@HalBailman I get where you’re coming from. It would be difficult for native English speakers to choose a more difficult language to learn as a second. Plus, linguists tend to single it out as having the most complex orthographic system. Still, I would encourage any monolingual speaker to learn a second language. And Japanese is one of the coolest. It’s even got video games to help you study it.
@RejectedAng3L Ha. I once got a bad ending because I put the controller down to look something up. Apparently, one of the triggers was lingering on a Yes/No dialogue box too long. But I’m afraid I’ve grown too comfortable getting the gist, so most of the time, I don’t bother with dictionaries while playing games. The 2/3DS are lowkey great study tools for kanji, though.
I need to look into this. Personally, I find playing games a terrible way to study Japanese. Who can be bothered looking up unfamiliar kanji, vocabulary, or grammar in the middle of playing a game? Plus, the dialogue in games tends to be exaggerated in one way or another and not particularly useful for navigating daily life or personal relationships. Still, I’m curious to see how good the Japanese script is, how the game guides a language learner, and whether it’s at all useful for anyone beyond the beginner or intermediate levels.
I’ll be picking up a digital copy (assuming it reaches the Japanese eShop) to support the developer because I love this game and don’t want to see them go under, but a remake feels doubly unnecessary to me considering I’m just over half way through my second completionist run on Switch.
A little late to chime in, but if you don’t care about frame rates, that’s great for you. For others, though, poor frame pacing can cause nausea. Let’s hope Nintendo at least unlocks the dock’s VRR capabilities sooner than later.
That’s insane! The MSRP here is JYP 9,980! Forget whatever today’s conversation rate is, if you live and work in the Japanese economy, that feels like a USD 99.99 purchase!
You can buy it physical from Amazon for roughly JPY 500 less, but I have to imagine most “brick and mortar” stores sell it at full price. Considering the digital is JPY 1,000 less than the physical, I have to imagine most consumers who couldn’t secure the bundle would opt for the digital. Still, it’s crazy how the Japanese market tolerates higher prices despite the average consumer having less purchasing power.
If you can’t appreciate motion clarity or true HDR on a display, that’s probably a good thing. When it comes to gaming, there are times when a little technical knowledge can prove a curse. That may invalidate DF’s criticisms for you personally, and you may be most people, but you’re certainly not everyone.
It’s also worth noting John and Olie savaged virtual game cards for several minutes. Both of their complaints were different from each other’s as well as my own, so it was interesting to hear how many different reasons people have for disliking the new DRM system. Nintendo obviously isn’t going to abandon it this generation, but I hope they continue to refine it.
It’s not a matter of being smart, it’s a matter of being attentive, and I don’t think anybody has looked at a video game console until now as something that could potentially break skin during normal use if not handled with extra care. Besides, I noticed the new Joycons really give when applying even slight pressure to the screen while the console is lying flat on a surface. I was applying a screen protector at the time, but if you’re using touch controls on a table, you’ll want to remove the Joycons first.
It’s a really nice case. I use first party cases for all my Switches. The included screen protector is garbage, though. I immediately replaced it. But at least it protected the screen from the dock until a better screen protector arrived in the mail.
Maybe I missed a comment above pointing out the same, but I believe the game runs at 1440p docked, not 4K. I haven’t attempted a pixel count myself, but it’s noticeably blurrier on Switch 2 than emulating the game at 4K on a computer. Considering it’s a paid upgrade, I too wish Nintendo had gone the extra mile and included higher resolution textures and pre-rendered videos. The Zelda Notes app got savaged in the BotW review here, and I was skeptical of it myself going in, but it’s proved to be a godsend for completionists like myself. I no longer have to keep a checklist open as I play—I can explore organically and the game will track my progress for me. The last thing I thought I wanted was even more items on that checklist, but the voice memories have proven a delightful surprise as well. Only had my Switch 2 for less than a week, but I’m spending most of my time with it on a new TotK save file.
According to gaminglayoffs.com, there have been 2,140 layoffs in the gaming industry in 2025 so far, and I’m not sure that site even tracks the Japanese side in which I personally work, let alone downstream industries like the media.
Okay, confirmed. The “loophole” is basically just the old experience. That’s a temporary relief, but I don’t look forward to juggling one digital library between two Switches and a Switch 2 in the near future.
I hate this so much. The user experience is a giant headache. If I didn’t own more than one Switch, this wouldn’t even matter, but I regularly play on two systems with a third on the way. They took a DRM system that was previously a mild inconvenience and turned it into a huge hassle. Now, I have to micromanage every single digital game and DLC that I own and ensure that my systems are online each time I make any change. I thought Nintendo wanted me to buy more than one system and build a digital library. So, why are they making that experience so awful? To “fight” piracy? The only people this will ever affect are legitimate customers.
