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Thread: 日本語会話: The Japanese Conversation Thread

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  1. #1
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    Quote Originally Posted by Firestorm
    but I don’t know how to make my computer type in Japanese,
    You need get a computer from Japan.

    Just kidding. It depends on what operating system you're running.
    Here are some links:
    For Microsoft Windows PC
    Fedora 12 (Linux)
    Mac OS X
    Unix

    Quote Originally Posted by Firestorm
    could someone tell me how to type in Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji?
    May vary depending on Operating System, but on Windows once you've enabled the language bar you should see it on the bottom right of your monitor, near the clock. It should be a small blue square with "EN" (English) written in it. Right click and maximise it and the language toolbar should be on the top of your screen. You can then use your mouse and click on it which will produce a drop down menu with the available languages you've installed (e.g. English (Australia) / Japanese). Choose Japanese. Alternatively you can just hit ALT + SHIFT to toggle between languages (which is very useful when switching between languages in the middle of typing!).

    Once you've selected Japanese it's default in Roomaji, which means you can still type like in English. The third option from the left should be "Input Method". Select this and choose either "Hiragana" or "Full-width Katakana."

    Let's start with typing in Hiragana and Kanji first. Once you've selected "Hiragana" just type in Japanese Roomaji. But remember that ん is typed as "NN" (double-N). Also remember to type particles as they are in Roomaji, so for example the particle-wa is "HA" and particle-e is "HE".

    So if you want to type "Konnichi wa" you neet to change the input method to Hiragana and type "K O N N I C H I H A" then hit enter to confirm.
    So you will get this:
    KO = こ
    NN = ん
    NI = に
    CHI = ち
    HA = は
    Result----------> こんにちは

    To type in Kanji you do the same thing but hit SPACE to see options for Kanji. So again, for "Konnichi wa" I would type KONNICHIHA and get こんにちは, but before hitting enter I hit SPACE. At first the computer will simply highlight こんにちは in blue, so hit space again and a drop down menu will appear. Select the first option and hit enter and こんにちは will instantly convert to 今日は.

    In some cases there may be multiple Kanji options. For example if I type "SEI" (せい) and hit SPACE, I will see pages and pages of options! You simply scroll down and select which one you want. Usually the most commonly used Kanji are listed first. The list gets shorter if you can type in more syllables, e.g. if I type GAKUSEI (がくせい) and hit enter, there's only 3 options. Sometimes none of the options are what you want in which case you'll have to do each part separately and scroll through the pages until you find the Kanji you want. You can also just hit the number next to the kanji you want instead of using your mouse (I usually find hot keys faster than mousing).

    Some useful short cuts:
    CHI can be inputted as "TI"
    TSU can be inputted as "TU"
    SHI can be inputted as "SI"

    Also:
    For this JI (ぢ) you must type "DI"
    For particle O (を) you must type "WO"
    For this ZU (づ) you must type "DU"
    To make anything half size type "X" in front of it. e.g. A = あ, but XA = ぁ

    Typing in Katakana works the same way as typing in Kanji, but it won't usually convert words to Kanji since Katakana is principally used for writing foreign words. So if I want to write "Optimus Prime" I would type "O-PU-TE-XI-MA-SU PU-RA-I-MU" which gives me this: オプティマス プライム

    Quote Originally Posted by Firestorm
    Also when someone says to you "Hisashiburidesne" what do you answer with?
    That's like "Long time no see," so you'd just reply with something appropriate... like maybe, 「ええ、そうですね。おひさしぶりですね」

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime View Post
    (Text about how to type in japanes)
    cool, now i just need to find the disc so i can start typing in japanese


    Quote Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime View Post
    That's like "Long time no see," so you'd just reply with something appropriate... like maybe, 「ええ、そうですね。おひさしぶりですね」
    Thanks, i knew it meant something like "long time no see" I just wasnt sure how to reply, every class when i arrive i go through the same conversation with my teacher,
    Sensei: oo [name]san, konnichiwa
    Me: Konnichiwa
    Sensei: Genki desuka?
    Me: Hai, Genki desu
    Sensei: Hisashiburidesune
    Me: ..... (i havnt been sure what to answer with)

  3. #3
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    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


  4. #4
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    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.

  5. #5
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    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.

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    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?
    HATRED FOR JAMES VAN DER BEEK RISING!

    Still have some stuff for sale. Free pickup at Parra Fair
    http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=8503

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bartrim View Post
    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?

  8. #8
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    From here...
    Quote Originally Posted by drifand View Post
    Here's a question for you Goki, How is Subaru pronounced officially.

    I been hearing Subaru as it is in Asian countries and In US/Aus Suburu is used? Which is right?
    Simplistically put, it's "Soo-baa-roo."
    If you want a more a more proper pronunciation, then consider this approximation guide for pronouncing Japanese vowels.
    "a" as in father
    "i" as in igloo
    "u" as in full
    "e" as in egg
    "o" as in rock

    P.S.: Listen to the way 'Subaru' is pronounced right at the very beginning of this Japanese Subaru Forester commercial:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y73qbUcWdeo

  9. #9
    drifand is offline Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime View Post
    From here...

    Simplistically put, it's "Soo-baa-roo."
    If you want a more a more proper pronunciation, then consider this approximation guide for pronouncing Japanese vowels.
    "a" as in father
    "i" as in igloo
    "u" as in full
    "e" as in egg
    "o" as in rock

    P.S.: Listen to the way 'Subaru' is pronounced right at the very beginning of this Japanese Subaru Forester commercial:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y73qbUcWdeo
    Should I forward this to Subaru australia? It kinds of bugs me when people don't know how to pronounce their own company name.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by drifand View Post
    Should I forward this to Subaru australia? It kinds of bugs me when people don't know how to pronounce their own company name.
    Umm... that's entirely up to you?

    But really, a LOT of people mispronounce words even if it's the name of their company or field of interest etc.
    e.g.
    * Karate <--- mispronounced as "Kah-rah-tee," but proper pronunciation is "Kah-Rah-Teh."
    * Karaoke <--- mispronounced as "Carry-oh-kee," but proper pronunciation is "Kah-Rah-Oh-Keh."
    * Juujutsu <--- mispronounced and misspelt as "Jiujitsu" ("Jew-Jit-soo") but proper pronunciation is "Joo-jee-tsoo."
    * Mitsubishi <--- mispronounced as "Mit-soo-bi-shi," but proper pronunciation is "Mi-tsoo-bi-shi."
    * Toyota <--- mispronounced as "Toh-yoh-tah," or "Toy-oh-tah," but proper pronunciation is "Toyo-tah."
    * Nissan <--- mispronounced as "Nis-sən," ("Niss'n") but proper pronunciation is "Niss-Sun."
    * Daihatsu <--- mispronounced as "Dye-hat-soo," but proper pronunciation is "Dye-hah-tsoo."
    * Nunchaku <--- mispronounced and misspelt as "Nunchucks" but proper pronunciation is "Noon-chah-koo."
    * Henkei <--- I've heard this mispronounced as "Hen-kee" and "Hen-kai," but the correct pronunciation is "Hen-KAY."

    English speakers frequently mispronounce words from other languages too. Heck, there are people who speak English as their first and only language who mispronounce English words!

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