ppp015 PDF

ju-nishi
5mi
nut
eJapaneseCl
assbyHi
t
omiHi
r
ayama
15
12 signs
of the Chinese
zodiac
Vol.
Design : Masako Ban
I had dinner with friends after the New Year holiday,

and they started talking about their age. One of
them said, Im a dog. What are you, Mr. Pole? I
didnt know what she meant, so I just said, Im a
penguin. They told me Japanese people are
classified as different animals according to their year
of birth. Is that true?
Did you receive any nengajo- (New Year cards)? Did you notice the
pictures of a dragon on them? This is the year of the dragon in the ju- nishi
Chinese zodiac, and nengajo- designs often include the zodiac sign of the
year. Japanese people sometimes try to determine your age by asking, nani
doshi desu ka (Whats your sign of the zodiac?), instead of directly asking,
How old are you? It is a tactful question used particularly by middle-aged
or older people.
Mr. Pole
Mr. Pole :
osho- gatsu wa
Hirayama :
How was
your trip
2& 3.
Citing more than one item:

-tari can be used when expressing your
impression of several things.
e.g.,

wa do- deshita ka

wa do- datta
ryoko-
(casual form)
shimaimashita
with family
Mr. Pole :
Y2K problem
There was almost no trouble at all.
hardly
did not exist
We worried about it too much!
6.
Asking how a situation was:

Use the friendly form of 1 . Note that it shows
your concern or sympathy for the person you are talking to.
2000
nisennen mondai

wa do- deshita ka
Hirayama :
too much worry about
this year
5.
How bad...? (asking

about the situation,
in present tense)
e.g.,
Mr. Pole :
n ake
m as h
ne
How is the economy going to be this year?
kotoshi no ke- ki wa
Expressing an action that has gone too far:
I ate too much.

+
or
sugimasu
sugi desu
masu
masu-form
tabesugimashita
e.g., I worried about it too much.
+
no shisugi desu
o shimasu
masu-form
shimpai no shisugi deshita
How was...?
(asking about the situation)
trouble wa hotondo nakatta desu ne
Well, I guess it will level off.
uunnn tabun yokobai desu ne

leveling off
cautious
shincho-
tiger
(tora)
strong-willed
ishi ga tsuyoi
accommodating
sewazuki
rabbit
(usagi)
gentle
onwa
progressive
shimpo teki
dragon
(tatsu)
generous
o-raka
studious
benkyo- -ka
snake
(hebi)
ambitious
maemuki
passionate
jo-netsu teki
horse
(uma)
open-minded
kaiho- teki
active
ko-do- teki
sheep
(hitsuji)
patient
nintaizuyoi
serious
majime
monkey
(saru)
positive
sekkyoku teki
cheerful
akarui
chicken
(tori)
organized
kicho-men
gentle
onko-
dog
(inu)
thoughtful
shiryobukai
honest
sho- jiki
boar
(inoshishi)
strong-willed
ishi ga tsuyoi
kind
shinsetsu
mi
By the way, how was the Y2K problem?
5.
sympathetic
omoiyari ga aru
tatsu
holiday
wa
ox
(ushi)
felt at ease
2000
so- ieba nisennen mondai
(It is a shame that) it is over.
owatteshimaimashita
How (bad) was the Y2K problem?
6.
in a moment
by the way
te-form +
watched
Its a shame the holidays ended so quickly.
4. have finished
atto yu- mani yasumi ga
(expressed with regret)
I visited a shrine, went to the movies and so onit was fun.
e.g.,
5.
after a long time
+ describe
ta-form + ta-form +
ri
ri your feelings
Hav e
(h as)
d o n e/ h ap p en ed
al r ead y : This
expression is used to show regret for what has
happened or something you have done against your
3.
uma
to goz
de
a
as u
im
4.
visited
tora
It was really good to relax with my family for once.
hisashiburi ni
kazoku to nonbirishimashita
(friendly form)

jinja ni ittari e- ga o mitari tanoshikatta desu
2.

terebi o
ushi
How was...? (asking the impression)
Well, I went to the shrine, watched movies (and so on).
jinja ni

(polite form)
wa ikaga deshita ka
s thoughts
on their recent experiences:
1.
New Year
Grammar note
1. Asking someone
How was your New Year holiday?
om
...ne (rat)
...ushi (ox)
...tora (tiger)
...u (rabbit)
...tatsu (dragon) ...mi (snake) ...uma (horse) ...hitsuji (sheep)
...saru (monkey) ...tori (chicken) ...inu (dog)
...i (boar)
Year 2000 is tatsu. The next 12 years will therefore be:
2001 (mi) 2002 (uma) 2003 (hitsuji) 2004 (saru) 2005 (tori) 2006 (inu)
2007 (i)
2008 (ne)
2009 (ushi), 2010 (tora) 2011 (u)
2012 (tatsu)...
e.g., My zodiac sign is dragon. tatsu doshi desu
Mr. Pole and Ms. Hirayama are talking about New Year holidays.
ite
(The 12 signs of Chinese zodiac)
This 12-year-cycle zodiac originated in China. The following list shows all the
signs in the correct order. Try working out what your sign is:
2000
ju-nishi
- nishi signs are believed to reflect the personalities of

The ju
their holders. At one time they represented 12 directions on a
compass and every two hours of the day starting at midnight
with ne. For example, ushi no koku is 2 a.m. You may have
seen the old time system referred to in samurai films.
flexible
sociable
rat
(nezumi)
ne
rinki o- hen
shako- teki
hitsuji
saru
tori
inu
With cooperation from Yasuhiro Koga
Copyright 1999 The Yomiuri Shimbun

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ju-nishi

Design : Masako Ban

I had dinner with friends after the New Year holiday,

Citing more than one item:

There was almost no trouble at all.

did not exist

We worried about it too much!

Asking how a situation was:

too much worry about

How bad...? (asking

How is the economy going to be this year?

Expressing an action that has gone too far:

I ate too much.

trouble wa hotondo nakatta desu ne

Well, I guess it will level off.

uunnn tabun yokobai desu ne

By the way, how was the Y2K problem?

(It is a shame that) it is over.

How (bad) was the Y2K problem?

Its a shame the holidays ended so quickly.

I visited a shrine, went to the movies and so onit was fun.

after a long time

It was really good to relax with my family for once.

How was...? (asking the impression)

Well, I went to the shrine, watched movies (and so on).

How was your New Year holiday?

(The 12 signs of Chinese zodiac)

- nishi signs are believed to reflect the personalities of

With cooperation from Yasuhiro Koga

Copyright 1999 The Yomiuri Shimbun

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