Author: Mayuna

  • S2 Ep1. おひさしぶりです

    はい、こんにちは。今回はポッドキャストのシーズン2の1回目です。シーズン1の最終回は7月でしたから、3ヶ月ぐらいお休みしていたことになります。お休みしている間にも、Youtubeでチャンネル登録者数が増えていました。どうもありがとうございます。

    Hello. This is my podcast episode 1 of season 2. The last episode of season 1 was in July, so I was on a break for about three months. Even while I was on a break, the number of subscribers to my Youtube channel increased. Thank you very much.

    この3ヶ月、私は何をしていたかというと、大学の入学準備を進めていました。私は大学で美術を勉強しましたが、もう一度大学に行って、今度は教育学を勉強することにしました。教育学では、教育史や、心理学や、社会学など、先生になるための勉強をします。京都に教育学で有名な大学があります。私は現在大阪に住んでいて、京都に電車で一時間ぐらいで行けるので、そこに行くことにしました。大学の授業はほとんどオンラインなので、仕事を続けながら受けることができます。大学は今月始まったばかりです。

    What I have been doing for the past three months is preparing to go to university. Before, I studied art at university, but I have decided to go to university again, this time to study education. In education, I study the history of education, psychology, sociology, etc., in order to become a teacher. There is a university in Kyoto that is famous for education studies. I currently live in Osaka and can get to Kyoto by train in about an hour, so I have decided to go there. Most of the university’s classes are online, so I can take them while continuing to work. The university classes just started this month.

    大学ではたくさん本を読んで、レポートを書かなければいけません。レポートは3000字ぐらい必要です。私は今、教育原論についての本を読んでいます。この本は、私が行っている大学の教授が書いた本です。この本には、教育というシステムがどのように始まったかとか、どこの国でどんな教育が行われたかなどが書いてあります。ヨーロッパや日本の教育の歴史を勉強します。そして、現代の教育の課題について考えます。現代の教育では、貧富の差や、社会的マイノリティーへの教育、不登校などが問題になっています。「貧富の差」とは、お金持ちの人と貧乏な人のギャップのことです。「不登校」とは、生徒が学校に行かないことです。

    At university I have to read a lot of books and write essays. The essays need to be about 3,000 words. I am currently reading a book about the principles of education. This book was written by a professor at the university I go to. In this book, I can read about how the system of education started and what kind of education was provided in which countries. I study the history of education in Europe and Japan, and then think about the challenges of modern education. In modern education, problems include ‘Hinpu-no-sa’ (Wealth gap), education for social minorities, and ‘Futoukou’ (School non-attendance). ‘Hinpu-no-sa’ refers to the gap between rich people and poor people. ‘Futoukou’ refers to pupils not going to school.

    今後は大学の課題や講義があるので、毎週ポッドキャストを更新することができないかもしれませんが、できるだけ続けていきたいと思います。どうぞよろしくお願いします。それでは、今日はこんな感じで終わりたいと思います。また次回お会いしましょう。どうもありがとうございました。

    I may not be able to update the podcast every week in the future due to university assignments and lectures, but I will try to continue as much as possible. Thanks for understanding. Well, I think that’s it for today. See you next time and thanks for listening!

  • Japanese idioms using body parts

    Japanese idioms using body parts

    Even though idioms are not basic nouns or verbs, they are among the most essential expressions in everyday speech. Like other languages, Japanese has many idioms using body parts. In this article, I would like to introduce some of the most common idioms used in everyday life.

    Do you know what the following idioms mean?:

    耳(みみ)が遠(とお)い one’s ears are far away
    顔(かお)が広(ひろ)い one’s face is wide
    口(くち)が軽(かる)い one’s mouth is light

    耳(みみ)が遠(とお)い one’s ears are far away

    Understanding this idiom is relatively simple. What happens when your ears are far away? The correct answer is ‘difficulty in hearing’. 耳(みみ)が遠(とお)い is an idiom that describes a condition of having poor hearing. It is easy to remember the idiom this way, but in fact the word 遠(とお)い(distant) used in this idiom means ‘sluggish’, which describes a condition in which a person’s hearing has deteriorated due to ageing or a chronic illness. There are other idioms that use this second meaning of 遠(とお)い. For example, 気(き)が遠(とお)くなる(one’s mind becomes sluggish) is a state of being so shocked that one becomes dazed. It is often used to exaggerate the degree of surprise rather than the actual state of fainting.

