Essential Japanese Vocabulary. Akira Miura
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The following sentence represents an oft-committed error.
EXAMPLE:
(1) *Benkyō-suru ato de terebi o mimasu.
*勉強するあとでテレビを見ます。
After studying I watch TV.
If one wants to use a verb before ato あと, one must use the -ta form, whether the event reported is a past event or non-past event, as in (2) below:
EXAMPLE:
(2) Benkyō-shita ato de terebi o mimasu.
勉強したあとでテレビを見ます。
Also, the verb must directly precede ato あと. Since ato functions as a pseudo-noun, there is no need to use no の, as in (3).
EXAMPLE:
(3) *Benkyō-suru no ato de terebi o mimasu.
*勉強するのあとでテレビを見ます。
A
Atsui 厚い meaning “thick” requires a kanji different from the ones for atsui 暑い meaning “hot” (see ATSUI “hot”). This atsui is used in reference to flat objects.
EXAMPLE:
(1) atsui kami (hon, ita, etc.)
厚い紙 (本、板, etc.)
thick paper (book, board, etc.)
We also say atsui ōbā 厚いオーバー (lit., “a thick overcoat”), focusing on the thickness of the material, whereas the English speaker would speak of “a heavy overcoat” with the weight of the overcoat in mind.
Although, in English, “thick” may be used in reference to cylindrical objects as well as flat objects, as in “thick thread,” “thick fingers,” etc., that is not the case with atsui 厚い. Futoi 太い is the correct adjective then.
EXAMPLE:
(2) futoi (not *atsui 厚い) ito (yubi, eda, etc.)
太い糸 (指、枝, etc.)
thick thread (fingers, branch, etc.)
Atsui 厚い “thick” has a different accent from atsui 熱い “hot.” Whereas the latter is accented on the second syllable, the former is accentless. Thus examples (3) and (4), when spoken, may be differentiated only by accent.
EXAMPLES:
(3) a
(4) a
A
In Japanese there are two words for “hot,” both pronounced atsui. For the sake of convenience, I shall distinguish them here by calling one atsui1 and the other atsui2. They are represented by different kanji and are used with reference to different types of objects.
Atsui1, written 熱い, is used in reference to gases, fluids, and solids.
EXAMPLES:
(1) atsui1 kaze 熱い風 a hot wind
(2) atsui1 ofuro 熱いお風呂 a hot bath
(3) atsui1 tabemono 熱い食べ物 hot food
Atsui2, written 暑い, on the other hand, is used mainly in reference to weather, as in
EXAMPLES:
(4) Kyō wa atsui 2.
今日は暑い。
It’s hot today.
(5) Ichiban atsui2 tsuki wa shichi-gatsu ka hachi-gatsu da. 一番暑い月は七月か八月だ。 The hottest month is either July or August.
The difference between atsui1 熱い when it is used in reference to gases, as in example (1) above, and atsui2 暑い parallels the difference between tsumetai 冷たい and samui 寒 い, both of which mean “cold.” Atsui1 refers to a sensation of heat affecting a limited part or parts of the body, such as the face and the hands, whereas atsui2 is used for a sensation of heat affecting the whole body. According to Kunihiro (p. 22), atsui1 belongs to one series of temperature words: tsumetai “cold,” nurui ぬるい “lukewarm,” atatakai 暖かい “warm,” and atsui1, while atsui2 is part of the other series: samui “cold,” suzushii 涼しい “cool,” atatakai “warm,” and atsui2. (All these adjectives of temperature are explained in their respective entries.)
A
In English, one says “see someone” or “meet someone,” with “someone” as the direct object of “see” or “meet.” In Japanese, on the other hand, au 会う is an intransitive verb and takes the particle ni に rather than o を.
EXAMPLES:
(1) Tanaka-san wa mainichi gārufurendo ni atte-iru rashii.
田中さんは毎日ガールフレンドに会っているらしい。
Mr. Tanaka seems to be seeing his girlfriend every day.
(2) Yamashita-san ni hajimete atta no wa go-nen-gurai mae datta.
山田さんに初めて会ったのは五年ぐらい前だった。
It was about five years ago that I met Mr. Yamashita for the first time.
Au 会う can refer to seeing or meeting someone either by accident or on purpose. For example, in (3) below, au together with battari ばったり “unexpectedly” refers to an accidental encounter (in this case, au is synonymous with deau 出会う “to meet by chance”), whereas in (4) au obviously signals meeting someone for some purpose.
EXAMPLES:
(3) Kinō densha no naka de Yoshida-san ni battari atta.
きのう電車の中で吉田さんにばったり会った。
Yesterday I met Mr. Yoshida on the train by chance.
(4) Kyō no gogo Satō-san ni au yotei da.
きょうの午後佐藤さんに会う予定だ。
I plan to meet Mr. Sato this afternoon (e.g., to discuss some matter).
Seeing a doctor for medical reasons is not au 会う but mitemorau みてもらう “to have oneself seen.”
EXAMPLE:
(5) Kubi ga itai kara, ashita isha ni mite-morau (not *au 会う) tsumori desu.
首が痛いから、あした医者にみてもらうつもりです。