Midori Studies Japanese

the first one is pretty easy! 「ようになる」 means “to become able to” for verbs. ex: 日本語が話せるようになる -> to become able to speak japanese. the past tense use of なった is meant to throw you off here, but the verb before よう is always gonna be the infinitive dictionary form. therefore the answer is ひけるように

the second one is a bit more difficult imo. process of elimination is best here. you should first eliminate こと as an option because it’s a nominalizer (turns verb / verb phrase into a noun), and with no particle or anything following the fill-in-the-blank, it just doesn’t make sense. next, there’s a number of reasons why よう wouldn’t work. you might mistake it to mean “seems like” at first, but to say “it looks like we ran out of money” you’d actually write 「お金がなさそう」 . very different, as you see. よう here would create a sentence fragment.

so you’re left with ため and わけ. these two words can seem similar at times, but try to think of わけ as meaning “reason.” ex: that’s the reason he … ; for that reason … ; xyz is the reason she failed. etc. etc. there’s no good way to format this sentence with わけ without changing the entire sentence structure. ため essentially means “because.” so ため is the right answer. “Because we ran out of money, we canceled the trip.”

•••

おもうぞんぶん

to one's heart's content

私たちは休暇を思う存分楽しんでいた。 わたしたち は きゅうか を おもうぞんぶん たのしんで いた。 We enjoyed our holidays to the fullest.

Credit to @japanese_with_josh

what’s the difference between 「V〜方」 and 「V方法」?

hi everyone! today i wanted to make a post explaining an intermediate grammar concept about the two different ways to say “way/method” with a verb in japanese! just as quick note, i won’t be glossing most of the kanji i use in this post, so be sure to use jisho or turn on rikaikun/chan if you need help reading. without further ado, 行こう！

V〜方（かた） = “how to V”

first, let’s learn how to add 〜方 to a verb:

start with plain present (dictionary) form

create 〜ます form

remove 〜ます and add 〜方

let’s try it with an ichidan verb (食べる) and a godan verb (作る).

食べる／作る

食べます／作ります

食べ方／作り方

easy, right? make sure you’re brushed up on your godan conjugation rules! now, how can we use these new forms?

first, it’s important to note that we’ve transformed the verb into a noun by adding 〜方. that means that instead of を, which attaches before verbs, V〜方 is often preceded by の.

❌ 石鹸（せっけん/soap）を作り方

⭕️ 石鹸（せっけん/soap）の作り方 = how to make soap

週末は石鹸の作り方をググって台所をひどく散らかしちゃった。 = this weekend so i googled how to make soap and made a huge mess of the kitchen.

in the above example, V〜方 refers to the actual, physical manner of doing something (in this case, making soap). you can think of it like an instruction manual or a recipe.

日本人の友達に箸の使い方を教えてもらった。 = i learned how to use chopsticks from my japanese friend.

卵の茹で方、わかってるの？ = do you know how to boil eggs?

with する verbs, のし方 is used with the verbal noun. this means の is used twice in the phrase:

❌ 車の運転し方がわからない。

⭕️ 車の運転のし方がわからない。 = i don’t know how to drive a car.

pretty straightforward so far! let’s add one more thing to this topic: V〜方をする.

V〜方をする = “to V in a certain way”

this phrase is useful in describing the particular ways people perform certain actions. by using an adjective, ような, or a noun + の, you can characterize their V〜方.

林田先生は厳しい教え方をする。 = hayashida-sensei has a strict way of teaching.

誰にもわかるような書き方をした本だ。 = the book is written so anyone can understand it.

吉田くんは乱暴（らんぼう）な運転のし方をする。 = yoshida-kun has a reckless way of driving.

getting the hang of it? let’s move onto V方法 now.

