At the
end of the text book chapter were some story math problems, like we had in
grade school math class. The first one is about how many people (-nin). I’ve already learned this is a trick in
Japanese. Any time someone asks you
about how many people, add one to the number you think it is, because you
always have to include yourself. Example – how many people do you live
with? My answer is hitori - one (my husband).
The teacher says, Oh really, you live alone? The correct answer is futari - two – I have to include myself! Another question is about some stamps that
cost 80 yen each and some postcards that cost 50 yen each and I think aha! the answer
is going to be –mai because stamps and postcards are flat things. Wrong - the answer is 650 en (yen) because the
question asks how much is all of it. Zenbu de is my new favorite Japanese
phrase - all of it. There was another question
about how many hours someone studied Chinese in three months and had to do with -kai (frequency).
I still haven’t figured that one out.
Two of
my classmates had been traveling and came back last week, with omiyage. Jamie brought these deep fried maple
leaves. Sounds strange, I know, but they
were very good! Oishii kata desu!
Sonaka
went back to Thailand, where she is from, plus we think she went on a cruise,
but we aren’t really sure. Jamie and I
can talk to each other in English, but Sonaka’s English is minimal and the two
of us don’t speak Thai at all. Our
common language is Japanese, which is why we don’t always understand each
other! This is what she brought us back.
One of
the Japanese teachers wore both of her beaded necklaces to class. Very nice! I'm so pleased that they liked the projects and have finished them.
1 comment:
Japanese numbers are real stumbling blocks! There is also the aspect of politeness. If you go to a restaurant and say you want a table for two, you use 'futari'. The waiter, however, must use the more polite 'ni mei sama' if he asks: A table for two?
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