日本語会話: The Japanese Conversation Thread

[GoktimusPrime]

Perhaps you could answer with 「へええ、そんなにおひさしぶりじゃないとおもいますよ。」... cos don't you see your teacher on a regular basis? "ひさしぶり" is something you usually say if you haven't seen someone in ages.

Also, if you're ever stuck on how to reply to someone in Japanese, this will help:
How to speak fluent Japanese without saying a word
Part 2

[GoktimusPrime]

I found the Japanese word for "Blobfish" -- it's ニュウドウカジカ Nyuudoukajika

...now I know the Japanese word for what is probably nature's f'ugliest animal.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yesterday one of my senior students pointed out something rather enlightening that I'd never noticed before -- we were talking about the cinematic technique used in anime, and about how anime, especially Shojo Anime, focuses on the eyes to transmit emotions to the audience. Anyway, this student points out that in her observation, Japanese culture tends to look at the eyes for emotion whereas Western culture looks at the mouth. I looked at her in a perplexed way, and she pointed out the differences between Western and Japanese emoticons -- Western emoticons often alter the mouth whereas Japanese emoticons tend to change the eyes. Holy cow, she's right!!

Western emoticons: :-) :-D :-S :-( >:-( :-O :-/ :-P etc.

Japanese emoticons: (^_^) (O_o) (x_X) (の_の) (「_「) (T_T) (>_>) (>_<) (V_V) (@_@) etc.

...obviously there are exceptions, but generally speaking I think it's a fair observation.

[Bartrim]

A customer of mine owns a sushi bar (claims he is going to be the McDonalds of sushi bars) The business is spelt Mia-Suma. How would you pronounce this Gok?

[gekisou]

A customer of mine owns a sushi bar (claims he is going to be the McDonalds of sushi bars) The business is spelt Mia-Suma. How would you pronounce this Gok?

I'll answer? That ok?

Its Me ah su(as in sushi) ma (as in mother). And really? The Maccers of Sushi?

[Bartrim]

I'll answer? That ok?

Its Me ah su(as in sushi) ma (as in mother). And really? The Maccers of Sushi?

Thats what I thought. This clown always "corrects" me telling me it's pronounced "My-ah Summer"

[GoktimusPrime]

My twisted mind just thought of something...

Transformers United Soundwave's number is UN-05...

ウンゴ　→　ウンコ (poop)


*immature.giggle* Yeah, small things amuse small minds.

[GoktimusPrime]

can anyone tell me the correct characters/translation for:
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Cultural Studies
and
Graduate Diploma of Education (Adult and Tertiary)?

Offhand I'd say that BA Philosophy & Cultural Studies might be 哲学と文化学文学士号 and Diploma in Education might be 教育専門士; please give me some time to double check these translations.

Otherwise, you could just say 哲学学部・文学学科, cos that would be similar to what was written on my student ID when I did my undergraduate study in Japan (mine was 外国語学部・日本語学科). I did my post grad study in Australia and not Japan -- so I'm not entirely sure about the names of post graduate courses in Japanese... so I'll have to check on that.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Cheers Goki, having checked those off against the wonders of Google Translate the BA is spot on, while the Grad Dip Ed is coming up as 成人教育の卒業証書

For anyone who's interested the site is here http://translate.google.com/ but it's only up 'til November for reasons of purported abuse. Pity 'cos it puts Babelfish to shame so far.

[Firestorm]

Well, I'm off to Japan agian tomorrow to visit a friend who's studying abroad

so i need to figure out how to get to where he lives

could someone tell me how to ask "how do i get to shin-yokohama station" or "which train line takes me to shin-yokohama station"

I've missed my last few weeks of Japanese class and now my mind has gone blank on how to ask for directions