shifting into japanese - Printable Version

shifting into japanese - Printable Version

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shifting into japanese - nest0r - 2009-07-07

Not sure if this is an original topic. Anyone else find themselves searching for a word in English, a word with a certain nuance, only to come up with a Japanese word? I thought it was cool at first, but it's beginning to annoy me. If only I could get away with tossing Japanese into English texts. Likewise with my attempts at concision, I sometimes wish I could just throw in some kanji.

shifting into japanese - mentat_kgs - 2009-07-07

It is called Alzheimer. Be careful =P.

shifting into japanese - yukamina - 2009-07-07

This happens to me sometimes. Which ever word is freshest in my head pops up first. If I think and hear なつかしい more often than "nostalgic", なつかしい will pop up even if the rest of my thought was in English.
It sucks when I try to explain Japanese stuff(like a scene from anime or something) to other people in English, I have to come up with translations on the spot for things I haven't thought about in English.

shifting into japanese - bombpersons - 2009-07-07

This happens to me sometimes to. Sometimes I'll be thinking to myself in english and accidently add から or ね to the end of a sentence =D

shifting into japanese - kazelee - 2009-07-07

bombpersons Wrote:This happens to me sometimes to. Sometimes I'll be thinking to myself in english and accidently add から or ね to the end of a sentence =D

やっぱり Japanese is seeding itself within yours brainz やっぱり

I have a few random expression on the tip of my tongue as well.

shifting into japanese - Gingerninja - 2009-07-07

I have a couple of times stopped myself apologising with ごめん. I have never accidently used a Japanese word instead of an english one. Although i did with french once.

Je M'apple Mark (spelling i know.. its been 8 years since i studied french)
二十四歳です .. umm wait that isnt french argh what happened! (yeah im aware about Kanji numbers.. but it goes against the point if i just write 24 )

shifting into japanese - nest0r - 2009-07-07

Good to know. Today it was when I was trying to think of a way to say something like 'putting on footwear' in a succinct way, without using general words like 'wear' or 'don', et cetera, and all I could think of was 履く.

And of course, slangy Japanese interjections always pop into my head. あの... チェ...

shifting into japanese - nest0r - 2009-07-07

Another favourite of mine is going 'は...?' in an incredulous voice. ^_- And 'eh' instead of 'yeah'...

shifting into japanese - Tobberoth - 2009-07-07

Yeah. It happens to me with English all the time as well. It has even, on several occasions, happened that I want to say something... I think of it in Japanese... then in English... and then it stops, and I simply give up trying to think of the Swedish word.

Annoying, but still cool Smile

shifting into japanese - CharleyGarrett - 2009-07-07

The words that always trip me up are "gambatte", "genki" and "kibishii". There just aren't good English words for this nuance (IMO).

shifting into japanese - supisweetattack - 2009-07-07

I've stopped answering with "what" and almost always use 何。 But one that I find myself using a lot is あぁ～ならほど　and そうか when I listen to people talk. ^^ My roomies have gotten used to it... to the point where when they say "I didn't go today"(or something like it) and I answer with どうして？ they just follow up with the reason. XD

But I totally understand the part about explaining things in English but all you can think of is the Japanese word... it was really had when I got back from my study abroad a month ago and try to explain things to people when the asked me what I did.... 'cause when all you've used for the past 5 months is words like " コンビニ" and "地下鉄 " ... it's hard to break the habit ^_^

shifting into japanese - Ampharos64 - 2009-07-07

I don't know nearly enough Japanese for this to happen to me much yet (looks like fun awaits...), but have used 何 by accident a few times (as well as on purpose, since it's more fun to say in a incredulous tone of voice somehow).
Random snippets of German I remember from school make their way into my attempts at Japanese more often, which is quite weird. Ichi, ni, drei...何?

shifting into japanese - theasianpleaser - 2009-07-07

About 6 weeks ago I went back to the States for a few weeks. Everytime I answered a question, I slightly nodded my head. And at the movie theatre, the clerk said "$6.00" and I pulled out a $10 bill and said "はい" when I handed to her. She was slightly confused.

