#not a native Japanese speaker btw

[skrhana]

Wait, that "strutting around like he's so cool" line from Ino was a mistranslation?? What was the actual line supposed to say, now I'm super curious and super sad! 😭 

First the “Him! Hah!” is supposed to be translated as “Hmph” (フン).

And the actual line is “強がってはしゃいでるだけよ” which roughly translates to “(he/she) is just pretending to be strong and in high spirits.”

In Japanese, the sentence doesn’t use any pronouns but because we have the context, which is Ino responding to a girl saying, “Hey, Ino! Sakura has become brighter recently, hasn’t she?”, we know Ino is referring to Sakura. Japanese is a pretty context heavy language, and the mistranslation probably came about because no pronouns were used so the translator assumed Ino was taking about Sasuke. I’ve seen other other translations that are more accurate, it’s just the Viz one that does it wrong.

Anyways same I still haven’t recovered. 😭 gonna now headcanon Ino had a lil crush

[corvid-language-library]

Seeing people romanize し as si, ち as ti and つ as tu makes me want to throw hornets at them

[kierensjpnjourney]

langblr i need help againnn...

does anyone have any tips on memorizing particles (is that the word for them?) and telling the difference between them? specifically る,ろ, そ i am REALLY struggling to memorize those three because they look so similar to me ( ｉ﹏ｉ )

so if you have any ways youve memorized those three..... please tell me ;;

[rassicas]

on the bottom feeders inkipedia page it lists finn's gender as female, but i'm not too sure how accurate this is? cause where they got that info from is a fan translation of the splatune 3 booklet with beika's tweets. the way beika refers to finn in one tweet is that he calls them "あのバイオリンの子" which the fan translation translates as "that violin girl," which is also how google translate translates it.

the thing that confuses me is that i don't think "子" is an explicitly gendered term in this case? (according to jisho.org it could refer to a young woman though) i barely know any japanese so i very well could be missing some context.

btw the reason i care about this in the first place is that finn has somewhat been implied to be a man in the past, having the appearance and traits of a male betta fish, and being featured in an artwork with only male characters or characters with unconfirmed genders that are likely male.

ah, i do remember this being talked about around the time splatune 3 released. 子 can be neutral like when referring to actual children, but not so much when talking about adults. an example of that feminine connotation of 子 is how its used as a suffix for names to make that name feminine, like how sticking an -ette on a name makes it a "girl" name. A native JP speaker mentioned that is indeed feminine in this context:

i was hoping finn would be male because of the male betta fish traits and so it wouldnt be yet another case in splatoon of "this character is girl so ummm skinny and pretty and in a dress so everyone knows this is a girl" but alas. maybe shes trans<3

[useless-catalanfacts]

I've heard of programs to help language learners by connecting them to elderly people who speak the language involved, e.g. by Zoom. The language learners can practice, the seniors get some good socializing that combats isolation and loneliness. I've heard of this for French, Japanese, and Portuguese- do you know of any programs that do this in Catalan?

I don't know of any programmes that are designed specifically like this, but I know that many retired people join Voluntariat per la Llengua (VxL). It's a programme where native speakers (or people with a native level) and learners sign up, and they get paired one native with one learner. Then, they meet up to practice speaking and they have discounts to go do cultural activities together (like museums, historical buildings and archaeological sites, theatre shows, magician shows, bookshops, some music festivals, etc) so they can have things to do together and talk about. The programme also gives you a lot of resources and material with ideas of conversations and images to talk about so you need to do the least amount of preparation possible. Since 2017, it's also done on Zoom so it's open to people from around the world.

However, there is another programme focused on elderly people to combat loneliness which I think is great, called "Grans teatrerus". It pairs an elderly person (over 75 years old who suffers of loneliness or is at risk of it) with a young person (aged 18-30) so they can go to the theatre together and then talk about the show (or whatever they want). So far it's only done in Barcelona, but I think it's a great idea. They're currently looking for young people for the 2024-2025 theatre season btw!