Welp, owning a digital library is now every bit as inconvenient as owning a physical library if you also own more than one system. It’s like Nintendo wants me to hack my Switches…
It’s worth keeping in mind that, on the family tree of human language, Japanese is a very distant relative of English and Dutch, and as such, is a very different tongue from any European language, let alone Germanic. To make progress in your Japanese studies, at some point, you’ll have to stop thinking in your native language and start thinking in Japanese. Then, if you want to become a translator, you can start asking yourself, “How might a native speaker, given myriad linguistic and cultural differences, express this same thought in my own language?” Cheers!
Hi, I’m a professional J-E translator and salaried video game localizer. I’m also a former teacher, and since you’re interested in language learning and translation, I’ll try to explain my translation choice. After all, it was a choice born of necessity and arrived at for reasons.
“と、と、と……
と?
当選でございます!!”
A simple, straightforward interpretation would render something along the lines of “You win” or “I won,” depending on how you infer what Sakurai implied, but that would fail to capture the character of the tweet, in my opinion.
Basically, there are only two elements to work with as a translator: 当選(tōsen), a noun meaning success in an election (so, “a win” in that specific context), and でございます(degozaimasu), the most formal form of the copula verb in common usage. Hopefully, you can begin to see the challenges of capturing even something so simple in natural English, as not so much as who “won” what is stated, cheeky formalities aside.
The “と、と、と(to, to, to)…” that begins the tweet is actually stammering the first syllable (technically, the first mora) of 当選 (tōsen). と(to) can mean “and” as in “A and B,” but it’s not a perfect linguistic analogy to the English word, and has different meanings including “with,” “if,” and “when,” among other usages. I don’t think anyone with a moderate degree of fluency in Japanese would have interpreted that as “And, and, and…” At this point in the tweet, it’s basically gibberish. I’m not a native speaker, but the inquisitive “と(to)?” that follows added just a hint of “ということは(to iu koto wa)?” in my mind, which is an expression along the lines of “Meaning what exactly?” In any case, it builds up anticipation and expresses surprise/disbelief but conveys little more than that until we finally arrive at “当選でございます(tōsen degozaimasu)!!” after the line break.
I wanted to capture the playful nature of the tweet in Japanese, and English grammar requires complete sentences with subjects, verbs, and objects in a rigid word order, so my best swing at “What would Sakurai have written if he were a native English speaker?” was:
Andrew here. I quit Twitter a while ago now, so credit for spotting Sakurai’s tweet ultimately goes to my better half. Looks like his tweet about entering the lottery from earlier this month also flew under my radar. Here’s a quick translation for anyone interested:
予約抽選応募できました｡
仕事でも使うと思うので､多言語版を…｡
当たるといいなあ｡
I managed to enter the preorder lottery.
I figured I might use it for work, so I opted for the multi-language system.
Sure hope I win.
I woke up to an actual email from Nintendo this morning. I was a little surprised I was selected in the first round of the preorder lottery, but then again, I imagine only a fraction of a percent of the purported 2.2 million who preordered in Japan are trying to secure the significantly more expensive multi-language system. I must’ve refreshed the preorder page hundreds of times over the course of two days, though, so I’m not feeling especially lucky with my first console preorder experience. At any rate, I’ve got a little under two weeks to pay for my preorder at the beginning of May, so hopefully Nintendo can shore up their online store’s stability by then.
Personally, I still haven’t gotten over the sticker shock. Nintendo is selling Mario Kart World for ¥8,980 digital and ¥9,980 physical here in Japan. If you live and work in the Japanese economy, whatever today’s conversion rate happens to be doesn’t matter—those feel like $89.99 and $99.99 MSRPs. I swear, if they announce paid DLC during the upcoming direct that’s only "free" for the highest tier of their subscription service, I’m going to scream.
I can’t imagine it running at 120fps above 1080p. The jump from 60fps to 120fps isn’t nearly as dramatic as 30fps to 60fps, though. Weirdly, 40fps feels closer to 60fps than it does 30fps, and it’s a great compromise frame rate for 120 Hz screens. And all of that is to say it’s strange to see Nintendo of all companies beginning to offer performance and quality modes. All of these technical complexities are more in the wheelhouse of the hardcore PC gamer. It’s almost as if Nintendo should bundle some kind of free tutorial app with the Switch 2 for the casual console gamer. I don’t know, maybe call it “Welcome Tour” or something along those lines.
@Ultimapunch Probably the Dunning-Kruger effect. People take Japanese 101, or worse, use Google Translate, and suddenly they’re convinced they know more than they do. Heck, I know at least enough to do this for a living and occasionally fall into that same trap myself and get something wrong. But random guy on Reddit? Maybe not the most reliable source.
Some clarification on the above: If the argument is that the Japanese title implies greater value, then that’s a real stretch in my opinion, for whatever that’s worth. And that goes double if the argument is that the backlash to the price can be pinned on the localization decision that was made. Not that localization decisions can’t and don’t affect sales. I don’t hate the title “No Sleep for Kaname Date” as a matter of translation, but when it’s paired with two other subtitles in addition to an unfamiliar Japanese name, it creates difficulties as a matter of marketing.
