The Nihongo Q&A Thread

[mingshi]

**Guideline: Post any simple question on the Japanese Language here, whether or not kendo-related. If you want to answer a specific question, remember to quote the question. Thanks.**

I'll start by asking:-

1. I have more than once heard the kendo term for distance, or Maai, was pronounced as Ma-wai. Is this the norm or dialectic (or I heard it wrong)?

2. Are people abusing the word Katana? How come it is OK in kendo to say, "hey, don't play with your shinai!", while no one in Iaido says, "hey, don't play with your katana!"?

3. What is the Japanese command they use for "move around once" in the dojo? (say, during kihon keiko, you cut Men 5 times, and "move around" to pair off with someone else)

Feel free to add your questions/answers here :)

[slidercrank]

3. What is the Japanese command they use for "move around once" in the dojo? (say, during kihon keiko, you cut Men 5 times, and "move around" to pair off with someone else)


ローテー、ローテーション、or 回れ !

[JSchmidt]

1. I have more than once heard the kendo term for distance, or Maai, was pronounced as Ma-wai. Is this the norm or dialectic (or I heard it wrong)?


Most likely heard wrong. Some appear to break it down to 2 words 'Ma-ai' and if they close their mouth inbetween the two, it can appear slightly like a 'w' inbetween.



3. What is the Japanese command they use for "move around once" in the dojo? (say, during kihon keiko, you cut Men 5 times, and "move around" to pair off with someone else)


'Kotai' (spelling?)

Jakob

[Hattori Hanzo]

What is that Kendo-ka doing in the corner playing with his Shinai hehe...sorry couldn't resist.

[xvikingx]

1. Never heard ma-wai. Did a women say it?

2. I rarely hear katana. If someone refers to a sword they almost always say ken.

3. I've always heard kotai.

[Shiro]

3. What is the Japanese command they use for "move around once" in the dojo? (say, during kihon keiko, you cut Men 5 times, and "move around" to pair off with someone else)
It's kotai in my dojo too.

[Kingofmyrrh]

Actually I know what you mean about the mawai thing. However, I`m certain they wouldn`t be saying mawai because there`s no such word. However, it might be a result of ennunciating each syllable and not just dragging out the ma (ie not ma-i but ma a i). In fact as I sit here mouthing to myself stupidly it does actually come out a bit like that, although not to the extent that I`ve heard some Japanese people do it. Although of course it`s fairly obvious that since I`m not a native speaker what I say is not of much use.

[Musha]

I don't know why some people think it is Ma-wai but I heard it once in this video http://www.wfkendo.com/images/downloads/basic_strike_men.mov . Maybe it is some kind of punishment for Japanese war crimes for people to pronounce almost every Japanese word wrong time and time again.

Karate (Ka' ra' te')=Karati
Karaoke (Kara oke')=Karioki
Sake (Sa' ke')=Sa-ki and so on. Does Sake make you more sarcastic or some think? :D. Japanese is easy you can pronouce it almost how it sounds, why do people never learn! :(.

Any way Ma means space 間　and ai is like the ai-kidou ai 合い. It is a Jukugo two kanji put together to make one. Not two words.

But actualy Japanese has changed a lot over time and some letters were actualy lost. Wa is still there though but I am not sure if it could have been the same as ai at one time :ermm:. It means obscene now.

[Raiza]

1. A visiting 6 Dan and our resident 4 Dan use the ma-wai pronounciation but they often switch between ma-wai and maai. Both are from Hokkaido.

2. I've never heard the term katana in kendo/iaido where I am. Always ken. Short and sweet and covers all the bases. You even hear ken used in kendo colour commentary during Japanese tournaments instead of shinai.

3. We use "kotai" to get people moving around. "Rotate!" works well too.

[mingshi]

Thanks for the response.

Concerning 1. How to say Maai, I recall from two different occation, both of them 8Dan... It was like, "MA-WHY". What I usually hear from people is more like "MA-EYE"...

Today's addition:

4. When do you use the "soften form", eg. Ka/Ga, Shi/Ji, etc.? Why is it Narita Airport and Waseda University? (note: the ta and da is of the same kanji)

:evolved:

[Eldritch Knight]

Thanks for the response.

Concerning 1. How to say Maai, I recall from two different occation, both of them 8Dan... It was like, "MA-WHY". What I usually hear from people is more like "MA-EYE"...

Today's addition:

4. When do you use the "soften form", eg. Ka/Ga, Shi/Ji, etc.? Why is it Narita Airport and Waseda University? (note: the ta and da is of the same kanji)

:evolved:

Japanese is a phonestic language, and thus ma-ai is pronounced exactly like that. (Ma-EYE)

The variant pronunciation for names is (as far as I'm informed) based in some cases on the kanji that preceeds it and its pronunciation, while in other cases it was determined arbitrarily (with regards to aesthetics) and has stuck that way due to constant use.

[xvikingx]

4. When do you use the "soften form", eg. Ka/Ga, Shi/Ji, etc.? Why is it Narita Airport and Waseda University? (note: the ta and da is of the same kanji)

Still working on this one myself... I found that the "soften form" often apllies when a character/kana/letter/ji that can be converter into another sound by ten-ten (ie. か＆が、し＆じ） follows another kanji/word. Like jigeiko instead of jikeiko, or tengoku instead of tenkoku.
I can't figure out the Narita thing though. Usually ends with da instead... Harada, Sanda, Haneda, ?Narita?. I guess it is one of those many "exceptions to rule" that makes it oh so difficult to learn another language. Like 中国 (-goku) and　韓国 (-koku). I look forward to more insight on this one.

[Musha]

Some Japanese words change for the simple reason that it is easier to say, if you had to say Kangoku 韓国 over and over again very fast I think you would loose your breath.
But you already have your mouth set up for the Ka part of Kan　韓 so you can use the Ka again for the koku 国　part. But if you were to say 戦国 sengoku (Country at war), There is no Kan so you don't have to keep the end part the same. To me that Koku 国 is a lot harder to say than goku 国 and keeping to the same line KA KI KU KE KO か　き　く　け　こ　is much easier than moving down to GA KI KU KE GO が　ぎ　ぐ　げ　ご.

Hope this makes sence :D.