日本語会話: The Japanese Conversation Thread

[Firestorm]

Goki Sempai ... (or someone else who is good at Japanese) I have another japanese question

could someone explain the term "Aniki" for me

I've heard it means big brother, but I've also heard it is a term only/mainly used by the Yakuza

[liegeprime]

As far as i know it is to denote big brother or a superior man much like prolly Senpai but less formal.... Hence the term is used to call the wrestler (also a pornstar) Billy Herrington in Japan. Prolly because of his excellent physique and wrestling prowess (? - open to debate) and not for being a pornstar hehehe. As for the Yakuza aspect... well I have no idea one must prolly be well immersed in the culture/life in Japan to fully grasp why.

[GoktimusPrime]

It's an archaic word for older brother. It originated as an honorific term of older brother, kinda like 兄上 (あにうえ； in Transformers Car Robot Speedbreaker addresses Mach Alert and Wild Ride as 兄上, likewise Mach Alert addresses Wild Ride as 兄上). These days it's used as a slang reference for any older brother figure and is commonly used in 'street slang' (including yakuza slang).

A lot of slang words in Modern Japanese come from archaic honorific terms. For example 貴様（きさま）is considered offensive today, but it was originally an honorific second person address (similar to 貴方(あなた); it even uses the same first Kanji); ditto お前（おまえ; although it's often slurred as おめぇ in gutter street talk).

I really don't recommend you start using these words in your 毎日会話 ... unless you want to sound like a chav. I don't recommend it though.

うっす！

P.S.: 兄上 is pretty safe if you want to use that. Although thou speech shalt verily forsooth soundeth of yon Oldendays. Asgaaaaaaaaard! *spins Mjölnir*

[Skullcruncher]

Hi, was wondering if anyone can tranlate these Q & A Ultra Magnus has for us?


From what I have been told so far it could be something along the lines of how big is trypticon? .... bigger than a mountain!?!

[GoktimusPrime]

Q1: How big is Metroflex (Metroplex)?

Q2: How powerful is Dinozaurer (Trypticon)?

Answers:

A1: Total length 1km with arms about as long as Sunshine 60 (a skyscraper in Ikebukuro Tokyo, 239.7m tall).

A2: According to my investigation I understand that he has enough power to destroy Mount Fuji with one strike of his claws.

[Skullcruncher]

Q1: How big is Metroflex (Metroplex)?

Q2: How powerful is Dinozaurer (Trypticon)?

Answers:
**Snip**

Heh well who would have guessed! Many thanks Goktimus

[Firestorm]

explanation.

explanation

Thanks Liege, Thanks Goki-Senpai

(re-reads post)

wait so "Omae" is rude? i didnt know that, thankfully i never say it

[GoktimusPrime]

It's not rude, but it's not polite either. You wouldn't use it with a person of senior social rank or someone you don't know well. You could use it with good friends - guys often use it with girls, as well as kids. It's colloquial but not offensive... unless you pronounce it as おめぇ then that starts sounding nasty.

A variant of おまえ is 手前　（てまえ）, which is certainly not polite and is considered offensive when the pronunciation is slurred as てめぇ！

[Firestorm]

that makes more sense, since when i watch J-dramas i hear guys hitting on girls by saying "Omae" and that made me confused

"Temee" i have heard a few times in anime and dramas and pretty much gathered that it was rude (since it was always punk characters and really angry people that said it)

next word I'm unsure on "Umai" since i hear it for food, talet, and other things

(sorry to keep asking questions, but I really want to improve my Japanese Vocab / Fluency)

[GoktimusPrime]

next word I'm unsure on "Umai" since i hear it for food, talet, and other things

It can be used to describe anything that's good or awesome - either something well done or tasty.

I suppose it has a broader meaning than お上手 or おいしい because お上手 refers to proficiency and おいしい just refers to flavour - whereas うまい covers both. So you can use うまい as a synonym for either じょうず or おいしい.

e.g.
アーシーさんのサンスクリット古語はじょうずですね
"Arcee's Classical Sanskrit is good, isn't it?"
アーシーさんのサンスクリット古語はうまいですね
"Arcee's Classical Sanskrit is good, isn't it?"
アーシーさんの料理はおいしいですね！
"Arcee's cooking is delicious, isn't it?"
アーシーさんの料理はうまいですね！
"Arcee's cooking is delicious, isn't it?"

Btw, the best way to improve your Japanese fluency is to just go hang out with Japanese speakers. The best kind are the ones who speak NO English. And if they try to speak to you in English, keep answering back in Japanese... I find in most cases they'll give up and switch over to Japanese. Although it's funny when they don't... some older members here may remember Tiger Convoy - the Japanese Transfan who lived in Australia for a while. At first he and I spoke to each other in Japanese, and sometimes at meets I would help translate for him -- but as his English got gooderer, he would start talking back to me in English (how dare he take my advice and turn it back on me! ) -- so we would end up having these weird bilingual conversations where I would talk to him in Japanese and he'd keep talking to me in English! Heh.