Hi, professional Japanese-English translator and full-time video game localizer here chiming in to point out "Exhibition of Nintendo Switch 2 Secrets" is a garbage-tier title that doesn’t make we want to reach for my wallet. English and Japanese not only have different words, they use them differently. What’s good style in one language is often bad style in another. When considerations like these aren’t taken, we get video games named “No Sleep for Kaname Date - From AI: The Somnium Files.”
As an expat in Japan with a Japanese Nintendo Account and no foreign credit cards trying to preorder the more expensive multi-language system, I would like to know whether publishers including Nintendo will continue to offer more than Japanese language options for the games they sell on the Japanese eShop. Otherwise, I’ll be springing for the more expensive system for nothing.
I have four pairs of Joy-Con, which I used to rotate weekly to curb wear and tear on both the sticks and batteries, but all four pairs eventually developed drift on one or both sticks, so I swapped them with GuliKit’s Hall effect replacements awhile ago. Unfortunately, I recently noticed both the sticks on my Pro Controller have developed drift as well, so I’ve ordered their TMR replacements for both my Pro Controller and DualSense. Mercifully, my Switch Lite is still hanging in there, but I already have replacements ready to go when they finally give. It’s frustrating that I’ve had to develop beginner modding skills so that Nintendo (and I hear Sony) can cheap out on parts. Before this reads like an ad for GuliKit, though, I should note the R3 button on one of their replacement stick’s didn’t work out of the box.
Good thing I’m subscribed to @Lowell’s YouTube channel. He saved me from some buyer’s remorse with a timely video. I play most indie games on Switch, but this one clearly didn’t target Nintendo’s handheld. I’ve added it to my wishlist on GOG instead.
That’s a fun tip, but as long as you always have a net in your hand and face north when you shake a tree, all you have to do is press A as soon as you regain control of your character (assuming the tiles to the left and right are unobstructed). I only ever get stung when I’m too lazy to whip out a net (or clear the area around the tree).
Thanks! I was hoping the comments would debate Japanese farts and not English pronouns, so I guess I'll debate myself. While I'm confident I established Kappei's toilet humor was inspired by kappa mythology, my speculation that his name itself is a fart pun has two major flaws.
It's true that if you take the saying "kappa no he 河童の屁," removed the possessive "no の," and smashed "kappa 河童" and "he 屁" together, you should get "kappe かっぺ" as a result of a morphophonological process called rendaku (like @bluesun pointed out). But, his name is "kappei かっぺい." There's still a syllable unaccounted for.
If, on the other hand, the joke were based on onomatopoeia, then it's easier to get another syllable since sound effects can be arbitrarily elongated or shortened. The problem with that theory, though, is that I couldn't find any direct evidence that "he へ" is used by native speakers as an onomatopoeia for flatulence in time for this article. Instead, I was relying on a memory of a doodle I once saw on a blog. Even if my memory didn't fail me, perhaps that artist simply wrote the Japanese word for fart rather than capture the sound through onomatopoeia (the lazy bum). And besides, "pe ぺ" is already an onomatopoeia for spitting, so its use as an onomatopoeia for farting could be confusing.
But being a curious animal, I tried researching both the etymology of the word "he 屁" itself and the kanji used to write it, so let's see if I can muster any more evidence.
On the kanji side, my go-to etymological dictionaries were of little use in clarifying "屁." But for whatever it's worth, wiktionary suggests that "尸" is short for "尻," the kanji for "butt," and "比" represents a small opening, suggesting... well, you get the picture. I wasn't able to verify that theory with a more reputable dictionary, though. I was hoping "'比" was borrowed for its sound, but "比" is read "hi ひ" and not "he へ."
On the word side, it sounds like it's a very old one, but the etymology is obscure. Again, wiktionary suggests "he へ" is a corruption of "hi ひ," but I also found a native speaker on a Yahoo! forum who suggested that "he へ" is the sound of a fart itself (and that ancient Japanese didn't have b- or p-sounds). So, that's at least some evidence that some native speakers interpret "he へ" as onomatopoeia. I tend to agree, but then, this is my pet fan theory after all 😬
Update: Hah! I found one fart rendered as "pu-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pu-pe-ru." We have officially obtained maximum silliness 😂
I’ve only ever played New Leaf in Japanese. Did Nintendo really censor his flatulence in the West? In the screen cap above, Kappei says (loosely): “Sorry. Guess I farted.”
Right you are. For the sake of simplicity, I didn’t introduce the concept of rendaku or attempt to derive a morphophonological rule that would transform h-sounds into p-sounds within compound words, but I did include a relevant example (“neppe 寝っ屁”) in my speculation.
I also speculated that “he へ” could transform into “pe ぺ” as onomatopoeia, which is unrelated to rendaku. If you peruse a dictionary of onomatopoeia and mimesis, you’ll find numerous relevant examples. For instance, “hyū-hyū ひゅーひゅー” is the sound of a strong wind blowing, but it can be made more shrill as “pyū-pyū ぴゅーぴゅー” or more forceful as “byū-byū びゅーびゅー.” It’s worth noting that “pe ぺ” is more likely to be used as a spitting sound than a farting sound, though (as in “gara-gara-ppe がらがらっぺ”).
It’s also worth noting again that this is my own speculative fan theory, and admittedly, I may be finding even more Kappei-related fart jokes than Nintendo’s writers intended. Whether or not everybody buys the reasons I gave, I hope it was a fun read for all regardless 🙃
But it does make you (or at least me) think…. Why did Nintendo give Kappei a “pe ぺ” flag when a “ka か” flag would’ve worked just as well if not better? There must’ve been a reason 😉
Oh, you don’t want to remove the small anus ball—that would spell certain death…!
Seriously, though, whether or not the “pe” in “Kappei” was a deliberate fart joke because “he” (fart) can turn into “pe” as in “neppe” (a sleep fart) and so on, I had no idea just how much kappa mythology inspired Kappei’s sense of humor until I did my due diligence researching this article—I learned far more than I could include even by linking to it 😅
@SolBlazer Heh! That was a literal translation, but when you think about it, there are other types of CDs you could listen to while driving in the car—audio books, language learning courses, and so on 😅
@chipia As a Sunday composer myself, I absolutely love how often Bach keeps coming up during the VGM Fest. It just goes to show he’s the composer’s composer…!
The website of Nintendo Japan says almost exactly the same thing. My painfully literal translation: "[The Nintendo Switch (OLED model)] is compatible with all Nintendo Switch software. However, from the fact that the console and screen sizes differ between the Nintendo Switch (OLED model) and the Nintendo Switch, there will be differences in gameplay experience in some of the Nintendo Labo series. Even in non-Nintendo [published] software, there may be cases in which differences in gameplay experience occur." I wish they would just tell us whether or not the VR googles still work...!
Comments 55
Re: One Of 2025's Best-Reviewed Games Has Quietly Released On Switch Today
@HalBailman
I get where you’re coming from. It would be difficult for native English speakers to choose a more difficult language to learn as a second. Plus, linguists tend to single it out as having the most complex orthographic system.
Still, I would encourage any monolingual speaker to learn a second language. And Japanese is one of the coolest. It’s even got video games to help you study it.
Re: One Of 2025's Best-Reviewed Games Has Quietly Released On Switch Today
@RejectedAng3L
Ha. I once got a bad ending because I put the controller down to look something up. Apparently, one of the triggers was lingering on a Yes/No dialogue box too long.
But I’m afraid I’ve grown too comfortable getting the gist, so most of the time, I don’t bother with dictionaries while playing games.
The 2/3DS are lowkey great study tools for kanji, though.
Re: One Of 2025's Best-Reviewed Games Has Quietly Released On Switch Today
I need to look into this. Personally, I find playing games a terrible way to study Japanese. Who can be bothered looking up unfamiliar kanji, vocabulary, or grammar in the middle of playing a game? Plus, the dialogue in games tends to be exaggerated in one way or another and not particularly useful for navigating daily life or personal relationships. Still, I’m curious to see how good the Japanese script is, how the game guides a language learner, and whether it’s at all useful for anyone beyond the beginner or intermediate levels.
Re: Yooka-Replaylee Gets A Launch Date On Switch 2, Full Physical Release Confirmed
I’ll be picking up a digital copy (assuming it reaches the Japanese eShop) to support the developer because I love this game and don’t want to see them go under, but a remake feels doubly unnecessary to me considering I’m just over half way through my second completionist run on Switch.
Re: Donkey Kong Bananza Director Acknowledges Performance Drops: "We Prioritized Fun And Playability"
A little late to chime in, but if you don’t care about frame rates, that’s great for you. For others, though, poor frame pacing can cause nausea. Let’s hope Nintendo at least unlocks the dock’s VRR capabilities sooner than later.
Re: Japanese Charts: Mario Kart World Speeds Past 1 Million Physical Sales
That’s insane! The MSRP here is JYP 9,980! Forget whatever today’s conversation rate is, if you live and work in the Japanese economy, that feels like a USD 99.99 purchase!
You can buy it physical from Amazon for roughly JPY 500 less, but I have to imagine most “brick and mortar” stores sell it at full price. Considering the digital is JPY 1,000 less than the physical, I have to imagine most consumers who couldn’t secure the bundle would opt for the digital. Still, it’s crazy how the Japanese market tolerates higher prices despite the average consumer having less purchasing power.
Re: Digital Foundry Is "Happy" With Switch 2 But Feels The Screen Is "Problematic"
If you can’t appreciate motion clarity or true HDR on a display, that’s probably a good thing. When it comes to gaming, there are times when a little technical knowledge can prove a curse. That may invalidate DF’s criticisms for you personally, and you may be most people, but you’re certainly not everyone.
Re: Digital Foundry Is "Happy" With Switch 2 But Feels The Screen Is "Problematic"
It’s also worth noting John and Olie savaged virtual game cards for several minutes. Both of their complaints were different from each other’s as well as my own, so it was interesting to hear how many different reasons people have for disliking the new DRM system. Nintendo obviously isn’t going to abandon it this generation, but I hope they continue to refine it.
Re: Poll: Has Your Switch 2's Screen Got Any Nasty Scratches Yet?
Immediately put a screen protector on mine, then ordered a dock “sock” off of Etsy. (Yet more hidden costs…)
Re: Review: Nintendo Switch 2 Camera - An Elegant But Nonessential GameChat Companion
I wish I could just use the AR camera from Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit…
Re: Random: Ouch! Switch 2 Owners Are Feeling The Pinch With The New Joy-Con
It’s not a matter of being smart, it’s a matter of being attentive, and I don’t think anybody has looked at a video game console until now as something that could potentially break skin during normal use if not handled with extra care.
Besides, I noticed the new Joycons really give when applying even slight pressure to the screen while the console is lying flat on a surface. I was applying a screen protector at the time, but if you’re using touch controls on a table, you’ll want to remove the Joycons first.
Re: Review: Nintendo Switch 2 Carry Case - The Official Option Is A Solid One
It’s a really nice case. I use first party cases for all my Switches. The included screen protector is garbage, though. I immediately replaced it. But at least it protected the screen from the dock until a better screen protector arrived in the mail.
Re: Review: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - A Sublime Sequel, Now Sublimer
Maybe I missed a comment above pointing out the same, but I believe the game runs at 1440p docked, not 4K. I haven’t attempted a pixel count myself, but it’s noticeably blurrier on Switch 2 than emulating the game at 4K on a computer. Considering it’s a paid upgrade, I too wish Nintendo had gone the extra mile and included higher resolution textures and pre-rendered videos.
The Zelda Notes app got savaged in the BotW review here, and I was skeptical of it myself going in, but it’s proved to be a godsend for completionists like myself. I no longer have to keep a checklist open as I play—I can explore organically and the game will track my progress for me. The last thing I thought I wanted was even more items on that checklist, but the voice memories have proven a delightful surprise as well.
Only had my Switch 2 for less than a week, but I’m spending most of my time with it on a new TotK save file.
Re: Editorial: Gamers, Support The People And Sites You Love, Before It's Too Late
According to gaminglayoffs.com, there have been 2,140 layoffs in the gaming industry in 2025 so far, and I’m not sure that site even tracks the Japanese side in which I personally work, let alone downstream industries like the media.
Re: How Do Nintendo Switch 2 Virtual Game Cards Work? - Game Transfer & Lending Guide
Can someone pass this memo along to Nintendo for me? Thanks!
Good service —> Happy customers —> More money —> Happy investors —> Even more money —> Everybody’s happy
Re: How Do Nintendo Switch 2 Virtual Game Cards Work? - Game Transfer & Lending Guide
@A_WINNER_IS_Mii
Okay, confirmed. The “loophole” is basically just the old experience. That’s a temporary relief, but I don’t look forward to juggling one digital library between two Switches and a Switch 2 in the near future.
Re: How Do Nintendo Switch 2 Virtual Game Cards Work? - Game Transfer & Lending Guide
I hate this so much. The user experience is a giant headache. If I didn’t own more than one Switch, this wouldn’t even matter, but I regularly play on two systems with a third on the way. They took a DRM system that was previously a mild inconvenience and turned it into a huge hassle. Now, I have to micromanage every single digital game and DLC that I own and ensure that my systems are online each time I make any change. I thought Nintendo wanted me to buy more than one system and build a digital library. So, why are they making that experience so awful? To “fight” piracy? The only people this will ever affect are legitimate customers.
Re: Nintendo Switch System Update 20.0.0 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@BellEvil
I instantly regretted updating.
Re: Nintendo Switch System Update 20.0.0 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Welp, owning a digital library is now every bit as inconvenient as owning a physical library if you also own more than one system. It’s like Nintendo wants me to hack my Switches…
Re: Random: Masahiro Sakurai Finds Success In Switch 2 Lottery
@romanista
It’s worth keeping in mind that, on the family tree of human language, Japanese is a very distant relative of English and Dutch, and as such, is a very different tongue from any European language, let alone Germanic.
To make progress in your Japanese studies, at some point, you’ll have to stop thinking in your native language and start thinking in Japanese.
Then, if you want to become a translator, you can start asking yourself, “How might a native speaker, given myriad linguistic and cultural differences, express this same thought in my own language?”
Cheers!
Re: Random: Masahiro Sakurai Finds Success In Switch 2 Lottery
@romanista
Hi, I’m a professional J-E translator and salaried video game localizer. I’m also a former teacher, and since you’re interested in language learning and translation, I’ll try to explain my translation choice. After all, it was a choice born of necessity and arrived at for reasons.
“と、と、と……
と?
当選でございます!!”
A simple, straightforward interpretation would render something along the lines of “You win” or “I won,” depending on how you infer what Sakurai implied, but that would fail to capture the character of the tweet, in my opinion.
