Wa-pedia Home > Japan Forum & Europe Forum
Results 1 to 20 of 20

Thread: Japanese words with numerous English translations

Threaded View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 17, 2002
    Location
    西京
    Posts
    2,434

    Post Japanese words with numerous English translations

    Lot's of Japanese words are difficult to translate in English because there are so many ways of expressing it in English, with certain nuances. In bilingual books/mangas or films/animes in Japanese with English subtitles, the English translation is often not just literal, but add slang and idioms, or at least try to be creative. The results is that the English version often sounds better than the original. My impressions is that Japanese vocabulary is rather limited and repetitive.


    "Irasshaimase"

    This expression is difficult to translate into English, because it has 3 different meanings. It's the polite form of "iku" (to go), "kuru" (to come) and "iru" (to stay/be). It is used to welcome customers into shops or restaurants.
    The "-mase" ending is a kind of polite imperative. The closest translation would thus be "please come !" or just "welcome !". Sometimes, people will say "irasshatte kudasai", which means the same.

    There is another word for welcome in Japanese : "youkoso", but it's used more in the sense of really welcoming someone as a guest or visitor, normally not as a customer.


    tanoshimu 楽しむ

    Could be translated easily by "enjoy oneself", but in many cases, that sounds strange in English. We could also translate it by "having fun", "having a good time", "appreciate"...

    The adjective "tanoshii" means therefore : fun, enjoyable, amusing, entertaining, relaxing, pleasant, likeable and so on.

    Here are a few related words also difficult to translate in just one word :

    1) yorokobu 喜ぶ (v) : rejoice, be delighted, be glad/happy/pleased...
    2) ureshii 嬉しい (adj) : happpy, glad ; pleasant...
    3) omoshiroi 面白い (adj) : fun, funny, comical, entertaining, amusing, interesting...

    Lots of dictionaries give very approximate translations. For example, "omoshiroi" is often translated as "interesting", which is I think a very misleading translation. I often hear Japanese people saying that they went to Disneyland or sing karaoke and that it was "interesting" when they really mean funny, amusing or entertaining. "omoshiroi" cannot be used for the most common meaning of "interesting", e.g. saying that a book is interesting, even if it's a book on the holocaust which is not funny at all.

    There are usually more words in English, which is why Japanese people often have trouble finding an adequate translation (and think Japanese in more convenient), while English-speakers (and speakers of other European languages) usually look for nuances that don't exist in Japanese.

    Here are more examples :


    okoru 怒る

    Always translated in dictionaries as "get angry" or "get mad" (though that is US English). There is a wide range of distinct emotions in English or European languages that is comprised in this term. There are few Japanese words to express all the nuances of : offended, displeased, vexed, incensed, exasperated, piqued, outraged, insulted, ruffled, disgruntled, irritated, upset, affronted, hurt, wounded...

    We could say that only half of those are really common in English, but I can only think of 3 common in Japanese : "okoru", "iraira suru" and "mukatsuku". The 2nd refers to irritation, nervousness or basically being flustered, agitated, confused...
    "Mukatsuku" also coneys the meaning of being sick (vomit), but is otherwise used to say that someone is irritated or offended. IMO, it's usually not strong and is a common response to little teasing. It then means "stop bothering me" or what an English-speaker would feel more inclined to reply : "f*ck you" (although it stays quite polite in Japanese).

    There is another related expression that just means "to hurt someone's feeling" : kanjou wo gai suru 感情を害する. There is no adjective for "hurt, wounded,

    In my dictionary "displeased" was rendered as "fukai dearu" 不快で� る. "fukai" means "unpleasant", so "to be displeased" is just "something is unpleasant" in Japanese.

    "midasu" 乱す can be used to say that sb or sth disturb, bother, annoy or irritate you.

    Among the less common, "bujoku" 侮辱 means "insult, affront, contempt, slight..."

    Everytime, there are so much more English words that it is very difficult to render nuances in Japanese, and vice-versa, when one Japanese word is used, it's difficult to choose the most appropriate translation that has the right connotation.
    Last edited by Maciamo; Jun 17, 2003 at 16:00.

    Visit Japan for free with Wa-pedia
    See what's new on the forum ?
    Eupedia : Europe Guide & Genetics
    Maciamo & Eupedia on Twitter

    "What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?", Winston Churchill.

Similar Threads

  1. How does Japanese sound with an English accent ?
    By Maciamo in forum Miscellaneous
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: May 24, 2004, 04:41
  2. Replies: 30
    Last Post: Jul 28, 2003, 17:07
  3. Japanese is feminine, English is masculine
    By Maciamo in forum Culture Shock
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: Dec 5, 2002, 10:29

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •