Japanese Words & Their Uses II. Akira Miura
talks to an outsider (i.e., a non-family member) about his own father, chichi is the correct term to be used.
(1) Chichi wa moo hachijuu ni narimashita.
My father has turned 80 already.
When an adult talks to a member of his family (e.g., his mother and siblings) about his father, he usually uses otoo-san. (Inside-the-family terms for father vary from family to family, e.g., otoo-sama and papa, but otoo-san is probably the most common.)
When an adult male is engaged in an informal conversation with close associates or friends, he is likely to refer to his father as oyaji “my old man.” The use of oyaji is far more common in Japanese than that of “my old man” in English, but it is restricted to men only.
When an adult talks to an outsider about the latter’s or someone else’s father, otoo-san is probably the most common term.
The above rules apply to adults only. Children, whether boys or girls, most often use the term otoo-san in almost all situations.
CHIGAU 達う to be different, to be incorrect
Chigau has roughly two meanings: “to be different” and “to be incorrect.”
(1) Nihonjin wa Chuugokujin to zuibun chigau.
The Japanese are quite different from the Chinese.
(2) Kono kotae wa chigaimasu yo.
This answer is incorrect, you know.
These two meanings may seem unrelated at first, but they are actually not as far apart as one may think. After all, an incorrect answer is an answer that is different from the correct one.
Iie, chigaimasu is often used in lieu of Iie, soo ja arimasen to mean “No, that’s not so.” Iie is frequently left out. The direct English translation of Iie, chigaimasu would be “No, it’s incorrect”; English speakers might therefore feel that this Japanese expression is probably a strong denial. It is, however, not as strong as the English translation might suggest, and is at least as commonly used as Iie, soo ja arimasen.
As is the case with Soo ja arimasen, Chigaimasu is most often used to contradict a question ending with a noun 十 desu ka.
(3) A: Are wa Tanaka-san desu ka.
Is that Mr. Tanaka?
B: Chigaimasu. Suzuki-san desu.
No, that’s Mr. Suzuki.
The use of Chigaimasu is not appropriate as a response to a question ending with an adjective 十 desu ka, or a verb 十 ka (see soo desu).
Most Japanese unfortunately have been rather prejudiced against the Koreans for no apparent reason. Especially during the time when Korea was under Japanese rule (191045), the word Choosenjin “Korean[s]” was almost always uttered with contempt. It was for this reason that the name Choosen was almost completely discarded when Japan lost World War II. Since then the Japanese have adopted the names Hokusen for “North Korea” and Kankoku for “South Korea.” What is really inconvenient, however, is the lack of an appropriate prejudice-free name for Korea as a whole. Linguists, for example, still have to refer to the Korean language as Choosengo since the language is one and the same in North Korea and in South Korea. The word Kankokugo (lit., “South Korean language”), which some people use, is not really an accurate label for the language.
Chosha means “person who has written a specific (usually nonfiction) book.”
(1) Kono hon no chosha wa Tanaka Ichiroo to yuu hito desu.
The author of this book is called Ichiro Tanaka.
English “author” is broader in meaning. It can mean “person who has written a specific book” (as in “He is the author of this book”) or “person who writes books” (as in “He is an author”). Chosha can never be used in the latter sense. (See also sakka and shoosetsuka.)
Chotto is very much like sukoshi.
(1) Kyoo wa chotto (or sukoshi) samui.
It’s a bit cold today.
(2) Onaka ga suite-inai kara, chotto (or sukoshi) shika taberarenakatta.
Since I wasn’t hungry, I could eat only a little.
The only difference between chotto and sukoshi in the above examples is that chotto is perhaps slightly more conversational than sukoshi.
Chotto, however, is used on many other occasions where sukoshi would be inappropriate. This occurs especially when one wishes to soften a request, as in (3) below, or express reluctance in a polite way, as in (4).
(3) Chotto misete-kudasai.
Would you please show it to me?
Chotto in this sentence does not mean “a little.” Rather it expresses the idea that the request being made is not a significant one. It is almost like saying “May I ask a small favor?” The use of chotto in requests is very common; in fact, in stores and restaurants some customers use Chotto! by itself when they wish to catch the attention of a salesclerk or waitress.
(4) A: Ashita kite-itadakemasu ka.
Could you come tomorrow?
B: Ashita wa chotto.
I’m afraid I can’t.
The answer in (4) literally means “Tomorrow is a little [inconvenient].” Japanese speakers don’t normally reject requests, suggestions, and invitations flatly with Iie “No” since that would make them sound too direct and discourteous; they prefer to use chotto, which sounds less direct and more tactful.
DAIGAKU 大学 college, university
“College” and “university” are both daigaku in Japanese. Although one can use tanka-daigaku (lit., “single-subject daigaku”) for “college” and soogoo-daigaku (lit., “comprehensive daigaku”) for “university,” these terms are more or less for dictionaries only and are never attached to college or university names, nor are they much used in speech.
Most Japanese are unaware of the usage difference between “college” and “university” in the United States, and simplistically believe that “university” is a more prestigious term than “college.” The official English translations of the names of Japanese colleges and universities are, consequently, always something like “The University of So-and-so.” It is for this reason that the names of some Japanese institutions of higher learning sound very strange in English, e.g., “The X University of Science” or “The Y University of Economics.”
Daijoobu is, to a certain extent, like “all right.” For example, if you see someone fall, you run up to him and ask Daijoobu desu ka meaning “Are you all right?” But there are some situations where daijoobu cannot be used to mean “all right.” For example, in English, if someone asks “How are you?” you might answer “All right,” meaning “Fine.” Daijoobu could not be used in a comparable situation in Japanese unless you happened to have been ill. In English, you can also say “All right!” when something turns out the way you were hoping it would, e.g., your favorite baseball team scores a run in a crucial inning. In Japanese, Ii zo! (lit., “Great!”) would be used in that case instead of daijoobu. Likewise, daijoobu may not be used in accepting a suggestion. In English, if someone suggests “Let’s go to a movie,” you can indicate your willingness by answering “All right,” but in Japanese you would have