Basically, there are only two elements to work with as a translator: 当選(tōsen), a noun meaning success in an election (so, “a win” in that specific context), and でございます(degozaimasu), the most formal form of the copula verb in common usage. Hopefully, you can begin to see the challenges of capturing even something so simple in natural English, as not so much as who “won” what is stated, cheeky formalities aside.
The “と、と、と(to, to, to)…” that begins the tweet is actually stammering the first syllable (technically, the first mora) of 当選 (tōsen). と(to) can mean “and” as in “A and B,” but it’s not a perfect linguistic analogy to the English word, and has different meanings including “with,” “if,” and “when,” among other usages. I don’t think anyone with a moderate degree of fluency in Japanese would have interpreted that as “And, and, and…” At this point in the tweet, it’s basically gibberish. I’m not a native speaker, but the inquisitive “と(to)?” that follows added just a hint of “ということは(to iu koto wa)?” in my mind, which is an expression along the lines of “Meaning what exactly?” In any case, it builds up anticipation and expresses surprise/disbelief but conveys little more than that until we finally arrive at “当選でございます(tōsen degozaimasu)!!” after the line break.
I wanted to capture the playful nature of the tweet in Japanese, and English grammar requires complete sentences with subjects, verbs, and objects in a rigid word order, so my best swing at “What would Sakurai have written if he were a native English speaker?” was:
“I-I-I…
I what…?
I won the lottery!!”
Hope that clears things up for you. Cheers!
(Edited slightly.)
Re: Random: Masahiro Sakurai Finds Success In Switch 2 Lottery
Andrew here. I quit Twitter a while ago now, so credit for spotting Sakurai’s tweet ultimately goes to my better half. Looks like his tweet about entering the lottery from earlier this month also flew under my radar. Here’s a quick translation for anyone interested:
予約抽選応募できました｡
仕事でも使うと思うので､多言語版を…｡
当たるといいなあ｡
I managed to enter the preorder lottery.
I figured I might use it for work, so I opted for the multi-language system.
Sure hope I win.
Re: Nintendo Warns Of Phishing Email For Switch 2 Lottery In Japan
I woke up to an actual email from Nintendo this morning. I was a little surprised I was selected in the first round of the preorder lottery, but then again, I imagine only a fraction of a percent of the purported 2.2 million who preordered in Japan are trying to secure the significantly more expensive multi-language system. I must’ve refreshed the preorder page hundreds of times over the course of two days, though, so I’m not feeling especially lucky with my first console preorder experience. At any rate, I’ve got a little under two weeks to pay for my preorder at the beginning of May, so hopefully Nintendo can shore up their online store’s stability by then.
Re: Opinion: It's Been 20 Years Since I Was This Excited For A Mario Kart
Personally, I still haven’t gotten over the sticker shock. Nintendo is selling Mario Kart World for ¥8,980 digital and ¥9,980 physical here in Japan. If you live and work in the Japanese economy, whatever today’s conversion rate happens to be doesn’t matter—those feel like $89.99 and $99.99 MSRPs. I swear, if they announce paid DLC during the upcoming direct that’s only "free" for the highest tier of their subscription service, I’m going to scream.
Re: Mario Kart World Is Reportedly The Smoothest Entry Yet
I can’t imagine it running at 120fps above 1080p. The jump from 60fps to 120fps isn’t nearly as dramatic as 30fps to 60fps, though. Weirdly, 40fps feels closer to 60fps than it does 30fps, and it’s a great compromise frame rate for 120 Hz screens. And all of that is to say it’s strange to see Nintendo of all companies beginning to offer performance and quality modes. All of these technical complexities are more in the wheelhouse of the hardcore PC gamer. It’s almost as if Nintendo should bundle some kind of free tutorial app with the Switch 2 for the casual console gamer. I don’t know, maybe call it “Welcome Tour” or something along those lines.
Re: Reggie Fils-Aimé Weighs In On 'Switch 2 Welcome Tour' Controversy (Sort Of)
@Ultimapunch
Probably the Dunning-Kruger effect. People take Japanese 101, or worse, use Google Translate, and suddenly they’re convinced they know more than they do. Heck, I know at least enough to do this for a living and occasionally fall into that same trap myself and get something wrong. But random guy on Reddit? Maybe not the most reliable source.
Re: Reggie Fils-Aimé Weighs In On 'Switch 2 Welcome Tour' Controversy (Sort Of)
@A_WINNER_IS_Mii
Some clarification on the above: If the argument is that the Japanese title implies greater value, then that’s a real stretch in my opinion, for whatever that’s worth. And that goes double if the argument is that the backlash to the price can be pinned on the localization decision that was made. Not that localization decisions can’t and don’t affect sales. I don’t hate the title “No Sleep for Kaname Date” as a matter of translation, but when it’s paired with two other subtitles in addition to an unfamiliar Japanese name, it creates difficulties as a matter of marketing.
