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In informal
situations, or when adults talk to children or children talk
to each other, very simple request forms are used in Japanese,
as they are in English.
eg. |
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| 「ご飯よ。手を洗ってね。」 |
'Dinner's
ready. Wash your hands!' |
| 「えんぴつかして。」 |
'Lend
us your pencil.' |
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In class too teachers
often use simple forms, |
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eg.
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| 「ノートを出して。」 |
'Take
out your exercise books.' |
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お風呂に水を入れる |
Put
water in the bath |
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風呂のお湯を沸かす |
heat
the water in the bath |
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お風呂を洗う |
wash
the bath |
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お皿を出しておく |
put
out the dishes |
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お皿/食器を洗う |
wash
the dishes |
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片付ける |
tidy
up |
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部屋を掃除する |
clean
the room |
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You might even be
asked to heat something in the microwave with
" チンしてくれる？" .
"チンする",
which is created from the sound
'チン'
of a microwave oven beep, was first heard in a commercial for
microwave ovenware, and is now commonly used in informal conversation
among family and friends. |
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To help with household
chores, the Japanese have many appliances and other products
in their home. Some words include loan words, others end in
'機 '
(1) (machine)
or '器'(2)
(apparatus, container).
Try to guess what these things are by matching the English clues
to the words! (Answers below) |
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掃除機 |
1.
rice cooker |
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洗濯機 |
2.
oven toaster |
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電気ポット |
3.
composter |
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食器洗い器 |
4.
microwave oven |
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生ゴミ処理機 |
5.
dishwasher |
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炊飯器 |
6.
electric thermos pot |
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オーブン・トースター |
7.
vacuum cleaner |
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電子レンジ |
8.
washing machine |
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(Answers
from top: vacuum cleaner, washing machine, electric thermos
pot, dishwasher, composter, rice cooker, oven toaster, microwave
oven) |
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The expression "お世話になります"
is often used at the start of a homestay to express thanks for
the kindness you will receive, and at the end you can express
your appreciation with
"お世話になりました".
The word '世話'
means care
or help, so the above expressions can also be used when thanking
for help. "ひとを世話する"
means to look after someone, and
'世話好き'
means someone
who likes to do things for others. However too much care can
be a nuisance! '世話'
can also mean trouble or bother, as in the following expression:
"大きなお世話だ"
'Mind your own business.' |
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「郷に入っては郷に従え。」
Keep this in
mind when you go to Japan! '郷'
means native
place or province, so the saying literally means 'When you go
to the provinces, follow the provinces' rules.' ,ie. 'When in
Rome, do as the Romans do.' |
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When homestaying,
students will probably be invited to call their host parents
お母さん and
お父さん. Many
of you know that the kanji 母
'mother' comes from a picture of a woman with breasts.
But did you know that the kanji 父
'father' comes from a picture of a hand holding an axe? This
symbolized the adult male, and by extension the father, although
these days a working father probably uses a different implement!
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藤堂編 小学生版 「漢字なりたち辞典」参照、公文「公文の漢字辞典」参照 |
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