanese, you means various things: it refers to something you have to do, a "task" or "business" you have to care of; the "use" of a thing in doing a task; "for what task" is a thing suitable, its "purpose;" and to refer to the usefulness of a thing in the sense of how many uses it has, what tasks it can do, its "purposefulness."(日本国語大辞典:用)

  • you ga aru
    がある
    [I] have business to do [with you].
    I have something to discuss with you.
  • you ni tatsu
    に立つ
    [This thing] "stands up" to the task.
    [This thing] is useful for doing this task.
  • yourei

    Usage example. Example of use.
  • keiko-you no katana
    稽古の刀
    A sword for use in sparring. A training sword. (e.g. a "wooden sword," bokutou 木刀.)
Sentence examples of you 用.
Manga: Shadows House, シャドーハウス (Chapter 13)
Manga: Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Ken'ichi 史上最強の弟子ケンイチ (Chapter 7)
Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi 鋼の錬金術師 (Chapter 2)
Manga: Holy Land, ホーリーランド (Chapter 6)
Manga: Goblin Slayer, ゴブリンスレイヤー (Chapter 5)