Expat Japan Network

Jed D`Lagged · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:19 pm Post subject:

I'm looking for the equvalent of "Thanks". ありがとう　is a bit long so I'm using どうも, but I don't really hear the natives saying it so I could just be sounding like a foreigner?

Jed D`Lagged · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:25 pm Post subject:

Fuck, I have to go outside and get some milk. Stupid foodstuffs.

myhomeuphere · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:34 pm Post subject:

yanpa · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:44 pm Post subject:

sucks · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:45 pm Post subject:

So is domo domo not right then either?
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Jed D`Lagged · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:54 pm Post subject:

sucks · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 4:05 pm Post subject:

Spam is porcine not bovine
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yanpa · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:52 pm Post subject:

This is a case for ...

Domo-kun!

Jed D`Lagged · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:08 pm Post subject:

Okay, I try hard to pick up my anime-isms but one may have gotten through.

I was at the checkout buying some groceries, and I dropped my change. Instinctively I went "ああ、しまった！" and the grocery lady had a giggle. I thought this was just because she thought I couldn't speak Japanese.

Today I was leaving my Japanese class and realised "しまった！忘れ物！", and the teachers were all "しまったって" and had a good giggle too.

Is this something only old men say? My only defence is that I see it used liberally in anime, by just about everybody so I figured there wasn't a problem.

myhomeuphere · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:43 am Post subject:

It's normal, but I'm guessing, they would expect "Oh, Shit" or something more naturally...
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Jed D`Lagged · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:22 am Post subject:

So I was coming home from Comiket yesterday with another hakujin friend of mine, and we were trying to locate Kokusaitenjijou on the map in the train we just boarded in order to get home. After stairing at the map for a good five minues, a Japanese guy asked, in English "Excuse me, can I help you?" to which I responded "国際展示場はどこ？" He seemed visibly shocked that Japanese came out of my mouth, but he persisted regardless "Oh... that was... last station..."
"あ、もう知ってるけど、この地図で．．．"
Anyway, this conversation continued for another two minutes, me using Japanese and him using English. At first I was annoyed that I'd encountered my first English Bandit, but then I felt bad for kind of brushing him off. I wanted to comment on his English... but then I realised I don't know how to address somebody I don't know. おまえ? きみ?
Arn't both of those somewhat rude? I wasn't being paticularly polite to him in the first place so I wasn't really sure where to go from here...

yanpa2.0 · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:54 am Post subject:

Jed D`Lagged · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:31 pm Post subject:

Haha, oh yeah. But using あなた makes me feel creepy, gek.

yanpa2.0 · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 1:00 pm Post subject:

Well, it's the only polite / neutral alternative in that context, and it's used widely enough if no other suitable descriptor (お客様 etc.) is available.