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ONLINE GUIDE TO JAPANESE COMPOUND WORDS!
Modern Japanese Vocabulary:
A Guide for 21st Century Students
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September 06, 2010
Word of the Day
あぶれる
This word can be translated into English in various ways, depending on how it is used in the Japanese context. Below are a few usage examples:
仕事にあぶれている to be out of work; out of a job
今日はあぶれた。 I had a bummer of a day.
September 03, 2010
Basic Japanese
いくら….ても….ない
ikura + te mo + nai
Ikura + the te mo form of a verb + a negative forms the idea of “no matter how much.”
いくら速く運転しても間に合わない。
Ikura hayaku unten shite mo ma ni awanai.
No matter how fast you drive, you will not be on time.
マイクさんはいくら食べても太らない。
Maiku-san wa ikura tabete mo futoranai.
No matter how much Mike eats, he does not grow fat.
August 26, 2010
Basic Japanese
違う
chigau
“that’s wrong; different.”
違う is used to correct another person’s incorrect supposition. In most cases, you should use the desu-masu-tai form of this verb. Otherwise, you risk sounding a bit too abrupt.
Ａ：この靴下は木綿ですか。
Ｂ：違います。ナイロンです。
A: Kono kutsushita wa momen desu ka.
B: Chigaimasu. Nairon desu.
A: Are these socks cotton?
B: No; they’re nylon.
August 7, 2010
Basic Japanese
Japanese verbal nouns and the many faces of する
する /suru = “to do” is one of the most important Japanese verbs. In any language, one is always talking about “doing this” or “doing that.”
In addition to this basic level of meaning, する is also combined with verbal nouns to take on new ranges of meaning.
What the heck are we talking about? Don’t let the term verbal noun throw you off. A verbal noun is basically a noun that becomes a verb when it is combined with する. Below are some concrete examples. These are given as nouns.
Japanese
Hiragana
Romaji
Meaning
勉強
べんきょう
benkyou
study; studying
交渉
こうしょう
koushou
negotiations
計画
けいかく
keikaku
plan
Grammatically, any of the above can function as a noun. For example:
勉強は大切です。
Benkyou wa taisetsu desu.
Study is important.
この計画は危ないです。
Kono keikaku wa abunai desu.
This plan is dangerous.
交渉は難しいです。
Koushou wa muzukashii desu.
Negotiations are difficult
When you add する to each of these nouns, it becomes a verb, as indicated in the table below, as well as in the example sentences.
Japanese
Hiragana
Romaji
Meaning
勉強する
べんきょう する
benkyou suru
to study
交渉する
こうしょう する
koushou suru
to negotiate
計画する
けいかく する
keikaku suru
to plan
Usage examples:
日本語を勉強しますか。
Nihongo o benkyou shimasu ka.
Will you study Japanese?
何を計画していますか。
Nani o keikaku shite imasu ka.
What are you planning?
契約についてＡ社と交渉します。
Keiyaku ni tsuite A-sha to koushou shimasu.
We are negotiating with company A regarding the contract.
There are many verbal nouns in Japanese, far too many to list in this blog post As you can see from the examples above, the verb that results from the addition of する is usually an “action form” of the original noun.
July 24, 2010
Basic Japanese
Conjugating i-adjectives
I-adjectives are conjugated (much like Japanese verbs). This is an unfamiliar concept for native English-speakers that will take some getting used to.
The table below contains the various conjugations of a common i-adjective, 高い / takai, in the non-past tense.
There are a few important points that may not be obvious from the above table, which you should commit to memory:
An i-adjective can form a grammatically complete predicate, albeit in the plain form. For example:
ガソリンは高い / Gasorin wa takai = Gasoline is expensive.
The above is a grammatically complete sentence in the plain form. To make the convert the sentence to the polite form, you would simply add です/desu.
ガソリンは高いです。/Gasorin wa takai desu. = Gasoline is expensive.
The plain form of the copula (だ / da) is never used with i-adjectives
Now for the conjugations of the past tense:
As you can see from the above examples, conjugations of the i-adjectives begin with dropping theい / i. Situations in which the final い is dropped are summarized below:
takai → takakatta (past)
takai → takaku nai (negative non-past)
takai → takaku nakatta (negative past)
July 19, 2010
Basic Japanese
だった・でした
datta / deshita
だった/datta and でした/ deshita are the two past forms of the copula. The first is the plain form, and the second is the polite form. Below are two example sentences that illustrate their usage:
Plain form
彼は学生だった。
Kare wa gakusei datta.
He was a student.
Polite form
彼女は先生でした。
Kanojo wa sensei deshita.
She was a teacher.
じゃなかった・じゃありませんでした
ja nakatta / ja arimasen deshita
The above two items are the past tense of the copula. One is the plain form, and the other is the polite form.
