日本語の道

Extra Twist

I've been wondering about the use of phrases like しあがれ しやがれ (i.e. from する). They appear to be used when people are angry at other people's actions, right? Can this kind of verb change be used with all verbs?

Clothes Swap

It seems that 着替える, to change clothes, can be read きがえる and きかえる.

I stumbled across this on my denshi-jisho today. I haven't been using it much since the beginning of Decemeber ;(

Rusty Japanese

I haven't tried to speak much polite Japanese during the past few months, at least not at school as there is little need. But today I was back in the situation of talking to a friendly vice-principle whom I'd met and spoke with last summer. It was annoying because I had to make a real concious effort to add on です and so on, even though the last time I spoke with her it hadn't seemed so hard. I hope it will come back but it's frustrating to feel that you are going backwards at times.

On a tangent... the JLPT results should be out in early Feb, right?

Stomach Ache

What's the difference in おなかがいたい and いがいたい? In English don't we just say stomach ache instead of going into specifics about stomaches, bowels, colons and so on?

I think おなかがいたい is used for times when you are dashing to the toilet whereas いがいたい is a pain higher up. Have I got them mixed up again?!

Just Looking

Whenever I'm in an English shop and a shop assistant comes along I say, 'I'm just looking.' Naturally, I carried this habit over into my Japanese, not knowing any better. But when I asked someone I was told that 「見てるだけです」 is rude in this situation.

Hot Stuff

イケメン I have been told means 'hot guy'. Someone told me this comes from いけてるメンズ, but what does that mean? It's interesting that there seems to be no equivalent word for 'hot girls'. Or is there?

Food Particles

If someone said: ダレンが食べてほしい　then I'd think they wanted me to eat something. But someone said to me ダレンに食べてほしい (I hope I've remembered correctly) and after me raising the point this person claimed that either particle was fine. Any comments?

Laughter

げらげら　－　the sound of laughter

I learnt this word from the manga cafe of the same name.

This coincides nicely with my latest book, Hiroko Fukuda: Jazz up your Japanese with Onomatopoeia. I'll have a good read before commenting properly.

Love On Sight

一目惚れ（ひとめぼれ）　　love at first sight

Accept

受け入れる　（うけいれる）　　accept, to receive

E.g. To accept what someone says:　言うことを受け入れる。

Carefully

じっくり　　deliberately, carefully

For example, じっくり検討（けんとう）する。

Happy New Year

あけましておめでとうございます。

I wonder how many keitai have received these words over the last 12 hours. Can you understand this message which my friend sent me in the early (drunken?) hours of this morning?

アケヨロ　コトオメ

By the way, before the new year people say: よいよいお年を