Matt Fargo (9 page)
Authors: Dirty Japanese: Everyday Slang From "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!"
Teach me some fun words.
nanika omoshiroi kotoba o oshiete kudasai
nanika omoshiroi kotoba o oshiete kudasai
I’m enjoying hanging out with you.
issho ni asondete tanoshī desu
issho ni asondete tanoshī desu
shashin
Let’s take a picture.
issho ni shashin torō
issho ni shashin torō
You know Japanese folks love their pictures. But when you take a photo, don’t ask your models to say “cheese”—ask them what one plus one is, because the Japanese word for “two” (ni) pulls the old cheeks up like a good face-lift:
What’s one plus one?
ichi tasu ichi wa
ichi tasu ichi wa
Two!
nī
nī
CHAPTER 2
FRIENDLY JAPANESE
NAKA YOSHIN IHONGO
nakama
Japan is often seen as a rigid society, where social pressures deny people their full range of expression. This is not true. What is acceptable to say depends on who’s around. When you’re with friends, you can say some of the stupidest shit possible and be loved and forgiven. But even with friends there are different levels of intimacy, as in the following:
Total stranger
aka no tanin
aka no tanin
Hey—Japanese folks don’t just go up and talk to total strangers like that.
anone nihonjin wa sōyatte aka no tanin ni koe o kaketari shinai no
Acquaintance
shiriai
shiriai
I first got interested in Japan because I had lots of Japanese acquaintances.
nihon ni kyōmi o motta no wa nihonjin no shiriai ga ōkatta kara da
Classmate
dōkyūsei
dōkyūsei
Do you hang out with your classmates much?
dōkyūsei to wa yoku asondeiru no
dōkyūsei to wa yoku asondeiru no
Coworker
dōryō
dōryō
Do you get along with your coworkers?
dōryō to wa naka yoku shiteru
dōryō to wa naka yoku shiteru
Have you ever dated a coworker?
dōryō to tsukiatta koto aru
dōryō to tsukiatta koto aru
Buddy-buddy
naka yoshi
naka yoshi
You know, we really get along well.
uchira tte kekkō nakayoshi da ne
uchira tte kekkō nakayoshi da ne
Solid guy
ī yatsu
ī yatsu
He’s really a solid guy.
aitsu wa hontō ni ī yatsu da
aitsu wa hontō ni ī yatsu da
Sweet girl
ī ko
ī ko
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