Essential Japanese Vocabulary. Akira Miura
(3) *Watashi wa futotte ni natta.
*私は太ってになった。
Gaijin 外人 foreigner
Gaiji 外人, in a broad sense, means “foreigner.” In a narrower sense, however, it refers only to Caucasians, especially those staying in Japan.
Gaikokujin 外国人 (lit., “foreign-country person”), another word for “foreigner,” on the other hand, is more general and simply means “alien (from any country and of any color).”
Gakkō 学校 school
In English, “school” not only refers to nursery school through high school, but sometimes may refer to a college, university, or part thereof, as in
EXAMPLES:
(1) Harvard is a famous school.
(2) That university has a law school, a medical school, an engineering school, etc.
Gakkō 学校, on the other hand, normally refers to schools from the elementary-school level through the high-school level only. Sentence (1) and (2) above, therefore, would be translated into Japanese without the use of gakkō.
EXAMPLES:
(3) Hābādo wa yūmei na daigaku (not *gakkō 学校) desu.
ハーバードは有名な大学です。
Harvard is a famous university.
(4) Ano daigaku ni wa hō-gakubu, i-gakubu, kō-gabuku (not *hō-gakkō 法学校, *i-gakkō 医学校, *kō-gakkō 工学校) nado ga arimasu.
*あの大学には法学部、医学部、工学部などがあります。
That university has a law school, a medical school, an engineering school, etc.
Gakusei 学生 student
Students in a formal educational system, i.e., nursery school through college, are called seito 生徒 or gakusei 学生, depending on the level. Gakusei refers to older students, especially college students. Students of high-school age or younger are usually referred to as seito, although high school students may sometimes be called gakusei also (see SEITO).
Ga
Ganbaru がんばる is a very frequently used expression, especially in its imperative form, ganbare がんばれ or ganbatte がんばって. It is often used to encourage people who are about to take an exam, play an important game, etc., as in (1) and (2).
EXAMPLES:
(1) A: Kyō wa rekishi no shiken ga aru n da.
今日は歴史の試験があるんだ。
Today I have a history exam.
B: Sō ka. Ja, ganbare yo.
そうか。じゃ、がんばれよ。
Do you? Good luck then.
(2) A: Ashita tenisu no shiai ga aru n desu yo.
あしたテニスの試合があるんですよ。
Tomorrow I have a big tennis match coming up.
B: Sore ja, ganbatte kudasai.
それじゃ、がんばってください。
Good luck then.
Although ganbare がんばれ or ganbatte がんばって is thus used when English speakers would say “Good luck!”, this usage is limited to situations where making effort is involved. If you find out a friend is going into a hospital with a serious illness, therefore, Ganbatte! がんばって! might sound a little out of place. In such a case, Odaiji ni! おだいじ に! (“Take care of yourself!”) would sound more considerate.
Gekijō 劇場 theater
Gekijō 劇場 means “theater” in the sense of “building or place where there is regularly a theatrical performance on the stage.” Although some movie theaters may have names such as X-gekijō, they are not gekijō in the real sense of the word. Movie theaters are normally referred to as eigakan 映画館 instead.
Unlike English “theater,” gekijō can never mean “drama” or “theater arts.” (See also SHIBAI.)
Ge
In English, “healthy” can mean either “in good health,” as in “a healthy person,” or “good for the health,” as in “a healthy drink.” Genki 元気, on the other hand, means “in good health” but can never mean “good for the health.” Sentence (1) is, therefore, right, but sentence (2) is not.
EXAMPLES:
(1) Ogenki desu ka.
お元気ですか。
Are you well?
(2) *Sushi wa genki na tabemono to iwarete-iru.
*寿司は元気な食べ物と言われている。
Sushi is said to be healthy food.
Instead of genki na tabemono 元気な食べ物, one should say karada ni yoi tabemono 体によい食べ物 “food that is good for the body” or kenkōteki na tabemono 健康的な食べ 物 “healthful food.”
Genki 元気 is thus most often used as the opposite of byōki 病気 “sick.”
EXAMPLE:
(3) Nagai aida byōki deshita ga, mō genki ni narimashita.
長い間病気でしたが、もう元気になりました。
I was sick for a long time, but I’m fine now.
Genki 元気 also means “vigor, energy, good spirits” or their corresponding adjectives, i.e., “vigorous, energetic, in good spirits,” as in
EXAMPLES:
(4) Uchi no musuko wa Tōdai no nyūgakushiken ni ochite genki ga nai. Hayaku genki ni natte (or genki o dashite) kureru to ii n da ga.
うちの息子は東大の入学試験に落ちて元気がない。早く元気になって（元気を出して） くれるといいんだが。
My son is in low spirits, having failed the entrance exam to the University of Tokyo. I hope he will cheer up soon.
(5) Yamada-san wa okusan o nakushite genki ga nakatta ga, konogoro mata genki ni natte-kita.
山田さんは奥さんを亡くして元気がなかったが、このごろまた元気になってきた。
Mr. Yamada was in low spirits after he lost his wife, but lately he’s been cheerful (or in better spirits) again.
(See also BYŌKI and OGENKI DESU KA.)
Gimon 疑問 a question; doubt
Although gimon 疑問 is often translated as “question,” it can mean that only in the sense of a question one has in one’s mind. When that question is uttered, it becomes a shitsumon 質問.
EXAMPLE:
Chotto gimon ni omotta