Topic: Japanese (language) discussion thread

@Chocobo: Sorry man, I don't feel as comfortable as I'd like when I write these kinda things in english

Again, I think I sould've not said those things in that way because they may not be like that in every aspect of their lives. But in the language side, at least for me, that's it and my perception haven't changed a lot since I started to learn this language. On the religious side... I tend to see it like that, it was the shintoism first and then the peolpe (some of them) accepted the buddhism like their religion. Maybe nowadays it's normal but some centuries ago I'm pretty sure that wasn't that normal (e.g. Spain).

Anyways, I apologize for being so imprecise with that sentence

Naw, it's all cool. I think I got the majority of what you said

I think it's important that people experience a culture properly before they start to judge it - not just visit the country, but actually live and work amongst the people. It changes any perceptions you have beforehand.

Just as an anecdotal aside - I've worked with three other people here in Australia who all have spent time living and working in Japan, and have Japanese spouses (weirdly, a lot of tech journalists in Australia end up marrying Japanese folks). I've lived in Yokohama, one guy was in Tokyo, another in Osaka, and the other in Kyoto. We have all had virtually the same experience of Japanese culture. That, plus the reading I've done, tells me I've got a pretty good understanding of Japanese culture.

Yeap, I hope I can go to Japan some months in the following years and make my own perception of the country and the people. I'm also studying engineerings so it's posible for me to work there (and maybe get a japanese wife too )

Sólo como comentario final... Espero que puedan entender lo difícil que es a veces plasmar una idea en otro idioma con la claridad del idioma natal.

Buenas noches.
Good night.
Bonne nuit.
おやすみなさい.

P.S. FYI, no google translator was used in this comment.

Heck, let's all go to Japan and get a Japanese wife

"oyasumi nasai"

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You can use -chan towards another guy, but its sounds really intimate. The only time I really see it used is between really close friends, or of course gay couples. You wouldn't really go up to a guy friend you just met and call him -chan, but then again, I wouldn't go up to a girl and use it with her the first time I met her either.

Just wanted to say, this topic has already gone quite a bit away from discussion about Japanese language. There is already the regular Japan discussion topic, so I wouldn't want to steal discussion away from that thread.

Oh yes thank you
あいうえお

@MarioTheLegend This might help you a bit when you learn more vocabulary. Its got a nice input table for some of the more complicated sounds.

http://test.u-biq.org/

We understand it's easier to express yourself in your native language, Jahir, but please, we ask that you use English at Nintendo Life. If you prefer, you can post a Google Translated version and then link to the original via Google Translate (like this would be the link for your sentence above) so that Google Translate will show what your original Spanish said for anyone curious. Thanks in advance :3

also, before anyone asks, it's one thing to be explaining words and short phrases in teaching mode (e.g. why this thread is OK), but it would be another to post essays in Japanese for critique or to start actually commenting on articles and such in Japanese — that, we'd ask you'd either use English or the Google Translate method, and the essays we'd ask you host on your own space (like a blog or something). :3

Hahaha thanks, i only know
a i u e o, ka ki ku ke and ko and a few words, we only started like a week ago

わかりました tbd-sama. Sorry for that

(わかりました = wakarimashita [note that its pronunciation it's like "wakarimashta"] = Understood)

btw すみませんつちのこさん.

Ok thanks tsuchinoko I've had a few people on the Internet call me Otaku-chan so I was curious

@LordOtakWiiU BTW, Otaku is not exactly a nice word to call someone. Do you know the meaning of the word? I could go into a detailed description of the word, both the slang meaning and the actual meaning of the word itself, but its not positive.

I was going to say the same thing to him, it seems the meaning of otaku it's kinda different there. But maybe the meanness depends on the country, here in Mexico is often used as an insult too.

I know it's not a really nice word, but what word would be nice for someone who likes anime like I do but isn't REALLY obsessed with it, because I understand weeboo is worse, I'd rather be called otaku then weeboo

@LordOtakWiiU What's weeboo? What language is that?

There's a lot of people here that like anime and things that don't label themselves as anything, just "I like animation and manga" without being obsessed with it, which is what O-taku implies.

@Jahir The word stems from Taku 宅 which means home, combines with the honorific お, お宅 (オタク、O-taku) meaning someone who never leaves their house. Its not implicitly meaning anything to do with anime, someone can be in love with Hollywood films, obsessed with them, and spend all day watching them, and never having any other hobbies or friends, and be called an O-taku. I've heard O-taku of all different kinds before, not just anime (here Anime isn't really called "anime", most people just say アニメーション (animation) as far as I've heard. I almost never hear the word "anime"

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Whoops I think I spelled it wrong weaboo I think... It's the word that kinda means I WANNA TURN MYSELF JAPANESE, which I think is stupid to call someone, I mean first of all you can't physically change races and second just because you like a culture doesn't mean you want to BE them. (I think I used the right word and meaning)
Also wow I have a new look on the word otaku, people here just use it as gaming and anime geeks, which is what I used it as, is there a word for geek?

@LordOtakWiiU I have never heard of that word, plus the Wee and boo sounds are not in Japanese. Can you look up that word again?

I've heard words that have that meaning, but never anything with a negative meaning and nothing like what you're describing.

But like I said, people here don't use those kinds of labels, because its normal to have these kinds of interests without being obsessed with them. I almost never heard the word "O-taku" unless its someone making a joke at someone else. Nobody I know calls themselves that on purpose. I mean, there are other situations where Japanese people use labels a lot, but for things like that, I don't really hear it.

I know, and I knew it was used kinda like "freaky" (in all kinds). Depending on the context it could be an insult, right?

@Jahir Its not really used in that way, to mean perverted or anything, we have other, more specific words for that. But no, O-taku is almost always an insult, because its not a good thing to just spend all your time in the house playing video games or watching tv and not work right? That's what the word is implying. I'm sure not everyone uses it with that specific meaning, but the meaning is there in the word. I have never heard it to just mean someone that casually likes something.

For example, one of my co-workers is actually kind of nerdy, and likes video games and animation and everything, but he has tons of other hobbies and is actually very serious about his job. The older co-workers call him O-taku sometimes as a joke, but its meant as a jab at him, messing with him. He gets embarrassed when people call him that.

@LordOtakWiiU I just looked up "nerd", and it was pretty negative as well. My dictionary said "頭はいいが流行や服装に関心のないやつ" which basically means "A smart person, but someone who doesn't have sense about clothing or popular things". Like I said, these kinds of labels are not a good thing here. People that like these kinds of things only casually don't use labels.