[rayclubs]

Okay so I watch anime with subtitles a lot and I don't speak Japanese at all but there are two things that just fucking delight me as a native Russian speaker. The first is when anime characters want to express understanding or agreement and say something that sounds like "souka" or "сука" which is Russian for "bitch". The second is when they want to express, like, a kind of pause or a "by the way" type sentiment, they say something that sounds like "eta" or "это" which is Russian for "this" but is used in the exact same context in the exact same way, feels like. I'm so sorry for butchering these btw, I don't even know if I'm hearing it right or just imagining, but I so want to know what the actual similar-sounding words are in Japanese and I'm not even sure how to look it up. It's just so great to hear "bitch" unexpectedly sometimes. God I love languages.

[slamdunktheories]

Sannoh's Unusual Team Slogan

Sharing a little Slam Dunk shrine that's in my study! Let's use this to jump into a topic that's rarely discussed: Sannoh's unusual slogan. I might be overthinking here but... considering that Inoue was a Literature major in college before dropping out to become a manga-ka, I'm pretty sure there's something interesting going on here and it didn't happen by accident.

Let's dive in!

Sannoh's slogan (一意摶心) was only revealed in TFSD and I loved it from the moment I saw it. Of all the team slogans that were shown in Slam Dunk, this was by far the best one IMO. What a kickass slogan. What a philosophy to live by. And so on brand. But... there's also something weird about it.

First, what does the slogan mean? The first phrase that comes to mind is actually 一意專心, a similar phrase that's pretty well-known in both Japanese and Chinese. It's a very similar phrase but not exactly what Sannoh has for their slogan. And 一意專心 loosely translates to: to focus or dedicate yourself single-mindedly and wholeheartedly to something.

It's a phrase that still gets used in modern day Japanese and Chinese. And it does seem to fit Sannoh. Just like the phrase itself, there's an air of austerity/Zen-ness to the way Sannoh is depicted in the story. The tradition of the team shaving their heads and resulting in that monk look, the simplicity of their uniform (in both design and colour choice), the discipline that's so evident in the way they play on court during the critical moments, etc. Of course, this is all inspired by Noshiro, the real life high school with a famed history in basketball.

But the thing that made me pause over the Sannoh slogan was the third character: 摶. TFSD was the very first time I'd seen this character in my life (despite being a native Chinese speaker and fairly well-read). I wasn't even 100% sure how it was pronounced. Why would Inoue opt for the more complicated and obscure 摶 instead of 專 when the latter would have been just fine per the modern phrase mentioned above? Was he trying to achieve something by opting for this character for the slogan?

So I did a bit of digging and it turns out... even Japanese natives don't know this character. In fact, some online Japanese dictionaries don't have an entry for this character. And for good reason: Sannoh's slogan is a phrase that first appeared 2,500 years ago during China's Zhou Dynasty, in an ancient text titled Guan Zi written by a philosopher. However, the phrase that was coined in Guan Zi (aka Sannoh's slogan) has virtually not been used outside of that particular book; all subsequent mentions of this phrase actually reference Guan Zi. And there's been barely a mention of this character in recent centuries.

Also, note that even though 2,500 years sounds like a long time ago, in some ways it isn't, considering that the Chinese civilisation is essentially one continuous civilisation that's ~5,000 years old so this was already 25 centuries into its development. The Zhou Dynasty already had a bunch of technology and tools; irrigation systems, canals, chopsticks etc. had already been invented. It was also the time of Confucianism, Daoism, and complex military strategies that still remain relevant today. (That seminal book on military war strategy, "The Art of War", came from this period. GREAT book, BTW.)

Anyway, the next time this phrase appears in another piece of text, it's written as 一意專心 (aka the contemporary version of the phrase). So it could be that the modern phrase that Chinese & Japanese speakers know so well is a corruption/mistranslation of the original phrase (aka Sannoh's slogan). Also, this ancient character 摶 has the additional meaning of unity, circle, and harmony, which 專 does not possess.

When you look at how 一意摶心 appears in Guan Zi, you get a fuller context of what this original phrase actually means.

The original is here for those interested, but loosely translated it means: to calm your breath and your pulse, to hold your posture upright, to purge your senses of distractions, and to singlemindedly and wholeheartedly devote yourself to a cause, letting nothing distract you physically or mentally from it.（full breakdown of this text here in Chinese)

So that is actually the context in which Sannoh's phrase appears and makes 一意摶心 so much richer than the modern phrase. Again, it evokes a Zen-ness and discipline that fit Sannoh to a T.