V方法（ほうほう） = “a way to V”

V方法 gets a little less literal and a little more conceptual than V〜方. let’s look at how to form it.

start with plain present (dictionary) form

add 方法 to the end

that’s it—even easier than V〜方! in japanese, when you put a plain form verb before a noun, you’re kind of using that verb like an adjective; so this time, the whole phrase has become a noun phrase.

let’s see some examples of V方法:

毎日勉強することが試験に備える（そなえる）方法だと思っている人は多い。 = many people believe studying every day is the way to prepare for exams.

困難（こんなん）から逃げる方法はない場合もある。 = in some cases there is no way to escape hardship.

do you notice how the feeling here is less “instruction manual” and more “means to an end”? it’s a subtle difference, but it’s there. compare these two sentences:

この料理の食べ方は何？お箸で？ = how do you eat this dish? with chopsticks?

健康を保って（たもって）食べる方法は何？ = what’s a way to eat healthy?

the context for each is a little different, but the nuance of 食べ方 vs. 食べる方法 comes across clearly. the former addresses the physical manner in which a food item is eaten (see, for example, this article about okonomiyaki). the latter, on the other hand, refers to the concept of eating with a goal in mind (i.e., staying healthy). in a word, the difference is this: V〜方 implies a specific/correct way to perform an action, while V方法 expresses a method to attain some goal. make no mistake, there is some overlap between the two—but there may always be a slightly different feeling that comes with each.

and that’s that on that! just kidding, i’m sure there are way more resources out there on this topic, and it’s always a great idea to ask native speakers what they think. as always, feel free to shoot me an ask with any questions or let me know if you found any mistakes! お疲れ様 and またね！！ 💮

sources:

dictionary of intermediate japanese grammar (日本語文法辞典中級編) by seiichi makino and michio tsutsui

how to use 方 by maggie sensei

はこいりむすめ

lit. 'girl in a box'

girl who has lived a sheltered life, naive girl

かんらん

viewing

お寺の宝物館を観覧する。 おてら の ほうもつかん を かんらん する。 I will view the temple's treasure hall.

みたいです follows a noun and expresses the idea that someone/ something looks like the person described by the noun. 

Example- 私の友達は猫みたいです。- my friend looks/acts like a cat

みたいです can also follow a verb and expresses the idea that something appears to be the case. 

Japanese Pronunciation Series #6 - Japanese Pitch Accent

What is Pitch Accent?

Pitch accent refers to a characteristic of language where every syllable can be pronounced with a high or low pitch. Pitch accent is considered different from the concepts of stress and tone that appear in English and Chinese, respectively.

English: Stress Chinese: Tones Japanese: Pitch

Pitch in the Japanese Language

Pitch accent varies widely from region to region in Japan. As Japan started to have contact with other countries in the Meiji period, they decided that a “standard language” needed to be established. The Japanese spoken in Tokyo is now known as “standard Japanese,” or hyōjun-go (標準語) in Japanese. The examples of pitch accent provided below are based on “standard Japanese.”

About Pitch Accent

Some assert that English has over 30,000 syllabic sounds. In contrast, Japanese has only 111 (112, according to some linguists). In other words, there are very few “sounds” in Japanese, and as a result, there are many homophones (i.e., words that are spelled the same but have different meanings). These homophones can be confusing. In written language, it is easy to tell the difference between homophones if kanji characters are used. In speech, we use pitch accent in order to differentiate between homophones to avoid misunderstandings.

Example:

Characteristics of Japanese Pitch Accent

■ There are only two levels of pitch - high and low.

■ Pitch does not change in the middle of a syllable. In Chinese, there are tones that go from low to high or high to low in the middle of a syllable. This does not occur in Japanese.

■ First and second syllables cannot be the same pitch. If the first syllable is high, then the second one must be low. If the first syllable is low, then the second one must be high.

Example:

In this example, the pitch changes from the first syllable to the second. These two syllables cannot be the same pitch.

■ We cannot use high pitch more than once in the same word. In other words, once the pitch falls, it cannot go back up again.

For Example: The pronunciation [ mi↑tsu↓bishi ]　cannot be　[ mi↑tsu↓bi↑shi ], [ mi↓tsu↑bi↓shi ], or [ mi↓tsubi↑shi ].