Plain form
彼は学生じゃなかった。
Kare wa gakusei ja nakatta.
He was not a student.
Polite form
彼女は先生じゃありませんでした。
Kanojo wa sensei ja arimasen deshita.
She was not a teacher.
July 14, 2010
時（とき） as an element of grammar
You might think of 時（とき）primarily as a noun.
While it is indeed a noun, 時 can also function as a grammatical element that is similar to when:
Example sentences:
休みの時毎日遊びます。
We play everyday during vacation.
老人の血圧が高い時の対処法についてお聞きします.
(I would like to) ask about steps to be taken when an elderly person has high blood pressure.
スーパーなどで、子供にマナーをちゃんと教えているお母さんを見ると、とても気持ちがよいです。子供が小さかった時、私は人から見て甘かっただろうなと思います。
I feel very good when I see a mother teaching her children proper conduct in a grocery store. When (my) children were small, I probably seemed indulgent from the perspective of others.
June 26, 2010
Japanese Word Power: Quizzes and exercises for building a more powerful Japanese vocabulary now on sale at BN.com. Click here for the BN.com sales link.
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Posted by Edward Trimnell at 7:46 am.
Japanese Prefixes: 未
未（み） not yet
Usage Examples:
未払いの（みはらい の）unpaid
未経験の （みけいけん の） inexperienced
Notes:
未払いの is a combination of未 + 払い + の. 払い is derived from 払う （はらう）= to pay.
未経験の is 未 added to 経験, a noun that means experience in Japanese. の is added to make this an adjective.
Other arrangements using more or less the same combination of elements are also possible. For example, 未経験者（みけいけんしゃ） = a person without experience. This makes use of additional suffix 者, which is covered below. Posted by Edward Trimnell at 6:42 am.
June 22, 2010
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Japanese Word Power: Quizzes and exercises for building a more powerful Japanese vocabulary [Paperback]
Description:
Forty chapters of word quizzes and vocabulary exercises for intermediate students of Japanese. Includes short reading passages, word finder puzzles, and special “word focus” sections. Ideal for learners who want to take their Japanese vocabulary to a more advanced level.
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From the Introduction:
Introduction:
Word Quizzes for Intermediate and Advanced Japanese Students
In the English-speaking world, newspapers and periodicals have long been filled with puzzles and quizzes designed to increase the reader’s vocabulary. The usefulness of these items was apparent to me from an early age. My hometown paper, The Cincinnati Enquirer, published a daily series of word jumbles. The objective of these was to identify a real word that could be formed from a collection of randomly assorted letters.
Reader’s Digest ran (and still runs) a column entitled “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power.” I never took out a subscription to Reader’s Digest; but my grandmother did. In my childhood years, a visit to grandma’s usually entailed a perusal of these pages. “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power” is structured as a straightforward but effective vocabulary quiz.
In later years, I studied Japanese. As I progressed in my studies, I frequently longed for quizzes like “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power” for the Japanese language student. I never found such a learning tool. This book is an attempt to fill that gap.
This book is divided into forty short chapters, each containing quizzes or puzzles that will help you to increase your Japanese vocabulary. Most of these are based on the Reader’s Digest “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power” model—straightforward quizzes. Each chapter includes an answer key, and the majority of the answers include at least some degree of instruction..........
June 08, 2010
常人
（じょうにん）
an ordinary (common) man
The kanji used in常人 are as follows:
常 = normal; usual
常に （つね に） usually
常識 （じょうしき） common sense
日常 （にちじょう） everyday
非常 （ひじょう） emergency
May 30, 2010
Word of the Day
解禁
（かいきん）
the lifting of a ban
解禁 refers to the lifting of a ban or embargo. You may recognize some of these related words:
禁止する （きんし する） to forbid
解除 （かいじょ） cancellation
解約 （かいやく） cancellation of a contract
厳禁 （げんきん）strict prohibition
In the headline below from the Japanese press, we learn that the U.S. Secretary of Defense has lifted the longstanding ban on women sailors serving aboard submarines in the U.S. Navy:
米海軍、女性兵の潜水艦乗り組みを解禁 国防長官が表明
Supplementary vocabulary:
米海軍 （べいかいぐん） U.S. Navy
女性兵 （じょせい へい） female sailors
潜水艦 （せんすいかん） submarine
乗り組み （のりくみ）manning; crew (of a ship)
国防長官 （こくぼう ちょうかん）Secretary of Defense
表明する （ひょうめい する）to announce
May 26, 2010
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has set new targets to increase his country's fluency rates in Asian languages. (Japanese is one of the languages on this list.) Posted by Edward Trimnell at 8:32 pm.
