Japanese Words & Their Uses II. Akira Miura
to a movie or a photograph. A movie is an eiga, and a photograph is a shashin. E may mean “photograph” only in the compound e-hagaki “picture postcard.”
Ee is a more conversational version of hai. Use it, however, only as a response to a question.
(1) A: Are wa Ueda-san deshoo ka.
Might that be Mr. Ueda?
B: Ee, soo desu yo.
Yes, it is.
Do not use ee as a response to a knock on the door or the calling of your name. For that purpose, only hai is appropriate.
EIGA 映画 movie
English has many words meaning “motion picture”； Japanese has only one, eiga. Although “movie” means both “motion picture” and “movie theater,” eiga means only “motion picture.” A movie theater is eigakan, “To go to a movie” is eiga e (or ni) iku, but not *eigakan e (or ni) iku. Until the 1930s or so, movies were called katsudoo-shashin (or katsudoo for short), which literally means “motion picture.” It was a very common word until it was gradually replaced by eiga, which is now the only term for “movie.”
ENPITSU 鉛筆 pencil
In English, not only a regular pencil but also a mechanical pencil may be called a pencil. In Japanese, however, enpitsu refers to a regular pencil only. A mechanical pencil is called shaapu-penshiru, or simply shaapu, which is traceable to “Eversharp,” the brand name of the first U.S.-made mechanical pencil.
Furui meaning “old” is used, as a rule, in reference to inanimate things.
(1) Anna furui uchi wa kawanai hoo ga ii desu yo.
You shouldn’t buy an old house like that.
(2) Kono oobaa mo zuibun furuku natta.
This overcoat has gotten quite old.
With reference to persons, other words such as toshi o totta “old, aged,” toshiyori “old person,” and roojin “old person” have to be used.
(3) Murata-san mo toshi o totta nee.
Hasn’t Mr. Murata grown old!
(4) Asoko ni toshiyori no obaasan ga suwatte-iru deshoo.
Do you see that old lady sitting over there?
(5) Ano roojin-tachi ni seki o yuzuroo.
Let’s give our seats to those old people.
When furui is used with reference to persons, it can carry different meanings.
(6) Kono kaisha de ichiban furui no wa Yamada-san da.
The person with the most seniority in this firm is Mr. Yamada.
(7) Ano hito wa moo furui.
He is passé (or behind the times)
Furui is sometimes shortened to furu and added to other words to form compounds.
(8) furu-hon, furu-gi, furu-shinbun
used books, used clothes, old newspapers
GAIJIN 外人 foreigner
Gaijin, in a broad sense, means “foreigner.” In a narrower sense, however, it refers only to Caucasians, especially those staying in Japan.
Gaikokujin (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).”
GAKKOO 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
(1) Harvard is a famous school.
(2) That university has a law school, a medical school, an engineering school, etc.
Gakkoo, 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 gakkoo.
(3) Haabaado wa yuumei na daigaku (not *gakkoo) desu. Harvard is a famous university.
(4) Ano daigaku ni wa hoo-gakubtt, i-gakubu, koo-gabuku (not *hoo-gakkoo, *i-gakkoo, *koo-gakkoo) nado ga arimasu.
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 or gakusei, 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).
GEKIJOO 劇場 theater
Gekijoo 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-gekijoo, they are not gekijoo in the real sense of the word. Movie theaters are normally referred to as eigakan instead.
Unlike English “theater,” gekijoo can never mean “drama” or “theater arts.” (See also shibai.)
Genki is most often used as the opposite of byooki “sick.”
(1) Nagai aida byooki deshita ga, moo genki ni narimashita.
I was sick for a long time, but I’m fine now.
Genki may also refer to vigor or one’s spirits.
(2) Yamada-san wa okusan o nakushite genki ga nakatta ga, konogoro mata genki ni natte-kita.
Mr. Yamada was in low spirits after he lost his wife, but lately he’s been cheerful (or in better spirits) again.
(See also byooki and ogenki desu ka)
Gogo means “afternoon,” as in
(1) Ashita no gogo mata kite-kudasai.
Please come again tomorrow afternoon.
Gogo also means “p.m., ” but unlike “p.m.,” which follows the time (i.e., “2 p.m.,” “3 p.m.,” etc.), it precedes the time.
(2) gogo ni-ji
2 p.m.
(See also gozen.)
GOHAN ご飯, 御飯 cooked rice, meal
In a narrow sense, gohan means “cooked rice.”
(1) Gohan o moo ip-pai kudasai.
Please give me one more bowl of rice.
In a broader sense, gohan means “meal.”
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