    Examples:
    耳(みみ)が遠(とお)いので、大(おお)きな声(こえ)で話(はな)してください
    I’m deaf/I have poor hearing, so please speak louder.

    祝日(しゅくじつ)も残業(ざんぎょう)なんて気(き)が遠(とお)くなる
    I can’t deal with working overtime on public holidays.

    顔(かお)が広(ひろ)い one’s face is wide

    広(ひろ)い means ‘large in area’. If you hear this idiom for the first time, it may sound like a swear word meaning ‘You have a big face’. In Japanese, however, this expression is rather complimentary. The Japanese word 顔(かお) (face) has a metaphorical meaning of ‘visibility’. For example, the idiom 顔(かお)が利(き)く(one’s face is valid) means that the person’s name recognition works to his/her advantage. For example, receiving a special discount at a restaurant owned by a friend. 顔(かお)が広(ひろ)いdescribes a state in which person’s name recognition works over a wide area. Generally, it is someone who has a lot of friends in society and powerful. If you say 大(おお)きい (large) instead of 広(ひろ)い (large in area), that literally means “your face is big”, so make sure you don’t say it wrong!

    Examples:
    田中(たなか)さんはこの店(みせ)に顔(かお)が利(き)く
    Ms. Tanaka is recognised in this shop (and therefore guaranteed priority).

    山本(やまもと)さんはIT業界(ぎょうかい)で顔(かお)が広(ひろ)い
    Mr. Yamamoto has a lot of friends/power in the IT industry.

    口(くち)が軽(かる)い one’s mouth is light

    As in other languages, 軽(かる)い (light) has many figurative meanings. When 軽(かる)い is used in Japanese to refer to a body part or person, it often means ‘frivolous and untrustworthy’. For example, 尻(しり)が軽(かる)い (one’s hips are light) describes someone (mainly women) who is shifty and quickly cheats on their partners, etc. Similarly, 口(くち)が軽(かる)い describes someone who is talkative and is quick to reveal secrets or information that should not be told. Also, 彼(かれ)は軽(かる)い (he is light) indicates someone who is not trustworthy, lacking in sincerity or discretion, even if his words and deeds are friendly. However, 心 (こころ)が軽(かる)い (light-hearted) is the same expression as in English and is positive. It describes a state of being free from worry and feeling fine.

    Examples:
    口(くち)が軽(かる)いのは彼女(かのじょ)の欠点(けってん)だ
    Her inability to keep secrets is her downfall.

    試験(しけん)が終(お)わって心(こころ)が軽(かる)い
    Light hearted after the exam.

    Idioms composed of nouns and adjectives

    The idioms introduced in this article consist of a combination of nouns and adjectives. Adjectives have antonyms, but it is important to note that the meaning of an idiom does not follow the rule. For example, the antonym for 遠(とお)い(distant) is 近(ちか)い(close), but 耳(みみ)が近(ちか)いmeans the state of being quick to obtain rumours. The state of being able to hear well is 耳(みみ)がいい (one’s ears are good). An antonym for 口(くち)が軽(かる)い is 口(くち)が堅(かた)い (one’s month is firm). It is not 重(おも)い (heavy). 堅(かた)い denotes rigid and inflexible. Understanding these nuances helps to understand not only the meaning of the idiom, but also the image the Japanese have of the word. When you find a new idiom, also look for its antonyms and synonyms. And don’t forget to pay attention to what differences there are from the idioms in your mother tongue.

