Learning Japanese from “Famous” Quotes

日本語の練習 第117週

Japanese Practice Week 117

2022年02月20日「日」第117週 

Hello everyone! Today we’ll start off with Maddy explaining “famous” quotes in Japanese. Kind of reminds me of the cover of this post. She has other videos out on the Japanese from Zero Channel so check them out if you are interested. With that being said, let’s continue.

日本語のイベント／EVENT IN JAPANESE

「ゼロから日本語」というユーチューブチャネルは便利なチャネルです。日本語を勉強している人なら、このチャネルおすすめです。最近、マディさんはアニメやテレビゲームや漫画のセリフを説明しました。こんなものを好きなら、この動画シリーズがいいと思います。初めの動画は「進撃の巨人」のセリフ「捧げよ」です。動画をぜひ見てください。

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N3　文法

[向け]

intended for, aimed at

Similar usage to the 向き grammar point introduced last week.

N + 向けだ／向けです
N + 向けに
N + 向けの

Ex: 中級者向けのコースがいいな。

　　(It’d be great if there was a course for intermediate students.)

Ex: このゲームは子供向けですけど、大人もプレイしていますよ。

　　(This game is intended for children but adults are playing it too.) 

Ex: 日本語を勉強し始めなら、これは初心者むけだ。

　　(If you started studying Japanese then, then this is for beginners.)

Ex: この学校は同人ゲームを作りたい人向けにコースを提供しています。

　　(This school offers courses for people who want to make games.) 

[ながらも]

but still, and yet, despite

Sounds like ながら (while doing something) but it is completely different. This is used to express even though something is the case you ignore that situation.

V（-ますform） + ながら（も）
V（てーform） + いながら（も）
N + ながら（も）
い/なAdj + ながら（も）

Ex: 彼は日本語に行きたいと言いながらも、日本語がわからないそうみたい。

　　(Even though he says he wants to go to Japan, it seems he doesn’t know Japanese.)

Ex: 彼女は日本語を一所懸命に勉強していながらも、日本語能力試験準備しないと思いそうです。

　　(Despite studying Japanese really hard, she thinks that she is not ready for the JLPT.) 

Ex: コナンくんは１年小学生ながらも、難しい漢字をたくさん読めます。

　　(Conan is a 1st grader but, he can read a lot of difficult Kanji.)

Ex: 外が寒いながらも、行かなきゃ。

　　(Even though it’s cold outside, I have to go.)

Ex: 日本語が上手ながらも、まだまだだと思います。

　　(Despite being good at Japanese, I don’t think I’m good yet.) 

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N3　動詞／N3 VERBS

訓練（する）
くんれんする
training; drill; practice; discipline

訓 = instruction, explanation, Japanese character reading, read.
練 = practice, polish, refine.

In a way this makes sense on it’s own if you are familiar with doing kanji reading drills. You are practicing your reading. Another way to think about this is from the second kanji, 練, it is also from the word to practice, 練習. It’s like you are being taught and trained to do something. Like the student at UHA are training to be heroes.

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対話／DIALGOUE

Naoya’s package arrived in the mail and he opened it while his friend was playing a game on his Switch.

[ポケモン勝負]

A: ついにポケモンシャイニングパールが来た！

B: え？！ほんとう？ブリリアントダイヤモンド買ったばかりだから、いつか二人で勝負しようぜ。

A: しよう。どんなポケモン？

B: えっと。。。ヒコザルやビップやコリンク。おまえは？ポケモンどっち選ぶのか？

A: ナエトルがいいと思う。え。。。名をつけたか？

B: うん。ナズロックを挑戦するから。ヒコザルはルフィ、ビップはキクイコ、そして、コリンクはソラ。

A: ソラ？どうして。

B: キングダムハーツだから。尻尾はパオプみたいだね。しかも、キングダムハーツIIでソラがライオンになるよ。

A: あ、そうか。

[Pokemon Battle]

A: My copy of Pokemon Shining Pearl finally arrived!

B: What?! Really? I just bought Brilliant Diamond so let’s have a battle sometime.

A: Let’s do that. What kind of Pokemon do you have?

B: Let’s see I have a Chimchar, a Bidoof, and a Shinx. What Pokemon are you going to choose?

A: I’m going to choose Turtwig. Huh… you named your Pokemon?

B: I’m doing a Nuzlocke Challenge. Named Chimchar Luffy, Bidoof Kikuiko (Tree Eater), and Shinx Sora.

