Matt Fargo (6 page)
Authors: Dirty Japanese: Everyday Slang From "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!"
Excuse me
sumimasen
“Excuse me” is one of those multipurpose words that can be a greeting, a good-bye, or an apology for farting. The same goes for Japanese—you can use these slang variations of “excuse me” in a variety of situations.
Pardon
suimasen
suimasen
Well pardon me for living!
ikitete suimasen
ikitete suimasen
’Scuse me
suman
suman
’Scuse my shitty Japanese.
nihongo ga hetakuso de suman
nihongo ga hetakuso de suman
$0rr¥
sumaso
sumaso
$0rr¥ I’m late.
osoku natte sumaso
*computer speak that went mainstream
osoku natte sumaso
*computer speak that went mainstreamAside from “sorry” and “excuse me,” there are a couple other slangish ways to shrug off guilt:
Pleasepay no mind
donmai
donmai
My bad
warīne
warīne
Apologies
mōshiwake
mōshiwake
You poor thing
kawaisō
kawaisō
kudasai
Asking for a favor is another of those things that you usually want to be polite about. But when you are talking to friends, feel free to be a little more casual:
Why don’t you. . .
...kuri
...kuri
Why don’t you call me sometime.
... kondo denwa shite kuri
... kondo denwa shite kuri
Purdy-please (archaic, rural)
... kunro
... kunro
Tell me your name, purdy-please!
onamae osēte kunro
onamae osēte kunro
Pretty-please (feminine)
... cho
... cho
When you find out where the party is, could you text me,
pretty-please?
nomikai no basho kimattara mēru shite cho
pretty-please?
nomikai no basho kimattara mēru shite cho
Do
... na
... na
Go do your best—we’re all rooting for you.
ōen shiterukara gambatte kina
ōen shiterukara gambatte kina
Do clean up—I’ve got friends coming over.
tomodachi ga kuru kara sōji shina
tomodachi ga kuru kara sōji shina
I hope you...
. . .kureya
. . .kureya
I hope you hang out with me a lot.
takusan asonde kureya
takusan asonde kureya
You should. . .
. . .okure
. . .okure
You should come kick it at my place sometime.
kondo uchi e asobi ni kite okure
kondo uchi e asobi ni kite okure
Snease (a horrible pun)
. . .chommage
. . .chommage
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