shifting into japanese - strider62590 - 2009-07-07

Yeah, one time after I got back from my semester in Niigata I forgot the word for "vending machine" in English. I remember wanting to use it in a conversation, and I stopped and tried to think but it just wouldn't come out: "uh, 自動販売機, uh, you know, that big metal thing that you put money into and stuff comes out." I got a lot of crap for that one for a while. Big Grin

shifting into japanese - yukamina - 2009-07-07

theasianpleaser Wrote:About 6 weeks ago I went back to the States for a few weeks. Everytime I answered a question, I slightly nodded my head. And at the movie theatre, the clerk said "$6.00" and I pulled out a $10 bill and said "はい" when I handed to her. She was slightly confused.

What?! Seeing movies here costs $12! Man, I gotta move somewhere cheaper.

shifting into japanese - mr_hans_moleman - 2009-07-07

I was at work and a person came in who to look for something he lost. He passed by again and then I said ”ない?”。(I meant to say "so you didn't find it')/

shifting into japanese - liosama - 2009-07-07

I forgot the word for raccoon in English, yet I knew the corresponding kanji and word for it in Japanese.
All of this happened when I was talking to a Chinese friend about Pon Poko (the movie about raccoons) she didn't know how to say raccoon, neither did I, so I write out the kanji and shes like :S

shifting into japanese - Hinode - 2009-07-08

theasianpleaser Wrote:About 6 weeks ago I went back to the States for a few weeks. Everytime I answered a question, I slightly nodded my head. And at the movie theatre, the clerk said "$6.00" and I pulled out a $10 bill and said "はい" when I handed to her. She was slightly confused.

I can soo relate to that, I was in Japan for only 2 weeks, but when I came back, the constant "はい" and nodding was burned into my brain. It took another couple of weeks to assume "normal western" mannerisms. I still say "は・・・？" instead of "eh?" though. ._.

shifting into japanese - Tobberoth - 2009-07-08

Yeah, it's been over 1½ years since I came back from Japan and I still nod constantly. I doubt it will ever disappear.

shifting into japanese - Tzadeck - 2009-07-08

liosama Wrote:I forgot the word for raccoon in English, yet I knew the corresponding kanji and word for it in Japanese.
All of this happened when I was talking to a Chinese friend about Pon Poko (the movie about raccoons) she didn't know how to say raccoon, neither did I, so I write out the kanji and shes like :S

You still seem to know the Japanese better^^. 'Raccoon' is a mistranslation of 狸, though a popular one. 'Raccoon dog' is correct--mostly because tanuki are actually canid, related to dogs, whereas they aren't closely related to raccoons at all. They just look like em.

shifting into japanese - Aijin - 2009-07-08

I have the opposite problem: when I go back to Japan during breaks I am so used to speaking English that I always forget to speak in Japanese. I went into a McDonald's, and it looked so much like the ones here in California that I started ordering my food in English, and the girl began to call her manager over, hah Smile

shifting into japanese - nest0r - 2009-07-08

I sometimes give slight bows when interacting with retail workers and others. I usually check myself before it's more than a nod, but once I gave in and did a half bow and the other person automatically responded. That made for an awkward laugh. ;p I've never even been to Japan, I've just absorbed an ungodly amount of Japanese media for almost 10 years. Plus it's a holdover from a rigid martial arts instructor in youth, I suppose.

I'm also fond of the affirmative 'うん' or whatever. Oh, and I almost always subvocalize "いいえ" before saying 'No' aloud.

shifting into japanese - mafried - 2009-07-08

nest0r Wrote:I sometimes give slight bows when interacting with retail workers and others. I usually check myself before it's more than a nod, but once I gave in and did a half bow and the other person automatically responded. That made for an awkward laugh. ;p

I do the same thing, and frustratingly that has never gone away...

shifting into japanese - undead_saif - 2009-07-09

It happens with me but with English, sometimes I speak the English words and sometimes they aren't common words so people go like "huh?"lol

shifting into japanese - AkiKazachan - 2009-07-10

I remember when we met my neighbors, and instead of a handshake I bowed. XD My mother was like "o_O???"