In my view, Inoue-sensei wanted to go back to the roots of that phrase and honour the original intent behind it, which carries connotations of unity and that makes sense for a team sport. I'm still amazed that he knows this phrase, considering that it is not known to be in any Japanese texts; again, it really only exists in a Chinese text called Guan Zi.

Anyway, hope this was interesting for at least some of you! Would love to hear what people think about this (and if you have insights on the Chinese or Japanese aspects, please do chime in! I'm not a literary specialist.)

Further reading: This article (Japanese) - it offers some interesting interpretations as to why it was picked for Sannoh's slogan that I didn't mention here since this post is already so long XD

[masodemic]

Have you given any thought to the fact that perhaps a Japanese stage showing in Japan for a Japanese audience will perhaps not be a complete and totally faithful match to the English translated interpretation of the series and characters? 10k words and yet most of your critiques are nitpicks based off your personal interpretation and vision for the project, when you have seemingly no context as to what this type of Japanese stage production usually entails. I'm not sure what exactly your vision was, but I don't believe it's anywhere close to the reality of stage productions in Japan. You bring up Takarazuka which is yet another indicator you have absolutely zero clue about what you're criticizing, as it is entirely separate from this type of stage in not only genre but also production, direction, and budget. I also don't think you have any concept of what the adaptation process actually entails; very frequently unnecessary characters and details are removed, glossed over, or combined. This doesn't equate to a "character assassination". A visual gag in a stage based off a manga which is primarily a comedy before anything else, especially in the early chapters, is not going to single handedly destroy the characterization of a character who, in the original work, is not even present. And bringing in an actor's age and physical acting choices in reference to a character you had never previously seen actually move? I'd like to see your ideal production of this work, though I'm not sure I'd have the time or patience for what would surely be a 3+ hours long, terribly unfunny and boring action play, based off your ideas of what have been done "wrong." Having your critiques is entirely valid, but waiting to drop a 10k word essay into the main tags while having absolutely zero cultural context for the genre of production you're speaking on while the stage is actively running and fans are attending just makes you seem like an overly negative, disrespectful elitist, sorry. Things will simply differ from a 10+ year old English translation when the story is presented in its source language to an audience of native speakers who will pick up on language specific comedy and tones. Really, I'm sorry, but you and the alleged others who dislike this stage play are not and will not be the target audience. Maybe Japanese 2.5d musicals are just not for you.

Hi!! Thanks for taking the time to ask me a question, I love how passionate you are about my rant. Really really appreciate the fact that you've spent god knows how long reading it making a thoughtful response 💖

One thing I'd like to clear away is that I read the manga in its original Japanese, the Showa Japanese so to say. I put the English translation here and there for people who might not read Japanese but still want to understand the screenshot. But sorry to everyone that I was not consistent.

Regarding my opinions on the musical I want to clarify that personally speaking I still believe Eroica could very well work as a musical. And like I said, I do not mind characters being different, Dorian was a bit different and he did good. I also wouldn't have minded if they wrote a new story while keeping the spirit of the OG work. However this particular production stripped it of whatever energy and humor it's got which is a real shame because Eroica is ... well, Eroica.

And thanks again btw, for wanting to see an Eroica musical staged by me. I'm sure it's not likely because licensing is such a bitch but good faith good faith 🤞🏻 It will be 12 hours long and everyone will be singing in avant garde made-up language wearing hooded capes

Hopefully most fans will be able to catch the show this second run around, it's an experience for sure, whether you think it's good or bad

[the-corvus-luna]

Remember when I linked the Rayearth: Wings of Hope LD rip from internet archive? Well, the rough cut of the subs have been finished!

I'd consider this a version "0.9" since I'm not a native speaker. I use machine translation and my limited Japanese knowledge. I do subs as a means to make sure that media doesn't fall into obscurity.

LINKS BELOW!!!

Information about Rayearth: Wings of Hope from ShidouHikaru15's wordpress: The Untold Cephiro.