* * *
Here is a useful chunk of Japanese from a recent headline: メキシコ湾原油流出
Breakdown:
メキシコ湾 （メキシコ わん）= Gulf of Mexico
原油 （げんゆ） = crude oil
流出 （りゅうしゅつ） = flowing out
Posted by Edward Trimnell at 8:28 pm.
May 20, 2010
Word of the Day
時給
（じきゅう）
hourly wage
The kanji used in時給 are:
時 = time; hour
時々 （ときどき） sometimes
時限 （じげん） time limit
長時間 （ちょうじかん） a long time
給 = supply
給水 （きゅうすい） water supply
給料 （きゅうりょう） pay; wages
給料日 （きゅうりょうび） payday
Usage examples:
パートの時給 part-time hourly wage
平均時給 （へいきん じきゅう）average hourly wage
May 02, 2010
Word of the day
現地時間
（げんち じかん）
local time
現地時間 is a combination of 現地（げんち） = actual place + 時間（じかん）= time; hour
This word most commonly appears in news reports, to indicate the time in which a particular event occurred based on the “local time.” In the following news excerpt (CNN), we learn that an earthquake occurred in Chile at 3:34 in the morning, local time.
米地質調査所（ＵＳＧＳ）は２７日、南米チリで現地時間の同日午前３時３４分（日本時間同午後３時３４分）ごろ、マグニチュード（Ｍ）８．３の地震があったと報告した。
Supplementary vocabulary:
米地質調査所（べい ちしつ ちょうさじょ） United States Geological Survey (USGS)
南米 （なんべい） South America
地震 （じしん） earthquake
報告する （ほうこく する） to report
同日（どうじつ） the same day
午前（ごぜん） morning; a.m.
日本時間 （にほん じかん） Japan time
April 20, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
杞憂 is most closely related to which choice below?
思い過ごし
怒気
疑問
差別
Answer: (A) Have you seen 杞憂 before? It refers to a groundless worry / imaginary fear.
Usage examples:
杞憂を抱く （きゆう を いだく） to entertain imaginary fears
杞憂家 （きゆうか） alarmist; scaremonger
One of the answer choices is a dead ringer for this one: 思い過ごし.
思い過ごし is a combination of 思う（おもう）= to think and 過ごす（すごす）= to spend; to waste. The compound word forms a meaning very similar to 杞憂:
思い過ごし （おもいすごし）groundless worries; thinking too much
思い過ごす （おもいすごす）to think too much; to become worried unnecessarily
March 20, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Which of the following is a kind of plant?
- 玉虫色の
- 玉石
- 玉椿
- 玉笹
- 玉算
Answer: (C): The first choice, A., should be a giveaway, as it is obviously some sort of adjective, rather than a noun:
玉虫色の （たまむしいろの） iridescent
Now look at the remaining incorrect choices:
玉石 （たまいし） pebble
玉笹 （たまざさ） bamboo grass
玉算 （たまざん） calculation on an abacus
Only one of these, C, is a plant:
玉椿 （たまつばき）camellia
March 3, 2010
Word Focus
抜本的な
（ばっぽんてき な）
(drastic, radical)
The kanji 抜 means: to remove, to pull out:
抜く （ぬく） to pull out; to remove
抜かす （ぬかす） to omit; to skip over
選抜 （せんばつ） selection; picking out
You are probably most familiar with 本 as book. However, this kanji has a secondary meaning: origin, main:
本社 （ほんしゃ） the main office; headquarters
本式の （ほんしき の） formal; orthodox
本質 （ほんしつ） essence
Usage examples:
抜本的な対策 a drastic countermeasure
抜本的な計画 a radical plan
抜本的な見直し a radical reassessment
抜本的な改革 a radical reform
抜本的な税制改革 a radical reform of the tax system
抜本的に再構築する to radically restructure
In the following quote from J-Cast news, a retail analyst states that it is necessary to radically restructure the business models of key department stores in the current business environment, which is growing more severe:
経営環境の厳しさが増す中、中核の百貨店事業のビジネスモデルを抜本的に再構築することが急務だと判断した。
Supplementary vocabulary:
経営環境 （けいえい かんきょう）business environment; management environment
対策 （たいさく）countermeasure
厳しさ （きびしさ）severity
改革 （かいかく）reform
計画 （けいかく）plan
増す （ます） to increase
中核 （ちゅうかく）the kernel; the core; the nucleus
百貨店事業 （ひゃっかてん じぎょう）department store business/enterprise
ビジネスモデル business model
February 27, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
悪賢い
Pick the best definition for 悪賢い:
- inventive
- decisive
- honest
- crafty; cunning
Answer: (D) 悪賢い （わるがしこい） = cunning; crafty
悪賢い is a combination of two Japanese words: 悪い（わるい）= bad; 賢い（かしこい）= wise; clever; sagacious
February 21, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Which of the words below is most nearly the opposite of 節減?