A: Why Sora?

B: Kingdom Hearts. It’s tail looks like a Paopu fruit. Plus Sora becomes a lion in Kingdom Heart II.

A: Oh, I see what you mean.

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記事を読もう／LET’S READ

Possible Shortage of 630,000 Foreigners Working in Japan by 2030

The lack of workers in Japan is becoming a problem.

JICA’s (Japan International Cooperation Agency) research laboratory has calculated the number of foreign workers needed in 2030. According to their calculations, even if machines take the place of humans, 413,000 foreigners will be needed by 2030 and will miss that mark by 63,000.

The reason for this, the economics in their own countries will grow and the pay in Japan will not change as much and things like not have enough children.

JICA stated “Japan needs to become a country where foreigner workers want to come to work. Japan needs to make a society where foreigners can work for a long time with job security”.

This is really good news for people who want to travel/work in Japan. Luckily they’ve been letting more people come in. Japan has a bit of a child crisis at the moment so bringing in foreigners is a great way to help there workforce that is getting relatively old.

Having a population pyramid where the top (the oldest people in the population) is bigger than the bottom (the youngest people in the population) is terrifying for any country. And that is where immigration can come in handy. According to WORLD LIFE EXPECTANCY, this is what the population pyramid looked like in Japan in 2020.

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実況から勉強する：キングダムハーツ
LEARN FROM LET’S PLAYS: KINGDOM HEARTS

What this little guy up to? Let’s find out where it’s heading.

 ①カイリ、急（いそ）いで！

　でも、ソラも、リクも。。。

• Kairi, hurry!
• But, what about Sora and Riku…
  • EN: I can’t leave them behind!

②今（いま）は逃（に）げるしかないんだってば！

　追（お）ってきたー！

• We need to escape now! 
  • EN: We can’t stay here!
• They’re catching up!
  • EN: A Heartless is after us!

※ When you put a Plain form verb with しかない, it means you have no choice but to do that verb. So in this instance, they have no choice（しかない）but to run/escape（逃げる）.

※The だってば that Donald is using is emphasizing the urgency and the statement that he is making about needing to get away from Hollow Bastion.

※ Goofy’s line here comes from the V＋てーForm＋くる grammar. It means to start or to continue to do an action. They are being chased（追って）by the Heartless and they seem to keep chasing （追ってきた） them. Thought it’d be a good idea to go with something like that gives off the feel of “They’re gaining on us”.

③僕（ぼく）にまかせろ！

　 しつこいな！なんで消えないんだ！？

• I’ll take care of them!
  • EN: I’ll take care of him!
• Darn it! Why won’t you disappear?! 
  • EN: Confounded Heartless! Get lost, will ya?

※ The word まかせろ comes from the verb 任せる which means “to entrust” or “to leave to someone” The に particle acts as a way to suggest to listeners who they should entrust something to. Donald is telling them to leave the Heartless to him.

※ The word しつこい means that someone or something is being persistent and therefore being an annoyance. Tried to get this across by showing Donald’s frustration instead of saying “Gosh you’re stubborn” or “Man you’re persistent”.

🎮I think Donald is biting off more than he chew here. But hey they got all the way here while running. Then again why don’t they just keep running to the Gummi Ship…?

🎮Oh yeah Donald. We should definitely leave it to you. First time I’m seeing Donald clobbering someone with the staff instead of his magic. What the actual duck was he thinking XD. Then again… probably a good thing that he didn’t.

④ソラ！？ソラなの！？

　今度（こんど）は私（わたし）が助（たす）けなきゃーー

• Sora?! Is it you?!
  • EN: Sora? Is that you?
• This time I’ll protect you…

※ Kairi is technically saying “I have to save you” when she is saying 助けなきゃ. The なきゃ at the end is a shorter casual version of なければなりません which means “must/have to”. She’s also emphasizing that “this time” she will have help Sora just as he has all this time.

⑤カイリ　ありがとう。

　早（はや）く行（い）け！

• Thanks Kairi
  • EN: Kairi, thank you.
• Hurry up and go! 
  • EN: Go! Now!

🎮Goofy and Donald had one job and they couldn’t protect Kairi. Well that was a fast return from Sora. And Beast is back, too.

⑥一緒（いっしょ）に行こう！

　私がこの地（ち）を離（はな）れるときはベルも一緒だ。

• Let’s go together!
  • EN: Come with us!
• I’m not leaving this world without Belle.
  • EN: I told you before, I’m not leaving without Belle.

