Japanese Wordly Wisdom: Kotowaza

Japanese proverbs, also known as kotowaza are widely used in Japan as way of expressing yourself.

I would like to define the concept of proverbs, since it will help you understand that as crazy as some of these sayings are, they are based on common sense. Keep in mind that these might just be Japanese common sense, so if you are not Japanese it might not be too common for you. Yet again, with colloquial and generational differences, not all of them are common to every region and every demographic.

Take for example the following proverb: “Elbow grease is the best polish”. I believe I rest my case.

Moving on, using Wikipedia as the ultimate source of knowledge, proverbs are defined as “ a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity.”

It is the same concept as having a conversation with your parents about what they did during their weekend in Las Vegas. If your parents are not interested in letting you know, they might shoot one of their favorite proverbs: “curiosity killed the cat”—and if we are on the same boat here, you should know better than asking again. In the previous scenario “curiosity killed the cat” is a way of saying “it’s none of your business” or “nothing you would like to know” — in other words the application of proverbs will vary in context. Important thing to keep in mind if you are not used to using ancient wisdom.There are literal translations as well as assumptions ( deductive thinking on meaning interpretation) on what they mean in more applicable terms for lack of a better word.

Let’s begin with a personal favorite…

1. Kabe ni mimi ari shouji me ar

a. 壁に耳あり、障子に目あり

b. Meaning: The wall have ears, the doors have eyes

Comedians in Japan—the good, the bad, and the idiotic

By Glenn-sensei our Language Instructor

Japanese TV programs have, like many other facets of Japanese pop culture, gained a bit of a cult following in the West.  First it was the anime: Dragonball Z, Pokemon, and more recently, Naruto and Full Metal Alchemist.  Also Japanese dramas have a following as well, and even a nickname—dorama, which is the pronunciation of the word “drama” in Japanese.

These genres are well-known and have large, international followings online.  My wife loves her dorama.  They are the ultimate chick flicks—so emotionally manipulating, some lady coworkers of mine from the USA were moved to tears even without being able to understand a single word of the dialogue.

So what are your choices if you’re not that in to tearjerkers or detective stories?  You probably know the answer.  Variety shows, the flagship of Japanese television, are steadily gaining popularity and spawning copycat versions in Europe and the USA.  Pop culture references in America, like in an episode of the Simpsons, tend to parody the sadistic element of Japanese game shows (these contests are usually part of variety shows).

Variety shows are usually based on either comedy, or music, and contain elements of both.  Kind of a mix of game shows, sketch comedy, talk shows, and music.  These shows are great fun, and really deserve their own article, so I won’t go too much into detail here.  Chances are when you’ve seen a clip online of one of these “crazy game shows” or funny scenes, it’s from a variety show.

On the receiving end of these depraved acts of sadism are the “geinin,” 芸人, also referred to as talents (タレント).   They’ve broken into showbiz—which means years of being debased and tormented on national TV, unless they really do have talent, in which case they can eke out a dignified career.

Today, I’m going to introduce (or perhaps re-introduce) you to some of the comedians who fill the ranks of these shows—their shelf life is shorter than that of any one-hit wonder you’ll hear on the radio.  The only difference is, musicians can fade away into obscurity until later generations fetishize the decade their hit was in, and VH1 drags them out into sunlight for one of those shows like “Where are they now?.”  Well for comedians, oftentimes you know where the hell they are—on TV, wearing a pink monkey costume, getting hit in the crotch with a jai alai ball going 200km/h.

One Joke Comedians

These are the comedians who had only one joke the entire time they were famous, and the faded into obscurity after being a national phenomenon for about 6 weeks.

1.    How would you feel if the most internationally recognizable of your countrymen was this guy?

And I should qualify.

Japanese people start getting a bit defensive when foreigners tell their friends back home about HG Razor Ramon.  Really.  Look at the comments under any video of this guy on YouTube.  You have to empathize with the Japanese.

Animal Sounds in Japanese

These are just some of the sounds that animals make, according to the Japanese. It is interesting to note that there are some that do not exist in English, like the elephant’s paoon. (I verified this with the people at Webster’s, just to make sure.) These are written in romaji (Romanized Japanese), so please remember to pronounce them correctly. For example, the horse’s hi-hiin is pronounced “hee-heen,” etc.

Wouldn’t it be fun to make a Japanese recreation of old mcdonald had a farm with Japanese sounding animals? 🙂

cat – nyaao ; (purring) gorogoro
dog – wan-wan ; (growling) uuuu
mouse – chuu-chuu
horse – hi-hiin
cow – moo
sheep – mee-mee
pig – buu-buu
chicken – (clucking) kokkokko
rooster crowing – kokekokkoo
duck – gaa-gaa
sparrow – chun-chun
owl – hoo-hoo
fox – kon-kon
elephant – paoon
monkey – kyakkyaa