    Reference:
    Weblio辞典 https://www.weblio.jp/phrase/%E8%BA%AB%E4%BD%93_1

    デジタル大辞泉・小学館 https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E9%81%A0%E3%81%84/

  • 32. 暑中見舞い

    はい、こんにちは。今回はポッドキャストの32回目です。今週は色々なニュースがありましたね。イギリスのボリス・ジョンソン首相が辞任したり、遊戯王の漫画家が事故で亡くなったりしました。今朝は、安倍元総理が狙撃されて亡くなったニュースを聞いて、大変驚きました。日本では銃が使われる事件は年間10件以下しか起こらないため、今回の事件は非常に珍しいです。日本は平和な国だと思われていますが、実際は若者の貧困が深刻になっています。犯罪は増えていくかもしれません。

    Hello. This is my podcast episode 32. There’s been a lot of news this week. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned, and a Yu-Gi-Oh cartoonist was killed in an accident. This morning, I was very surprised to hear the news that former Prime Minister Abe was killed by a sniper. This incident is very unusual in Japan, as there are less than 10 incidents a year in which guns are used. Japan is considered to be a peaceful country, but in reality, poverty among young people is becoming more serious. Crime may increase.

    今日は、日本の夏の習慣を紹介したいと思います。皆さんの国では、夏に家族や親戚に会う習慣がありますか?日本では、8月の「お盆」と言う祝日に家族に会う人が多いです。カードやプレゼントを送ることもあります。これは「暑中見舞い」と言って、7月上旬から8月上旬ごろに送ります。「暑中」は暑い時期と言う意味で、「見舞い」は誰かを訪ねて、様子を見に行くことです。カードには「暑中お見舞い申し上げます」というフレーズが使われます。「申し上げる」は「言う」の謙譲語です。謙譲語とは、敬語の一つで、自分の行動に使います。プレゼントにはとくに決まりはありません。プレゼントを贈らない場合もあります。

    Today I would like to introduce some Japanese summer customs. In your country, is there a custom of meeting family and relatives in the summer? In Japan, many people meet their families on a holiday in August called ‘Obon’. Cards and gifts are sometimes sent. This is called ‘Shochu Mimai’ and is sent from early July to early August. ‘Shochu’ means ‘hot season’ and ‘Mimai (politer: Omimai)’ means visiting someone to see how they are doing. The phrase “Shochu Omimai Moushiagemasu (I wish you all the best in the hot weather)” is used on the card. The phrase ’Moushiageru’ is the humble form of ‘Iu (to say)’. Humble expression is one of the honorifics and is used for one’s own actions. There are no specific rules for gifts. In some cases, gifts may not be given.

    暑中見舞いの習慣は、江戸時代に始まったそうです。「お盆」に家族を訪ねるときに、亡くなった先祖に供える品物を持って行ったのが始まりだそうです。また、暑い夏は食欲がなくなったり、熱中症になったりして、体調を崩す人が多いので、元気にしているかどうか確認する目的もあります。家族や親戚以外にも、同僚や友達にも送ります。こういう伝統的な習慣は、だんだんなくなっています。コロナウイルスの影響で、人が集まる機会も減りました。

    The custom of Shochu Mimai is said to have originated in the Edo period (1603-1867). It is said to have originated when people visited their families during the Obon period and brought offerings to their deceased ancestors. It also has the purpose of checking to see if people are doing well, as many people lose their appetites or suffer heat stroke during the hot summer months. Besides family and relatives, we also send Shochu Mimai to colleagues and friends. These traditional customs are gradually disappearing. Due to the coronavirus, there are fewer opportunities for people to get together.

    はい、じゃあ今日はこんな感じで終わりたいと思います。そして突然ですが、このポッドキャストと記事の更新をしばらくお休みしたいと思います。italkiのレッスンは続ける予定なので、今後ともどうぞよろしくお願いします。それでは皆様、暑い日が続きますが元気にお過ごしください。暑中お見舞い申し上げます。どうもありがとうございました。

    Well, I think that’s it for today. And I know this is sudden, but I’m going to take a break from updating this podcast and articles for a while. I will continue the italki lessons, so please keep in touch with me. So, everyone, I hope you are all doing well in these hot days ahead. I wish you all the best in the hot weather. Thank you very much.