71 - Killing Your Own Chickens, Part I
I asked Rei to help me find some interesting articles for these lessons.
She sent me to this blog post (← Warning: contains graphic images).
Initially, I thought, I can't use this!
It has pictures of people killing chickens!
But then I got to reading a bit, and I think maybe it is a worthwhile article to explore.
❈ ❈ Intro Note ❈ ❈
If you're a higher-level learner of Japanese, then I think it's an interesting article to read from start to finish.
However, it will be a bit too difficult for many/most.
I can't break down every sentence (as badly as I want to), so I'll just pick out a few from the article...
Incomprehensible Photo Announcement!
( ↑ The outskirts of Otaru, in Hokkaido. ↑ )
Words and grammar can be kind of tiring, yeah?
So I've inserted a bunch of cool photos from Japan.
And no--they have no relation to the words and grammar showing up.
But maybe they will make you want to explore this country a bit more, yeah??
Wanna come to my... "Life Workshop?"
( ↑ 猿島（さるしま）, "Monkey Island," near Kanagawa... which, sadly, has no monkeys. I did, however, see some cosplayers taking sweet photos. ↑ )
So the title of this article is:
「命のワークショップ」で「鶏をさばいて」美味しくいただきました。
「いのち の ワークショップ」 で 「にわとり を さばいて」 おいしく いただきました。
As part of our "Life Workshop," I "processed a chicken" and ate it.
Literally: "life + の + workshop + で + chicken + を + prepared / processed / judged + deliciously + received."
What in the world is going on in this sentence?
Let's separate it into three sentences:
「命のワークショップ」で
「いのち の ワークショップ」 で
As part of our "Life Workshop"
Literally: "life + の + workshop + で"
What's a "life workshop?"
( ↑ Cherry blossoms, somewhere in Tokyo. ↑ )
Well, in the actual article, there was a link to this page, which includes the following phrase:
いのちのワークショップとは
いのち の ワークショップ と は
The Meaning of "Life Workshop"
Literally: "life + の + workshop + とは"
❈ ❈ Formula City! ❈ ❈
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
( ↑ The middle of Otaru, in Hokkaido. ↑ )
This type of question is extremely common:
Ａ とはどういう意味ですか。
Ａ とは どういう いみ です か。
What does "A" mean?
Literally: "A + とは + what kind of + meaning + is + か."
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
❈ ❈ Formula City! ❈ ❈
Looking for the exact phrase とはどういう意味ですか will bring up over half a million results in Google:
In those examples, A is:
イノベーション
innovation
デジャブ
deja vu
Note: This is usually spelled デジャヴ.
理不尽
りふじん
unreasonable; irrational
まほろば
a splendid place (to live)
Note: Looking at the article brought up in the results, this seems to be a word with some pretty complicated nuances... I'd never heard it before.
通勤費が非課税
つうきんひ が ひかぜい
commuting expenses are tax exempt
Literally: "commuting (to work) + cost/expense + tax exemption."
So this means that the article titles are:
( ↑ One of Tokyo's smaller trains. ↑ )
イノベーションとは、どういう意味ですか？
イノベーション とは、 どういう いみ です か？
What does "イノベーション (innovation)" mean?
Literally: "innovation + とは + what kind of + meaning + is + か."
( ↑ Cherry blossoms in Nakameguro, Tokyo. ↑
「デジャヴ」とはどういう意味ですか？
「デジャヴ」 とは どういう いみ です か？
What does "デジャヴ (deja vu)" mean?
Literally: "deja vu + とは + what kind of + meaning + is + か."
Note: I fixed the spelling of デジャブ, making it デジャヴ.
( ↑ The outskirts of Otaru, in Hokkaido. ↑ )
理不尽とはどういう意味ですか？
りふじん とは どういう いみ です か？
What does "理不尽 (unreasonable; irrational)" mean?
Literally: "unreasonable + とは + what kind of + meaning + is + か."
( ↑ A path that goes all the way from Shimokitazawa to Nakameguro. One of my favorite walks in Tokyo. ↑ )
まほろばとは、どういう意味ですか？
まほろば とは、 どういう いみ です か？
What does "まほろば (splendid place [to live])" mean?
Literally: "splendid place (to live) + とは + what kind of + meaning + is + か."
( ↑ Walking down to the subway platform at a station in Tokyo. ↑ )
通勤費が非課税とはどういう意味ですか？
つうきんひ が ひかぜい とは どういう いみ です か？
What does "通勤費が非課税 (commuting expenses are tax exempt)" mean?
Literally: "commuting expenses + が + tax exemption + とは + what kind of + meaning + is + か."
Note: This shows how we can also use full phrases before とは.
とは Hack #1
( ↑ This violent old man lives in Sapporo Station, in Hokkaido. ↑ )
Cut off ～どういう意味ですか（どういう いみ です か）for article titles.
This is such a common formula that people know what it means without the "what is the meaning of?" attached to it.
You see this on a lot of companies' about pages on their sites.
For example, Costco's Japanese about page says:
コストコとは？
What is Costco?
Literally: "Costco + とは？"
とは Hack #2
( ↑ Hokkaido University, in Sapporo. ↑ )
Use って instead of とは.
This will sound less stiff and formal.
For example:
「ディスる」ってどういう意味ですか？
「ディスる」 って どういう いみ です か？
What does ディスる (to dis) mean?
Literally: "to dis + って + what kind of + meaning + is + か?"
Note: Yes, the Katakana English "to dis someone" does exist in Japanese, and this is a real webpage.
The first time I heard Rei say ディスられた, "I got dissed," I... well, I was speechless.
Japanese slang of English slang... that's about as slang as it gets, right? I never imagined I would hear about someone "getting dissed" in passive Japanese.
とは Hack #3
( ↑ Tokyo, during cherry blossoms. One of those really famous spots... I forget which one. ↑ )
You can also drop ですか in the casual って versions:
シュールってどういう意味？
シュール って どういう いみ？
What does シュール (surreal) mean?
Literally: "surreal + って + what kind of + meaning + is + か?"
Note: Again, this is a real webpage.
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