※ Beast is literally saying “I’ll be able to leave this world when Belle is with me”. The 離れるとき part is the key here. 離れる means “to leave” while とき is used to combine with this verb to express “when I leave”.

※Beast also uses が here. He’s using this to emphasize himself here. That he’s not going anywhere until he’s with Belle.

⑦さあ　もたもたするな！ハートレスが来るぞ！

　わかった　みんな　行こう！

• Now quit dawdling! The Heartless are coming!
  • EN: Now, go! The Heartless are coming!
• Okay. Everyone, let’s go!
  • EN: All right. Let’s get out of here.

※The word もたもた is an onomatopoeia that can mean “slowly”, “inefficiently” or “dawdling”. These are used quite a bit in Japanese to express things like adverbs or to describe things. Since there is a する, it is being used as a verb. The な at the end is a rough way of telling someone not to do something.

⑧何（なに）があったか話（はな）してくれ。

　鍵穴（かぎあな）が闇（やみ）を吐（は）き出（だ）しているのか。

• Tell me what happened.
• So the Keyhole is spewing out darkness. 
  • EN: So the darkness is flowing out of that Keyhole…

※ The verb 吐き出している is the active verb that means “to spit out” or “to vomit”. Those sound a bit gross, so I went with spewing out instead.

🎮If Sora’s explanation was similar to him explaining his dream to Kairi, I would’ve loved to have heard it. Can just imagine him saying “And I went BAM and Riku’s Keyblade went PWEW PWEW.”

⑨そのせいで　あちこちの世界（せかい）でハートレス　増（ふ）えてるの。

　食（く）いとめる方法（ほうほう）はーー

• Because of that, the Heartless are increasing in every world.
  • EN: No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere.
• Is there way to hold it back? 
  • EN: The only way to stop them is–

※ The verb 食いとめる can mean things like “to check”, “to hold back”, and “to stop”. I thought the pause was going to be for a question but the official translation works.

⑩鍵穴を閉（と）じればいいんだよな。

　だが　閉じた時（とき）に何が起（お）こるか誰（だれ）にもわからない。

• I just have to seal the Keyhole, right?
  • EN: Seal the Keyhole, right?
• But no one has clue what will happen when you do.
  • EN: Maybe. But no one knows what will happen once it’s sealed.

⑪だからって　ほっとけるかよ。あそこには　ともだちがいるんだ。

　。。。そうだったな。カイリだけでなく彼（かれ）も助けなくてはない。

• Even so, I can’t ignore. I’ve got friends back there.
  • EN: Well, we can’t just stay here. We have to do something. I’ve go a friend back there.
• …is that so. Kairi’s not the only one. You have to save him, too. 
  • EN: That’s right. You have one friend to worry about.

※ The expression N+だけでなく+Nも means “not only (but also)”. Leon is saying that Sora doesn’t just have Kairi （カイリだけではなく）to save but also “him (meaning Riku)”（彼も）.

⑫彼が使（つか）っていたキーブレードーは、鍵穴と同（おな）じく囚（とら）われたプリンセスの心（こころ）から生（う）まれたものだろう。

　もっとも、カイリの心が欠（かけ）けていた以上（いじょう）、不完全（ふかんせい）だったようだがーー。

• The Keyblade he was using was created from the Keyhole and the captured Princesses’ hearts, right?
  • EN: Riku’s Keyblade must have been born of the captive princesses’ hearts– just like that Keyhole you saw.
• It seems when Kairi’s heart was missing, the Keyhole was incomplete but now…
  • EN: Of course, without Kairi’s heart, it remained incomplete.

⑬そのキーブレードがくだけ散（ち）ると同時（どうじ）に、プリンセスの心解放（かいほう）されたーーはずだ。

　大丈夫（だいじょうぶ）だ、ソラ。おまえならきっとともだちを救（すく）える。

• The Princesses’ hearts released at the same time that Keyblade shattered… that should be the case.
  • EN: Once that Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses’ hearts should have been freed.
• It’s alright, Sora. If its you then I’m certain your friends can be saved. 
  • EN: Don’t worry, Sora. If anyone can save your friend, you can.

※Leon is linking that Keyblade that Sora used to release Kairi’s heart being destroyed and the Princess’ hearts being released with the word 同時 which means “same time” or “simultaneously”. The はずだ at the end of the sentence means “should”.

