Tag: Intermediate
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Oops! Now I’ve Gone and Done It! – やってもうた
Here’s a cool little phrase that is worth remembering that can really liven up your Japanese – at least when speaking to yourself! やってもうた emphasises a state of shock and disappointment at mistake you’ve made. You’ll certainly catch people’s attention by using it!
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Winner Takes All – 勝てば官軍、負ければ賊軍
Are you familiar with the Abba song ‘Winner Takes It All’? One of the particular lyrics in this classic is very close in nuance to the Japanese proverb below. It’s often used in business contexts to describe the situation where the successful are seen as right, and in contrast the unsuccessful are seen as wrong.…
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Proving Your Tardiness
As punctual and reliable as Japanese public transportation is, there are unfortunately occasions where not everything goes according to plan. Tardiness just isn’t acceptable for the working adult, perhaps moreso in Japan than most other countries. So it is then that when even despite your best efforts acts of god seem to smite you, there…
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Your Company Or Mine? 当社 – 弊社 – 貴社 – 御社
In business Japanese, you will often hear unique expressions and vocabulary that rarely appears in other situations. One such occasion is when talking about the company between businesses.
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Who Wears the Pants? 亭主関白 & 嬶天下
Ever heard the phrase ‘She wears the trousers in the relationship’? (Or, for our American readers – who wears the pants!?) Most native English speakers will probably be familiar with the expression, or at least have a vague understanding of the meaning. Something about authority, right? Right. Well, there exists a couple of words that…
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No Loitering or Sleeping in the Station!
A seemingly simple sign in the local train station conceals a couple of juicy words to learn. No loitering or sleeping inside the station premises!
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Becoming A Master – 守破離
The word Shuhari is originally a Japanese martial arts concept from Bushido that describes the stages leading to mastery in a given discipline, but it can also be applied in other fields and situations, such as the entertainment sector or in business. Let’s break it down. 守破離 しゅはり The 3 stages of learning that lead…
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Beware of Perverts!
While not an overwhelmingly common sight, in some districts of Japan you may come across signs like the one below that warn against folk of stranger dispositions.
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All Kinds Of Thing – ピンキリ
All and sundry. The whole spectrum. Anything and everything. Those are all viable translations for this juicy little slang term. ピンキリ might confuse you at first though. I initially thought of remembering something (ピンとくる) and for something to have no limits (きりがない), but it’s actually used in quite a different way.
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Get What You Deserve – 自業自得
Here’s the Japanese equivalent of a nice little idiom that we often find ourselves using in English. 自業自得 literally translates to the English idiom ‘you reap what you sow’. But we have several other expressions that are good matches for this Japanese phrase too. Let’s explore.