Here is the movie! Thank you, VCRWashington!

The subtitle file: srt format, made using Subtitle Edit by me (NoxLunae on IA, CorvusLuna on Tumblr)

[SUBTITLE LINK HERE]

Any questions, comments, and concerns are encouraged... especially if there is a translation mistake as I'll get those fixed ASAP.

<3

BTW, Happy Bunny Weekend and HAPPY CLAMP DAY (4/1)!

[zims-left-antenna]

HI !!!! :D

(this is gonna be a short "about" post xP)

hi ! im ninikins !! (she\her) and this is my personal blog, where you'll find fandom stuff, memes, my rambles, and idk what else ! i dont even know !

im an artist !! my art blog is @w4fflerapt0r (and formerly @chocolate-cake-and-waffles). i also post my art on instagram as _ninikins_

other things i like are:

WAFFLES !!!!!!!!!! and just food in general !! yum :P

languages !! currently im studying C1 English !! also im learning japanese (beginner) !!! next im planning to learn german, hopefully soon. im a native spanish speaker btw

i also am learning to code websites and its starting to grow on me !

videogames !!! and cartoons !!!!! I LOVE ART especially when it sillay

MUSICAL THEATERRR !! :D (I watched Hamilton on Disney+ and heathers on youtube,, and I wanna watch more !!)

old technology !!!

also I like some scene stuff like skelanimals, so so happy, kandi bracelets (and the rubber bands ones too),,

frutiger aero is sooooo nice, I luv it :3

FASHION !!!!! like, I'm not soo into it nor do I know all about it, but I think it's neat that there r so many genres (?), and outfit combos I wanna try out too

fandoms that im sure ill always be in:

club penguin

super mario (yes this includes everything !! especially the mario & luigi series cuz it's my fav !! didn't finish all the games thoo)

invader zim (maybe its too soon to say that lol but !! i think i see myself still being here)

ace attorney (didn't finish the second game YET ! I'm trying to avoid spoilers lol)

i play club penguin journey from time to time, u can find me there as "nakota" !

other fandoms !! or actually just things I also like lol (this may be subject to change and also may be "dormant", like for a while I'm not super into them and then one day I get SUPER into them for a while and repeat):

MLP !! (luv ponies, they're cute !!)

ghost trick (didn't finish the game yet but it's so COOL !!)

pokémon and pokemon special :D (im on the start of the ruby arc)

eddsworld !

super smash bros

animal crossing

danganronpa but like only the first game + nagito komaeda xD

undertale and deltarune !!!!

geometry dash XD not really but I wanna keep up w the game sometimes + it's funn

brooklyn 99

the good place (im on season 3 !! i think..)

lemon demon

do old technology and operating systems...have fandoms.......pls XD i don't know everything about em but i think they're neat, especially OSes and their designs and sounds :D :P

spongebob is neat too :D not into it but I like watching it when i remember XD

[dick-chugger]

Hello!

I saw your post about Ihmiset suviyössä which btw looks like a great movie and I am absolutely going to watch it.

This isn’t actually what this is about though. I’ve been considering trying to learn Finnish when I finish my exams at the end of the year. I know this is probably weird to ask a native speaker but do you think it would be difficult for me to learn? (My native language is Australian English and the only other languages I can speak are fictional or Japanese lmao).

Anyway hope you’re having a good day/night :)

Completely honestly: Definitely difficult to learn (but worth it if you ask me).

Finnish is one of the world's hardest languages to perfect, even practically all Finns make some pretty major grammatical errors. Because every word has like dozens of different declensions, where we get words like "kodeissammekinko" ("even in our homes?") from the word "koti" ("home"). But if you're just speaking Finnish casually a) no one talks like that and b) people understand you even if you use the wrong tense and declension and shit.

Also there's the fact that Finnish sounds vastly different in different parts of Finland. Like in my city the phrase "Oletko sinä tulossa kotiin?" ("Are you coming home?") would be more like "Ooks sää tulossa kotio?".

But also there are things that make it a bit easier, like the fact that there are no articles or gendered words. And it's very wasy to pronounce once you get the hang of it because it's phonetic.