⑭なあ、もう一度（いちど）ホロウバスティオンに行（い）きたいんだ。

　あそこに舞（ま）い戻ろうってのか。そいつァ無理な相談（そうだん）だな。舞い

• Hey, I want to go to Hallow Bastion one more time.
  • EN: Cid, I need to go back to Hollow Bastion.
• So you’re waltzing back to that place, huh. Guess it’s pointless in tellin’ you that.
  • EN: I don’t think I can let you do that, kid.

※ The word 舞い means “dance” or “dancing”. Thought since we have similar phrasing that the waltzing would do fine here. Cid is expressing how Sora is planning on going somewhere dangerous as if he was going there to have fun (e.g. dancing).

※ The word 相談 means to consult or to give advice. It is being described as pointless with the なーAdj 無理. So Cid is telling him that there is no need for him to tell Sora the danger he’s putting himself in.

⑮よくわからんが、ハートレスが大増殖（ぞうしょく）してやがるんだ。

• Don’t know why but, there’s a lot more Heartless.
  • EN: The Heartless there are multiplying by the minute

※ Cid prefaces this sentence with 「よくわからんが」meaning he doesn’t understand/know the reason behind what he’s about to say. The てーForm verb 増殖して means to increase or multiply.

※ The auxiliary verb やがる at the end of the てーForm verb means “to have the nerve to do…”. Cid is showing his frustration that the Heartless are increasing in massive mounds.

※ The ん at the end of やがる is used to explain something or give emphasis to something. In this case Cid is trying to explain that the Heartless have increased and goes on to explain to Sora that…

⑯この船（ふね）じゃあ、とても突破（とっぱ）できねえよ。

　じゃあ、どうせればいい？

• This ship won’t be able to bust through them.
  • EN: They’d eat you ship up.
• Then, what should we do?
  • EN: Then what can we do?

※The word 突破 means to break through. It is combined with the rough version of できない （できねえ）here to suggest that the ship won’t be able to (できない）break through（突破）.

⑰”急がば回れ（いそがばまわれ）”っつうだろ？

　 新しいナビゲーションを船につけてハートレスがいないルートを通りゃいい。

• They say “haste makes waste”, right?
  • EN: Simple. Go around ’em instead of through.
• I’ll install a new navigation gummi so you can take a route where there are no Heartless. 
  • EN: Install a new navigation gummi and take a new route.

※ The expression 急がば回れ is a proverb that means “more haste, less speed” or more fittingly known as “slow and steady wins the race” if you are familiar with the story “The Tortoise and the Hare”.

※The word after this phrase is spoken, っつう, means “meaning”, “called”, or “said”. It’s a slang version of という or といった.

※ The ゃいい at the end of the verb 通る(to pass)means that it is いい (OK) 通り(to pass) through. With this kind of phrasing the verb has to drop the ます and add ゃいい. For example:

通るー＞通りますー＞通りー＞通りゃいい。

⑱それって、どこ？

　地下（ちか）洞窟（どうくつ）だ。

• Where do we find that?
  • EN: A new gummi? From where?
• At the underground cave. 
  • EN: The secret waterway.

🎮Gee how convenient that it happens to be here of all places. Wait doesn’t that mean we could’ve got a warp gummi to Hollow Bastion ages ago?

⑲９年前（ねんまえ）、この街（まち）に辿（たど）り着（つ）いたときにな、いつかこんな日（ひ）がくるんじゃねえかと思って、しまっておいたんだ。

• When I got here 9 years ago, I thought that one day this day would come. So, I kept it there just in case.
  • EN: When I came here 9 years ago, I stored it there in case I ever needed it.

※ The verb 辿り着いた means to struggle to get somewhere or arriving somewhere after something drastic happens. Like your whole entire world being swallowed by darkness.

※ いつか means someday while こんな日 means day like this or this kind of day. くる means to come but when it is conjugated with んじゃねえかと思って, Cid is explaining that he thought to himself “wouldn’t the day come when we need this?”.

⑳でもまさか、おめえみたいなガキが使（つか）うことになるとはな。。。

• But never did I expect that a kid like you would be using it…
  • EN: Never thought a kid would be the one to use it!

※ One of the meanings of ことになる fits well here. It means “to be the outcome”. He emphasizes his disbelief with まさか which means “something unexpected” or “no way” or “by no means”.