Re: Reggie Fils-Aimé Weighs In On 'Switch 2 Welcome Tour' Controversy (Sort Of)
Hi, professional Japanese-English translator and full-time video game localizer here chiming in to point out "Exhibition of Nintendo Switch 2 Secrets" is a garbage-tier title that doesn’t make we want to reach for my wallet. English and Japanese not only have different words, they use them differently. What’s good style in one language is often bad style in another. When considerations like these aren’t taken, we get video games named “No Sleep for Kaname Date - From AI: The Somnium Files.”
Re: Ex-PlayStation Boss Comments On Switch 2's "Hefty" Price Hikes
Spoken like an executive who doesn’t comprehend the value of the good will the people under him work so hard to create.
Re: Community: What Questions About Switch 2 Do You Still Have For Nintendo?
As an expat in Japan with a Japanese Nintendo Account and no foreign credit cards trying to preorder the more expensive multi-language system, I would like to know whether publishers including Nintendo will continue to offer more than Japanese language options for the games they sell on the Japanese eShop. Otherwise, I’ll be springing for the more expensive system for nothing.
Re: Nintendo Confirms US Price For 'Switch 2 Welcome Tour'
You’re going to have to pay an annual fee to press the C button too. It’s almost as if a theme is starting to develop around the Switch 2…
Re: It's Official, Switch 2 Joy-Con Will Not Feature Hall Effect Sticks
I have four pairs of Joy-Con, which I used to rotate weekly to curb wear and tear on both the sticks and batteries, but all four pairs eventually developed drift on one or both sticks, so I swapped them with GuliKit’s Hall effect replacements awhile ago. Unfortunately, I recently noticed both the sticks on my Pro Controller have developed drift as well, so I’ve ordered their TMR replacements for both my Pro Controller and DualSense. Mercifully, my Switch Lite is still hanging in there, but I already have replacements ready to go when they finally give. It’s frustrating that I’ve had to develop beginner modding skills so that Nintendo (and I hear Sony) can cheap out on parts. Before this reads like an ad for GuliKit, though, I should note the R3 button on one of their replacement stick’s didn’t work out of the box.
Re: Review: The Plucky Squire (Switch) - Enormously Charming, But Not So Plucky On Switch
@Roz1281 The Steam version of course has Steam DRM, but a DRM-free version is coming to GOG at a later date. That’s where I’m planning to buy.
Re: Review: The Plucky Squire (Switch) - Enormously Charming, But Not So Plucky On Switch
Good thing I’m subscribed to @Lowell’s YouTube channel. He saved me from some buyer’s remorse with a timely video. I play most indie games on Switch, but this one clearly didn’t target Nintendo’s handheld. I’ve added it to my wishlist on GOG instead.
Re: Nintendo Prepares For 3DS & Wii U eShop Closure With Scheduled Maintenance
Boo this company! Boo!
Re: Feature: Kirby Café Tokyo - We Go Full Mouthful Mode Beneath The World's Tallest Tower
@dugan Thank you for saying so, but the secret is having a good editor 😬
Re: Feature: Kirby Café Tokyo - We Go Full Mouthful Mode Beneath The World's Tallest Tower
@Fizza Unless omurice or Hayashi rice count, I don’t really recall there being any Japanese food on the menu.
Re: Random: Kirby Café Rustles Up A New Dessert To Celebrate Kirby's Dream Buffet
@Bobb it’s a marshmallow, and you will feel like a monster as you chew him into mush.
Re: Random: There's A New Wasp Escape Trick In Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0
That’s a fun tip, but as long as you always have a net in your hand and face north when you shake a tree, all you have to do is press A as soon as you regain control of your character (assuming the tiles to the left and right are unobstructed). I only ever get stung when I’m too lazy to whip out a net (or clear the area around the tree).
Re: Feature: Animal Crossing Fart Jokes Remain Lost In Translation As Kapp’n Returns In New Horizons
@nib0
Thanks! I was hoping the comments would debate Japanese farts and not English pronouns, so I guess I'll debate myself. While I'm confident I established Kappei's toilet humor was inspired by kappa mythology, my speculation that his name itself is a fart pun has two major flaws.
It's true that if you take the saying "kappa no he 河童の屁," removed the possessive "no の," and smashed "kappa 河童" and "he 屁" together, you should get "kappe かっぺ" as a result of a morphophonological process called rendaku (like @bluesun pointed out). But, his name is "kappei かっぺい." There's still a syllable unaccounted for.
If, on the other hand, the joke were based on onomatopoeia, then it's easier to get another syllable since sound effects can be arbitrarily elongated or shortened. The problem with that theory, though, is that I couldn't find any direct evidence that "he へ" is used by native speakers as an onomatopoeia for flatulence in time for this article. Instead, I was relying on a memory of a doodle I once saw on a blog. Even if my memory didn't fail me, perhaps that artist simply wrote the Japanese word for fart rather than capture the sound through onomatopoeia (the lazy bum). And besides, "pe ぺ" is already an onomatopoeia for spitting, so its use as an onomatopoeia for farting could be confusing.
But being a curious animal, I tried researching both the etymology of the word "he 屁" itself and the kanji used to write it, so let's see if I can muster any more evidence.
