If you're a hardcore student of Japanese, and you get a job teaching English in Japan, then you're probably gonna study on your lunch break.

Or at least, that's what I used to do.

And every now and then, a Japanese co-worker would walk up, see me studying, and say:

Quit studying, loser!

Work until you die!

Well...

No, not really.

This is Japan.

They might make you feel that way sometimes, but they're not gonna say it to you.

Instead, I'd get an awesome, uplifting, flattering:

偉い
erai

...which means... uh... I don't know...

I can't really translate this into English well.

If we look in my dictionary, it says all this stuff:

偉い
erai
great; grand; celebrated; illustrious; famous; eminent; noted; extraordinary; remarkable; wonderful; phenomenal; superior; excellent; outstanding; admirable; estimable; distinguished; worthy; laudable; commendable.

Too. Many. Meanings.

Basically, it's just a non-sarcastic, friendly way to say, "Good for you."

But it also means a bunch of other stuff.

So I asked Rei to sift through our old photos and send me some 偉い (erai) 例文 (reibun; "example sentences") to go with them.

Lesson blessings follow...

偉い, Meaning #1 - Uh... "Admirable?"

This is the one I just introduced a second ago.

For example...

こんなに稼いで偉い？
konna ni kaseide erai?
Are you proud of me for making all this money?
(Literally: "this much + earn + admirable?")

(Note: This photo was taken in Vietnam [notice delicious iced coffee]... I'm probably holding like $5.)

Anytime you really want someone to give you props for your hard work, use this formula:

[Props-deserving verb in te-form] + 偉い？

働いて偉い？
hataraite erai?
Are you proud of me for working (so hard)?
(Literally: "work + admirable?")

勉強して偉い？
benkyou shite erai?
Are you proud of me for studying?
(Literally: "study + admirable?")

I think it sounds kind of... hmm... not cool to use this phrase, though.

I wouldn't use it with most people. But I might use it with Rei when I'm feeling tired, burnt out, and need a little confidence boosting.

偉い, Meaning #2 - Uh... "Very?"

Attention Grammar Nazis: Get excited.

You're gonna hate this.

We'll start with Example #1:

えらい生々しいね...。
erai namanamashii ne.
Wow, that's really graphic.
(Literally: "very + graphic + ね.")

(Note: 生々しい [nama nama shii] can also mean "fresh," but I think it's not too much of a stretch to see how "fresh" can become "vivid," can become "graphic.")
(Note #2: This is what they have on cigarette boxes in Vietnam... Japan's are much less graphic.)

Here's why Japanese teachers hate sentences like this:

We have two adjectives in a row, えらい (erai) and 生々しい (namanamashii).

It's almost like saying, "Admirable fresh picture." Or something weird like that.

That's a bad explanation.

Anyways, you're supposed to have this kind of setup in Japanese:

(In these, we take the adjective すごい [sugoi], "amazing" and make it into the adverb すごく [sugoku] "amazingly.)

adverb --> adjective
すごく高い
sugoku takai
It's super expensive.
(Literally: "amazingly + expensive.")

adverb --> verb
すごく疲れた
sugoku tsukareta
I'm super tired.
(Literally: "amazingly + tired.")

But then you roll up to Japan.

And you make some friends.

And you come over to...

The dark side of Japanese grammar: Casual grammar-less mashing of words!

And everybody (well, a high percentage of people) are actually saying this:

adjective --> adjective
すごい高い
sugoi takai
It's super expensive.
(Literally: "amazing + expensive.")

adjective --> verb
すごい疲れた
sugoi tsukareta
I'm super tired.
(Literally: "amazing + tired.")

And we have the same thing in our example sentence of:

えらい生々しい
erai namanamashii
Very graphic.
(Literally: "admirable + fresh/graphic.")
(Literally #2: I almost said, "super + fresh." Because I love stuff that's Super Fresh. Lyrics, for example.)

Last example!

えらい荷物すくないね。
erai nimotsu sukunai ne.
You have hardly any luggage.
(Literally: "admirable + luggage + few + ね.")

(Note: I can't for the life of me make such an illogical sentence in Japanese... but maybe, with time...)
(Note #2: Everything I own fits in that suitcase. Sometimes this is awesome. Other times... well, not so awesome.)

Anyways...

Just wanted to say:

I think you're so 偉い.

Bonus Phrases

例文を作ってください。
れいぶん　を　つくって　ください。
Please write an example sentence. // Will you please write an example sentence?

ユタってすごいね！
ユタ　って　すごい　ね！
Yuta's amazing! // You're amazing, Yuta!