※　He goes on to say おめえみたいな. The おめえ is a rougher way to say おまえ while みたいな　means “something like”. So in all, Cid didn’t expect that this navigation device would be used by a kid (ガキ) like Sora （you=おめえ）

🎮Well there’s a time for everything Cid. Now let’s go get that Navigation Gummi!

We’ll be finding that navigation gummi next time.

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ヒトリゴト／JUST TALKING

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タイトルを見る／WHAT’S IN A TITLE

脱・“孤独の王様”

脱（だつ）

This kanji is used to add the prefix de-. As in to remove or make a reversal of something.

It can also mean the prefix post-, which describes the time after something. Kind of like removing yourself out of a situation or a role. Like post-graduation: after graduation.

Speaking of removal, this kanji shows up in the verb 脱（ぬ）ぐ which means to remove.

・

This dot has many names for itself:

• 中黒 (なかぐろ)  
• 中点 (なかてん)
• 中ポツ (なかぽつ)
• 黒丸 (くろまる)
  It comes up a bit when I see it in foreign names. This is due to the katakana and you don’t want to misread their name or have it mashed together. I also see it beside kanji in manga to emphasize a word or even a whole statement.
  
  In this situation I think it is used as a spacer so you don’t get the kanji confused with what comes next. That’s the loveliness of kanji, it can get confusing and mean different things when combined with others.

孤独（こどく）の

The first kanji can mean orphan or alone. The second kanji can mean single, alone, spontaneously, or Germany(why?).

So this word has something to with being alone or isolated. And you would be right in thinking that. This noun/なーAdj means “solitude”, “loneliness”, or “isolation”. In this case the の isn’t a possessive but it is turning the adjective into a noun (aka nominalization).

Since it is being nominalized with another noun I think altering the definition a bit here is reasonable. Here are a few suffixes that can be used when nominalizing adjectives:

• -ity
• -ist
• -ness
• -th
• -ry
• -ty
• -ly

I’ll choose how to do this after looking at the last word.

王様（おうさま）

This word means King. It also has the honorific suffix 様. Now that have this word figured out I think I can go with “solitary”, “lonely”, or maybe “isolated”.

So back to the 脱 part. Someone is “removing themselves” from playing the role of a lonely king. I could be literal and go with “The Post-Lonely King” or “The Lonely King’s Removal”.

Or maybe something more creative like “The Lonely King Dethroned” but that wouldn’t get the point across that the “Lonely King” is willingly choosing to have this title removed.

I think I’ll go with “No Longer the Lonely King” or for short:

“The ‘Lonely King’, No More”

This title comes from the first season of “Haikyuu!!”. I was recommended this anime for the MyAnimeList Annual Watching Challenge this year. I’m not really into sports anime. As of finishing this season of Haikyuu!!, I have only completed 27 sports anime. And according to MAL, I’ve completed 1,349 anime so far. So only 2% of the anime I’ve watched are Sports anime. Yikes.

Luckily, Haikyuu!! is a very enjoyable anime and I plan on watching the rest.

If you are curious about the “Solitary King” title, you’ll get the picture on what that may mean in the first few episodes.

Here’s a PV of the first season:

SUKIMASWITCH did the second OP and it is fantastic:

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レイの日記

飛べないそう鳥ポケモンというドードーゲットだぜ。トベナカッタ名前を付けた。飛べないかと思ったが、できるさ。文句なし。ハヤカッタが死んだ以来、飛べるポケモンがいないなんて、面倒なあ。

少し訓練したが、アイツらが弱すぎ。チョウムに二つの技を覚えさせた。サイコキネシスとメガドレイン。フリクリはみんなの身代わりになるかも。念のため、ディフェンダーとクリティカッも書いておく。こんなものを買うの初めてだ。何でも必ず最初があるかもさ。

ジムリーダがサカキだ。こいつはもう諦めたと思ったんだ。

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REI’S JOURNAL

Caught a bird with no wings named Doduo. I named it Tobenakatta. Didn’t think it could fly but it surprisingly can. I won’t complain. Ever since Hayattaka was killed, not having a Pokémon that fly has been a pain.

Trained a bit more but these Pokémon that I’m fighting are weak. Taught Choumu Psychic and Mega Drain. Maybe I’ll use Furi Kuri as a sacrifice. I’ll buy some X Defend and Dire Hit as well. First time I’m using these kinds of items. First time for everything I guess.

Turns out the gym leader is Giovanni. Thought this guy was finished.

In conclusion, I hope that this series is helpful with your journey to learning Japanese and/or taking an interest in the country’s culture. Until then… また来週！