Japanese Words & Their Uses II. Akira Miura
English speakers practice hard to memorize this long salutation and, after finally learning it, they try it on their Japanese associates—most likely toward the end of December. Unfortunately this Japanese greeting may not be used until New Year’s Day since it literally means “[The New Year] having begun, this is indeed a happy occasion.” This contrasts with the English salutation “Happy New Year!” which is an abbreviation of “I wish you a happy New Year” and may therefore be used before the arrival of the New Year. The expression to be used before the old year expires is Yoi otoshi o omukae kudasai “May you see in a good year!” However, this is a rather formal salutation and is rarely used among close friends. There is regrettably no informal equivalent, except for the shorter form Yoi otoshi o, which is sometimes used.
In America, New Year’s wishes are exchanged with vigor at 12 midnight among those present at New Year’s Eve parties. After that, however, “Happy New Year!” is, as it were, put away in mothballs. In Japan, Akemashite omedetoo gozaimasu is heard at least through the first week of January, and sometimes as late as the middle of the month.
AMAI 甘い sweet
Amai primarily means “sweet in taste.”
(1) amai keeki (chokoreeto, kyandee, etc.)
sweet cake (chocolate, candy, etc.)
Used figuratively, amai can mean “indulgent, lenient” or “overly optimistic.”
(2) amai oya
indulgent parents
(3) amai ten
lenient grades (or marks)
(4) amai kangae
an overly optimistic view
Unlike English “sweet,” amai cannot mean “amiable” or “kind.” In English, calling someone a sweet person would be complimentary. In Japanese, on the other hand, amai hito, if it means anything at all, can only be interpreted as either “an indulgent person” or “an overly optimistic person.’
AMARI あまり too, excessively
Amari means “too” in the sense of “excessively.” The word mainly appears in negative sentences.
(1) Kyoo wa amari samuku nai.
It is not too cold today.
(2) Koko wa amari shizuka ja nai.
It is not too quiet here.
(3) Watashi wa amari nomimasen.
I don’t drink too much.
Amari may be used in the affirmative if it appears in a dependent clause.
(4) Amari nomu to byooki ni narimasu yo.
If you drink too much, you’ll get sick.
(5) Kami[noke] ga amari nagai kara, katte-moratta hoo ga ii yo.
Your hair is too long; you should get a haircut.
(6) Koko wa amari shizuka de sabishli-gurai desu.
It’s so quiet here that it almost makes one feel lonely.
The following sentences, which are independent affirmative sentences, are ungrammatical.
(7) *Anata wa amari nomimasu.
You drink too much.
(8) *Kaminoke ga amari nagai.
Your hair is too long.
(9) *Koko wa amari shizuka desu.
It’s too quiet here.
To express the ideas of the English translations of sentences (7) through (9) above, use -sugiru.
(10) Anata wa nomi-sugimasu.
You drink too much.
(11) Kaminoke ga naga-sugiru.
Your hair is too long.
(12) Koko wa shizuka-sugimasu.
It’s too quiet here.
Amari may be used in combination with -sugiru words also, without changing the meaning.
(13) Anata wa amari nomi-sugimasu.
You drink too much. (same as 10 above)
(14) Kaminoke ga amari naga-sugiru.
Your hair is too long. (same as 11)
(15) Koko wa amari shizuka-sugimasu.
It’s too quiet here. (same as 12)
Anmari is a more colloquial version of amari. There is no difference in meaning between the two.
Anata “you (singular)” has a very limited use. In fact, long conversations between two people may be carried on without anata being used even once. In contexts where it is clear that the speaker is talking about the hearer, no verbal reference to the latter is usually made.
(1) Ogenki desu ka.
Are you well?
Even when reference to the hearer is verbalized, anata is usually avoided. The speaker is much more likely to use the hearer’s name with -san attached.
(2) Tanaka-san wa moo ano eiga o mimashita ka. (speaking to Tanaka)
Have you (lit., Mr./Mrs./Miss Tanaka) seen that movie yet?
If the speaker is lower in status than the hearer, he uses the latter’s title as a term of address.
(3) Sensei wa koohii to koocha to dochira ga osoki desu ka. (speaking to one’s teacher)
Which do you (lit., teacher) like better, coffee or tea?
(4) Kachoo wa ashita gorufu o nasaimasu ka. (speaking to one’s section chief)
Are you (lit., section chief) playing golf tomorrow?
Anata is perhaps used more often by women than by men. Women say anata, for example, to their husbands or close friends.
(5) Anata doo suru.
What are you going to do?
Anata has a more informal and less polite variant, anta. It is wise to avoid using this altogether since it is difficult, especially for nonnative speakers, to determine when it can be safely used. (See also kimi. For a detailed discussion of Japanese terms of address, see Suzuki, Ch. 5 “Words for Self and Others.”)
ANE 姉 older sister
Ane is a generic term for older sisters. It is used by adults, especially in writing, to refer to older sisters in general.
(1) Nihon de wa ane wa imooto yori meue da.
In Japan, older sisters are of higher status than younger sisters.
This use of ane, however, is generally restricted to written Japanese. In conversational Japanese, onee-san is the norm.
(2) Nihon de wa onee-san wa imooto yori meue da.
(same meaning as 1 above)
When talking to an outsider, an adult refers to his own older sister as ane.
(3) Kinoo ane ga kekkon-shimashita.
My older sister got married yesterday.
An adult talking to an outsider about the latter’s older sister or* someone else’s uses onee-san.
(4) Kinoo onee-san ga kekkon-nasatta soo desu nee.
I hear your older sister got married yesterday.
(5) Yoshida-san no onee-san wa eigo no sensei desu.
Mr. Yoshida’s older sister is an English teacher.
An adult also uses onee-san in addressing his own