■ The pitch of a word can change depending on what comes after it.

For Example: [ ka↓nada ]     [ ka ↑ nadajin ]              (Canada)       (Canadian person)

Why we should learn about Pitch Accent

So why is it important to learn about pitch accent in Japanese? Here are a couple of important reasons.

Reason #1: To be able to tell the difference between homophones

For Example:

Reason #2: To be able to tell where a word starts

For Example: The word niwatori (にわとり) could mean “chicken” or “two birds.”

[ ni↑ watori ] ＝ “chicken” [ ni↓ wa ] ＝ “two” (counter for birds) [ to↑ ri ] ＝ “bird”

If it is pronounced as [ ni↓ wa to↑ ri] the listener knows that this is two words, since once the pitch falls it never goes up in the same word.

When you don’t know what the word means but Google Images has you covered

So ぐてー would be a nice lazy sprawl (see animal images above). The long vowel mark “ー” (ちょうおん) is used to emphasize the sprawling, and just saying it makes you feel like sprawling out somewhere comfy…

明日は雨のはずだ。 = it’s supposed to rain tomorrow. (i heard it on the news, but it’s not like i necessarily want it to rain or think it should rain.)

真実を言うべきだ。 = you should tell the truth. (it’s morally right and i think it would be a good idea.)

お母さんはすぐ戻るはずだ。 = mom should be back any minute. (she texted me ten minutes ago saying she was on her way home, so it’s a reasonable assumption.)

すぐ家に戻るべきだ。 = you should go home. (some incident happened, like maybe you got sick, that makes me think it would be best for you to go home right now.) (compare with すぐ家に戻らなくてはいけない = you have to go home now)

For something more lighthearted, Samurai Gourmet is cute! I’ve only watched a few episodes but definitely wanna finish it!

Did you know there are 2 type of sleep in Japanese words?

For sleeping as in “go to bed/lying down to take a nap”, it is 寝る (Neru). And the opposite is 起きる (Okiru), which means to get up from the lie down posture).

For sleeping as in “you’re in train/classroom and fell asleep” (not necessarily lying down), it is 眠る (Nemuru). So to wake up someone who’s sleeping on a train, you will need to use 目覚める (Mezameru), which means to open their eyes and be sober.

I actually had to ask my sensei on this one because I wasn’t sure of the nuances.

I’ve always understood もらう as receiving a favor that someone’s done for you or receiving an item from someone. ～てもらう, means you are receiving a favor from someone. 

Kanji: 私は彼氏にバラをもらいました。Kana: わたしはかれしにバラをもらいました。I received roses from my boyfriend.

Kanji: 私は友達に料理してもらいました。Kana: わたしはともだちにりょうりしてもらいました。My friend cooked for me. (I am receiving my friend’s favor of cooking for me).

受ける means to take, to receive, to get. It means to receive something, and leads to some kind of action, effect, reaction, emotional response, feeling, etc. The item being received is not so much a physical item but rather something intangible or something you experience or hear (e.g. information, news, some situation, etc.). My teacher said it’s used often in the education field.

Kanji: 試験を受けます。Kana: しけんをうけます。I took an exam.

Kanji: ニュースを受ける時、本当にびっくりしました。Kana: ニュースをうけるとき、ほんとうにびっくりしました。When I got the news, I was really surprised.

Kanji: 彼は正式な教育を受けることがないけど、とても頭がいいです。Kana: かれはせいしきなきょういくをうけることがない、とてもあたまがいいです。Although he’s never received a formal education, he’s really smart.

This is one of my sensei’s examples:

Kanji: たけしさんは、アメリカで、人種差別を受けました。Kana: たけしさんは、アメリカで、じんしゅさべつをうけました。Takeshi received/experienced racial discrimination in America.

