Tweet of the Week

Around the world, text messaging has changed the way we communicate. Today’s youth will take messaging apps over answering a call in most situations—and Japan is no exception. But the thing is, online communication can be super tricky thanks to all the special lingo, emojisand autocorrect making it all too easy to misinterpret the meaning of a message.

Wait…what?

According to the pictures of this pamphlet about using social networking services (SNS), some people seem to really struggle with text speak. As a result, they can end up saying exactly the opposite of what they meant to say.

10:0でまいちゃんがい = It’s 100% Mai-chan’s fault

The pamphlet shows an extract of a group conversation on what looks to be LINE, a popular messaging app in Japan:

まい:

の、かない？= Wanna go see a movie next Sunday?

あや:

こうこう！= Let’s go! Let’s go!

カズ:

おれもく！= I’m going too!

まい:

カズはなんでくの = Why are you going?

カズ:

おれっちゃいの? = Is it bad if I come?

カズ:

なんだ、したよ。ごめん！= Seems like I got confused. Sorry!

まい:

もういいよ カズはじゃない = You’re not my friend

カズ:
………

Wow, those are some pretty harsh sentences from Mai to Kazu. But don’t worry, it’s simply a case of things getting lost in cellular translation. Here’s what Mai actually wanted to say:

カズはなんでくの = Why are you going?

Was meant to be:

カズはなにでくの？ = How are you getting there?

And instead of:

もういいよ。カズはじゃない = It’s fine, you’re not my friend

Mai chan wanted to say:

もうしなくていいよ カズはじゃない？= There’s been a misunderstanding. We’re friends, no?

But can we really blame text messaging in this instance? User @yoniichi421 shared his doubt on Twitter and most people agreed with him. More than a few wondered just how Mai could speak her mother tongue so badly.

SNSトラブルより、まいちゃんののさのが。= Rather than worrying about her issues on SNS, I worry about her low level of Japanese.

Mean Mai VS Poor Kazu

You’ve probably noticed that we translated @yoniichi421’s 10:0 with “100%,” but what does it mean exactly?

To understand, you’ll need to know a little bit about what happens after a car accident in Japan. When the policeestablish the accident report, they will evaluate using a ratio of how much responsibility is shared by each driver. For example, if both drivers share responsibility equally, the report will show 5:5.

Here, @yoniichi421 is saying that Mai bears 100% of the responsibility, while Kazu has done nothing wrong, i.e. “0.”

Making comparisons in Japanese using より

The little word より (yori) is essentially used to compare one characteristic to another. You can translate it in English as “than” with the underlying meaning of “(more) than.”

You’ll place よりafter the noun, adjective or verb that has “less” of what is being discussed than the other noun, adjective or verb it is being compared to:

AよりB = B (more) than A

ったよりでした。= It was easier than I thought.

Still より can appear with a different word order so pay attention to constructions such as:

A は B より… = A is more… than B

カズはまいよりしい。= Kazu is kinder than Mai.

If you’re into Japanese drama, the title Hana Yori Dango(Boys Over Flowers) will certainly ring a bell:

より男子

The show’s name comes from an old Japanese proverb, よりor“dumplings are better than flowers.” The saying refers to people who choose substance over style or practicality over aesthetic. Note that in the title of the show it’s written 男子, which is usually read as “danshi” — here it’s a play on words.

You can watch the series (with English subs) on YouTube. Check here for more TV shows that will help you learn Japanese, too!

Vocabulary

10:0	jyu tai zero	10 to 0
悪い	warui	wrong, at fault
今度	kondo	next, soon
日曜	nichiyou	short for “Sunday”
映画	eiga	movie
行く	iku	to go
おれ	ore	I (for men)
も	mo	too
なんで	nande	why
もういい	mou ii	it’s fine, that’s enough
誤解する	gokai suru	to misunderstand
ごめん 	gomen	sorry, I’m sorry
友達	tomodachi	friend
わたし 	watashi	I
トラブル	toraburu	trouble, difficulties
より	yori	than, more than,
日本語能力	nihongonouryoku	Japanese language skills
低さ	hikusa	low
心配	shinpai	worries, to worry
思う	omou	to think
簡単	kantan	easy
優しい	yasashii	kind
花より団子	hana yori dango	a saying; “dumplings rather than flowers” that means someone who chooses subsance over style

For more on learning Japanese