On the kanji side, my go-to etymological dictionaries were of little use in clarifying "屁." But for whatever it's worth, wiktionary suggests that "尸" is short for "尻," the kanji for "butt," and "比" represents a small opening, suggesting... well, you get the picture. I wasn't able to verify that theory with a more reputable dictionary, though. I was hoping "'比" was borrowed for its sound, but "比" is read "hi ひ" and not "he へ."
On the word side, it sounds like it's a very old one, but the etymology is obscure. Again, wiktionary suggests "he へ" is a corruption of "hi ひ," but I also found a native speaker on a Yahoo! forum who suggested that "he へ" is the sound of a fart itself (and that ancient Japanese didn't have b- or p-sounds). So, that's at least some evidence that some native speakers interpret "he へ" as onomatopoeia. I tend to agree, but then, this is my pet fan theory after all 😬
Update: Hah! I found one fart rendered as "pu-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pu-pe-ru." We have officially obtained maximum silliness 😂
Re: Feature: Animal Crossing Fart Jokes Remain Lost In Translation As Kapp’n Returns In New Horizons
@rjejr I took another boat ride in ACNH tonight, and you’ll be sorry to hear Kapp’n sang about farts again… at least in Japanese 🙃
Re: Feature: Animal Crossing Fart Jokes Remain Lost In Translation As Kapp’n Returns In New Horizons
@rjejr
I’ve only ever played New Leaf in Japanese. Did Nintendo really censor his flatulence in the West? In the screen cap above, Kappei says (loosely): “Sorry. Guess I farted.”
Re: Feature: Animal Crossing Fart Jokes Remain Lost In Translation As Kapp’n Returns In New Horizons
@bluesun
Right you are. For the sake of simplicity, I didn’t introduce the concept of rendaku or attempt to derive a morphophonological rule that would transform h-sounds into p-sounds within compound words, but I did include a relevant example (“neppe 寝っ屁”) in my speculation.
I also speculated that “he へ” could transform into “pe ぺ” as onomatopoeia, which is unrelated to rendaku. If you peruse a dictionary of onomatopoeia and mimesis, you’ll find numerous relevant examples. For instance, “hyū-hyū ひゅーひゅー” is the sound of a strong wind blowing, but it can be made more shrill as “pyū-pyū ぴゅーぴゅー” or more forceful as “byū-byū びゅーびゅー.” It’s worth noting that “pe ぺ” is more likely to be used as a spitting sound than a farting sound, though (as in “gara-gara-ppe がらがらっぺ”).
It’s also worth noting again that this is my own speculative fan theory, and admittedly, I may be finding even more Kappei-related fart jokes than Nintendo’s writers intended. Whether or not everybody buys the reasons I gave, I hope it was a fun read for all regardless 🙃
But it does make you (or at least me) think…. Why did Nintendo give Kappei a “pe ぺ” flag when a “ka か” flag would’ve worked just as well if not better? There must’ve been a reason 😉
Re: Feature: Animal Crossing Fart Jokes Remain Lost In Translation As Kapp’n Returns In New Horizons
@PBandSmelly
Oh, you don’t want to remove the small anus ball—that would spell certain death…!
Seriously, though, whether or not the “pe” in “Kappei” was a deliberate fart joke because “he” (fart) can turn into “pe” as in “neppe” (a sleep fart) and so on, I had no idea just how much kappa mythology inspired Kappei’s sense of humor until I did my due diligence researching this article—I learned far more than I could include even by linking to it 😅
Re: Metroid Dread Studio Hit With Allegations Of Poor Organisation And Management
Breaking news! People complain about their former employers.
Re: Triangle Strategy Has A Silly Name But Looks Great, Out In March
Maybe I’ve lived in Japan for too long, but I think Triangle Strategy is an awesome name!
Re: Quick Beats: Save Me Mr Tako! Composer Talks Flyrule, Ravel And Star Wars D6
“Which decade had the best music?—The 1910s.” Respect!
Re: Quick Beats: Mega Man Composer And Inti Creates Founder Talks Backdraft And Bongos
@SolBlazer Heh! That was a literal translation, but when you think about it, there are other types of CDs you could listen to while driving in the car—audio books, language learning courses, and so on 😅
Re: Feature: Mega Man, Shovel Knight, And Save Me Mr Tako Composers On Getting 'That' Retro Sound
@chipia As a Sunday composer myself, I absolutely love how often Bach keeps coming up during the VGM Fest. It just goes to show he’s the composer’s composer…!
Re: Nintendo Labo Toy-Cons Will Have "Differences In Game Experience" On Switch OLED
The website of Nintendo Japan says almost exactly the same thing. My painfully literal translation: "[The Nintendo Switch (OLED model)] is compatible with all Nintendo Switch software. However, from the fact that the console and screen sizes differ between the Nintendo Switch (OLED model) and the Nintendo Switch, there will be differences in gameplay experience in some of the Nintendo Labo series. Even in non-Nintendo [published] software, there may be cases in which differences in gameplay experience occur." I wish they would just tell us whether or not the VR googles still work...!