受け取る I’ve always understood to mean “accept” as in accepting an item. Like in a game I play, if a gift is left for me, there’s a button that says 受け取る。”Accept (this item/gift).” My sensei said, in this case, unlike もらう, you are not receiving a favor or a service from anyone. 

Kanji: 空港で彼氏が買ったバラを受け取りました。Kana: くうこうでかれしがかったバラをうけとりました。I accepted the roses my boyfriend bought at the airport.

Kanji: 私が遊ぶゲームでよくプレゼントを受け取ります。Kana: わたしがあそぶゲームでよくプレゼントをうけとります。I often accept presents in that game I play.

I hope this helps you a lot! Special thanks and credit to Kozasa-sensei for helping me on this one. ^^

At a Restaurant (in Japanese) - JLPT N3

単語・Vocabulary

外食をする　がいしょくをする　to eat out

お昼を食べる／昼食をとる／ランチを食べる　おひるをたべる／ちゅうしょくをとる／ランチをたべる　to have lunch

食事　しょくじ　meal

家族そろって　かぞくそろって　together as a family

子どもを連れる　こどもをつれる　to take your child with you

子ども連れ　こどもづれ　customers with children

雰囲気のいいレストラン　ふんいきのいいレストラン　a restaurant with a nice atmosphere

満席　まんせき　no seats (full house)

すいている　seats available

列に並ぶ　れつにならぶ　stand in line

行列ができる　ぎょうれつができる　people line up

禁煙席　きんえんせき　non-smoking seating

喫煙席　きつえんせき　smoking section seating

ウエーター　waiter

ウエートレス　waitress

ウエートレスにおすすめを聞く　ウエートレスにおすすめをきく　to ask the waitress for a recommendation

量が多い　りょうがおおい　large portion

量が少ない　りょうがすくない　small portion

注文が決まる　ちゅうもんがきまる　to decide on what to order

注文する　ちゅうもんする　to place an order

注文を取る／注文を受ける　ちゅうもんをとる／ちゅうもんをうける　to take an order

デザートを追加する　デザートをついかする　to place an additional order of desserts

おかわり　refill

無料(むりょう)／ただ　free, no charge

食器を下げる　しょっきをさげる　to take the plates away

料理を残す　りょうりをのこす　to leave food on one's plate

もったいない　wasteful

例文・Example Sentences

いらっしゃいませ Welcome

お客様は何名様ですか。 おきゃくさまはなんめいさまですか。 How many people are in your party?

2人です。 ふたりです。 There are two people (in the party).

申し訳ありません。 もうしわけありません。 I am very sorry.

もう少々お待ちください。 もうしょうしょうおまちください。 Please wait a little longer.

お待たせいたしました。 おまたせいたしました。 I'm sorry for the wait.

ご注文はお決まりですか。 ごちゅうもんはおきまりですか。 Have you decided on your order?

今日のおすすめは何ですか。 きょうのおすすめはなんですか。 What are today's specialties (recommendations)?

もう1時です。お昼にしましょう。 もういちじです。おひるにしましょう。 It's already 1 pm. Let's have lunch.

家族全員そろって食事に出かけた。 かぞくぜんいんそろってしょくじにでかけた。 We went out to eat together as a family.

すごく長い列だね。あんなに並んでいるということはおいしいのかな。 すごくながいれつだね。あんなにならんでいるというのはおいしいのかな。 That line is so long, isn't it? If that many people are lining up it seems like it must be delicious.

感覚　かんかく　sense

感じる　かんじる　to sense, to feel

五感　ごかん　the five senses

触覚　しょっかく　sense of touch

感触　かんしょく　touch

触る　さわる　to touch

視覚　しかく　sense of sight

視力　しりょく　sight

見る　みる　to see

聴覚　ちょうかく　sense of hearing

聴力　ちょうりょく　hearing

聞く　きく　to hear

嗅覚　きゅうかく　sense of smell

匂い　におい　smell

嗅ぐ　かぐ　to smell

味覚　みかく　sense of taste

味　あじ　taste

味わう　あじわう　to taste