減少
低減
増加
逓減
* * *
Answer: (C) 節減 （せつげん）= curtailment. A few usage examples are given below:
節減する to cut back; to curtail
経費節減 （けいひ せつげん）curtailment of expenses
極端（きょくたん）に節減する to cut back severely
Below are the translations of the answer choices. 増加 is most nearly the opposite in meaning to 節減.
減少 （げんしょう） decrease
低減 （ていげん） reduction
増加 （ぞうか）increase
逓減 （ていげん）gradual reduction
February 16, 2010
JAPANESE LANGUAGE QUIZ
Which of the choices below is the best translation for 縄張り?
- misinformation; deceit
- bondage; slavery
- domain; sphere of influence
- enlightenment; nirvana
Answer: (C) 縄張り is a combination of two words: 縄（なわ） rope + 張る（はる）to stretch.
縄張り（なわばり）literally means a roped-off area, or an area cordoned off by rope. 縄を張る= to stretch a rope (between two posts, etc.)
Figuratively, though, 縄張り refers to one’s turf, domain, or sphere of influence.
Usage examples:
縄張りを荒らす（あらす） to invade another’s sphere of influence; violate another’s turf
縄張りを争う（あらそう） to quarrel of control/turf
February 10, 2010
WORD OF THE DAY
追加
（ついか）
addition
February has turned out to be a bad month for Japanese cars. First Toyota--and now Honda. The usage example below concerns a recall of Hondas for defects. Also note the use of February 7's word of the day: 不具合
ホンダは１０日までに、エアバッグの不具合による追加リコール（回収・無償修理）を発表した。
Breakdown:
追加リコール additional recall(s)
無償修理（むしょう しゅうり）free repairs
回収 （かいしゅう）call-back; recall
February 08, 2010
WORD OF THE DAY
経済危機
（けいざい きき）
economic crisis
Usage Example from the Mainichi Shimbun:
経済危機の影響で、世界全体の出願数は前年比４．５％減った。
Due to the influence of the economic crisis, the total number of applications (for patents) decreased 4.5% against the previous year.
Other keywords:
影響（えいきょう）influence
世界全体（せかい ぜんたい） in the entire world
出願数（しゅつがんすう） number of applications
February 07, 2010
WORD OF THE DAY
不具合
（ふぐあい）
defect; problem
Usage example (from Nikkei Net)
トヨタ自動車がハイブリッド車「プリウス」のブレーキ不具合問題で、今週前半にも国土交通省にリコール（回収・無償修理）を届け出ることが７日明らかになった。
Breakdown:
不具合問題 （ふぐあい もんだい） defect problem; quality problem
Other keywords:
ハイブリッド車 （ハイブリッド しゃ）hybrid vehicle
トヨタ自動車 （トヨタ じどうしゃ） Toyota Motor Company
今週前半 （こんしゅう ぜんはん） the first half of this week
February 06, 2010
WORD OF THE DAY
対立する
（たいりつ する）
to oppose; to conflict with
Usage example (from CNN.co.jp)
欧米と対立するイランの核開発問題で、モッタキ同国外相は５日、貯蔵する低濃縮ウランを国外に搬送して濃縮、加工し、返還するとの国際原子力機関（ＩＡＥＡ）の提案について解決策は見付かるだろう、との考えを示した。
Breakdown:
欧米と対立するイラン Iran, which is in conflict with Europe and the U.S.
欧米（おうべい）Europe and the U.S.
イラン Iran
More about Japanese corporations
Here is an example that I culled out of a business textbook, for those of you who are interested in Japanese corporate life.
The excerpt describes the successes that the Japanese economy experienced in the postwar era, including the successful weathering of two oil shocks:
第二次大戦後、日本は奇跡的ともいえる高度成長を遂げ、経済大国と呼ばれるまでになったが、その成長を支えた主役は企業であった。その後、日本は二度のオイル・ショックも見事に乗り切り、その強さがあらためて認識された。 (continue...)
Word Focus:
失敗
Sometimes you fail, and that is exactly what the word失敗（しっぱい）, or “failure” is all about. The following excerpt discusses the failure of a civilian rocket that was launched (and subsequently crashed) in New Mexico: (continue...)
表面化する
The word 表面 = surface. And the suffix 化 conveys the idea of becoming something. When you add 表面 and 化 and then make this combination a Sino-Japanese verb with the addition of する, the result is 表面化する, which means to come to the surface. (continue...)
Having a High Head:
頭が高い
zu ga takai
There are times when you are better off to quit when you're ahead, because a situation or a person is very difficult to handle. Seki no yama 関の山 describes a situation in which even the best effort will result in either a maintenance of the status quo, or possibly a deterioration in conditions: (continue...)
Modern Japanese Vocabulary: A Guide for 21st Century Students
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