So like it's not an easy language to master but I think it's fairly easy to get the general point so that people'll understand you. Finnish people also tend to be very understanding of it when someone speaks broken Finnish. And as I said, I think it's definitely worth it (I might be biased) and I think it's just a really beautiful language. Also there are really good Finnish songs that just don't hit the same in English (*cough* Leevi and the Leavings *cough*).

So uhh, if you do decide to learn it, good luck 👍 Sorry if I scared you off from learning it.

[terrainofheartfelt]

some Liz Lore for you guys:

so i took Japanese in high school (because I wanted to be Not Like Other Girls) and my school had a civics teacher who was a native speaker and she was a very cool and interesting person and so I took three years of her Japanese class (and retained just. nothing but that's neither here nor there).

and every single year in the winddown to winter break we watched all of the original Shogun series bc my teacher thought it was a good watch to understand a piece of history and cultural difference that Oklahoma teens just wouldn't know about christian colonialism in japan and how that fucked everything up. and also i just think she really liked watching the series and scandalizing Teens. (this was pre Red Wedding pop culture btw).

so anyway it's just WILD that there is 1) a Shogun remake running now and 2) that it's occupying my tumblr dash. because it's like. two bits of my life that have never overlapped are OVERLAPPING

[wedreamedlove]

Hi! How many languages do you know and how did you come about learning them? Love your blog btw! 🌟

three! i know english, japanese, and chinese. i'm a native speaker for english and chinese, so i didn't have to spend much effort in learning these and further studying just comes from reading anything i don't understand or that i'm curious about. for japanese, i learned it through playing and translating various entertainment like otome games, light/web novels, and drama cds.

i have formal education in french and latin, but i barely use these so my vocabulary is nonexistent at this point. the reason i list them at all though is because i still remember their grammar structures and it actually helped with learning japanese in the sense that i knew how to approach another language's grammar.

[solradguy]

why'd you learn japanese? im very seriously considering learning bc of how badly i wanna read some old gg mangas LOL even tho i know itd take ages (btw thanks for all you do, even with just compiling other ppls work too)

For a few years my main art medium was dip pens and ink on board and a lot of the best inking supplies came from Japan. A lot of artists I really liked were Japanese/only posted in Japanese, too. I really like learning about languages and was studying Norwegian at the time (it's easy-ish for native English speakers) but I didn't get to use it basically ever and study materials were hard to get. I wanted to switch languages to something I'd use more. Japanese made the most sense. So I guess you could say I learned it to read art material packaging haha It wasn't until GG that I started taking it more seriously though. I've been studying it for about 6 years off and on.

The hardest thing about Japanese, imo, is memorizing the kanji and even that isn't too bad, just time consuming. The GG 4koma volumes have much easier Japanese in them than the anthology ones so if you wanna practice after learning the basic stuff definitely check them out!! Good luck if you decide to try learning it, too!!

(thank you!! I appreciate it <3)

[languagestudymaterials]

How to say should in Japanese

～べき vs. ～たほうがいい

Part I don’t even know which one because Japanese is so nuanced, I can’t honestly… 

We should tell him the truth.  

This sentence can be translated to: 

彼に真実を言うべきだ。

彼に真実を言った方がいい。

べき is very strong, broadly speaking. It sounds bossy and commanding. 

た方がいい, on the other hand, sounds softer like a suggestion. 

Which translation to chose also depends on the action itself. In some cases, it’s better to give people suggestions because no one knows what the right thing to do is. But there are situations when we all instinctively know what to do, be it societal unspoken agreements or just pure morality. 

If you truly believe that revealing the truth to your friend is the right thing to do because keeping him in the dark will do more harm than good, then go for べき. After all, everyone deserves to know the truth.

In some other cases, べき can make you sound like you’re the ‘wise one.’ You know what to do, and your words should be obeyed. You’re strongly convinced that whatever you’re saying is the right thing to do. It could also sound like it is your obligation to perform the action. As always, everything depends on the context. 

However, if you have an idea, a suggestion, but you’re not really sure what to do in the end, and you don’t want to sound extra bossy, then た方がいい would be your choice. In this example, た方がいい can suggest “we better do it because if he doesn’t learn the truth, shit will go down real fast” - depending on the context of course.

べき is usually explained as たほうがいい in some dictionaries, but then in some cases you can’t use them interchangeably. 

Your friend is in doubt about her work. Her work is mentally draining. She needs some advice. She asks: 

どうしたらいい? - what should I do? (or more literally, what’s the best thing to do? Btw, yet another phrase that can be translated to should in English… ugh. Also, you don’t ask yourself with たほうがいい)

You say: You should quit your work. 

You could also say: It’d be best, if you just quit your work. Well, quitting your work, doesn’t sound like the worst idea.  Why don’t you quit your work? 

Should is used to give advice, or at least that’s what ESL textbooks teach us.  However, there are other phrases to advise people. Which one you’ll use in English depends on your conviction, relation with that person, and some other factors. 

Should, according to Macmillan dictionary, is used to say:

used for talking about what is right, sensible, or correct

used for saying or asking about the right or sensible thing to do or the right way to behave

If your friend’s work is mentally draining, then the sensible thing to do is to quit it. Seems just fine in English. Does it make you sound bossy in English? I’m not the one to decide because I’m not a native speaker, but I’ve heard such pieces of advice from my friends, and it didn’t sound bossy at all, just the voice of reason. 

In Japanese, though, well… since it is a nuanced language, some people will definitely see you as a bossy person if you use べき on them. (confirmed with some native speakers)

べき in some grammar books is primarily listed with other phrases conveying ‘obligation’ ぎむ

So translating ‘you should quit your work’ to 仕事は辞めるべきだ isn’t the best idea. 

仕事は辞めた方がいい, though, sounds like you’re giving a piece of (friendly) advice without trying to command your friend. 

My Japanese teacher’s Japanese teacher, who is a native, says that べき may sound like “don’t tell me how to live my life!” But if you see someone struggling with some situation, and they don’t know what to do, and you want to give them a little push, using べき wouldn’t be so bad. It could be interpreted as a genuine try to help someone, but the context must be just right. 

I’m discussing affirmative sentences, but the same logic applies to negatives as well. 

Side note: In my business writing classes, our teacher told us to limit the use of should to an absolute minimum because it’s too vague in a lot of situations. If I told my little brother, “you should clean your room”, he would understand it as a very weak suggestion that he doesn’t even have to consider. But if told him, “Well, I think I should buy this new game for you”, he would understand it as “I’m getting a new game!” 

He told us to be precise as much as possible. If by should we mean ‘do it now’, use a phrase that conveys an order. 

So I think the best way to accurately translate should into Japanese is knowing what we really want to say.

[kanekoii]

you offered the matchup……so now im tempted………

so, my name is hannah, obviously 🙏 uhhh I was born in October and i genuinely have no clue what my sign is HAHAH i love love love love LOOOOVEEEE singing and dance, ive done competitive dance since i was two years old. I like to say i have a decent singing voice, i made honors choir this semester if that helps anything?? 😭😭 im more of an ambivert but if i had to choose im more of an extrovert but in extremely shy around my s/o. im bisexual so any gender works!!! i would just prefer male LMAOO.. i have a more gothic/grunge style which my friends have said is like completely different from my personality. my love language is quality time & physical touch 🫶🫶 sorry if that not enough

english is my 2nd language so im sorry if i made any mistakes!!

it’s okay non native english speaker gang cuz it’s not my first either 💕💕 AND OMG ANOTHER COMPETITIVE DANCER SINCE RHEY WERE TWO ONG OMG NE TOO I LOVE U (your english is very good btw at least to my japanese speaking self!!)

you’ve been matched with…

luca kaneshiro!!

he’ll go to all of your dance competitions to support you! even if he doesn’t know anything about dance, luca just wants to show that he supports you! he thinks your style of dress is hot too, he’s just SMITTEN with you. you said you’re shy around your s/o so he will absolutely pick up the slack for you! you will NEVER hear the end of it from our favorite silly mafia boss. he thinks your shyness around him is absolutely adorable!!

sing for luca and he will be in absolute heaven, he believes your voice is absolutely amazing and so angelic. please take care of our favorite mafia boy.