Mix up the “a” with an “o” and you’ll be calling him a demon. “Ani” is the casual form of the word “big brother,” used when referring to your own brother. 兄がいる!(Ani ga iru) - "I have an brother!" (literally "there is a brother") Next we have “ani” (兄, あに) (ah-nee), big brother. First we have “oni” (鬼, おに) (oh-nee) which means devil or demon. Some may not make a distinction between these two, but it’s best to do so in polite company. Although they don’t sound too much alike, it’s important to keep their distinction in mind and use them correctly when speaking. Aru/iru makes all the difference between pointing out your friend or remarking about trees. In this case, “iru” marks Mori as a living being, and therefore a person’s name, as opposed to a forest. On the other hand, say your friend Mori is right over there and you wanted to point him out in a relatively casual fashion, you might say: 森がいる (Mori ga iru) - "Mori's here" If something isn’t alive, for example a forest, you would need to attach “aru” (ある) (ah-roo) at the end of the sentence to describe it’s existence: 森がある (Mori ga aru) - "There is a forest" When you are describing things that exist around you, it is key that you make that distinction or risk confusing whoever you are talking to. Aru / Iru PlusONE // paulphoto / ShutterstockĪs a language, Japanese is very keen to discern between things that are alive versus things that aren’t. When something is weird, make sure to stress the “ii” sound at the end of the word, but when talking about sweets, keep it short and sweet! 5. They are almost exactly the same word with the exception that okashii extends the “ii” sound ever so slightly. You use it when something that should be working isn’t, or if something odd and unexpected is happening. On the other hand, we have “okashii” (おかしい) (oh-kah-she-ee) which means strange or weird. This can be anything from cakes and cookies to rice crackers and little snacks. First, we have “okashi” (お菓子, おかし) (oh-kah-she), which means treat. The two words above are almost homophones, with a very slight difference. However, in spoken language, one can only rely upon context and very slight stresses to make sense between two different homophones. This is where kanji become useful when reading. As a result, many different words use the same sounds. Compared to English, there’s a dearth of sounds that Japanese speakers can use to form words. Okashi / Okashii Sann von Mai // SunflowerMomma / ShutterstockĪs noted in the introduction, Japanese as a language is lacking in the sound department. 私のお母さんです (Watashi no okaasan desu) - This is my mother 私の奥さんです (Watashi no okusan desu) - This is my wife 4. The key here is in the second syllable: with wife, make sure you pronounce it “ku” while with mother, it’s a “ka,” with an elongated vowel sound. Okaasan (お母さん, おかあさん) (oh-kah-ah-san) is a polite term for one’s mother. Okusan (奥さん, おくさん) (oh-koo-san) is a polite term for one’s wife. The differences between this pair are a bit less disastrous, but can still be cause for a fair bit of confusion. Okusan / Okaasan Dmytro Voinalovych // Syda Productions / Shutterstock 触ってください (Sawatte kudasai) - Please touch 3. When offering someone a chair, make sure to pronounce the “su” loud and clear or risk making your guest feel understandably uncomfortable. “Sawaru” (触る, さわる) (sah-wah-roo) on the other hand, means to touch or to feel. 座ってください (Suwatte kudasai) - Please sit down Be it a chair, zabuton, or just on the ground, it doesn’t matter. “Suwaru” (座る,すわる) (soo-wah-roo) means to sit down. Only a single sound separates these two words. Suwaru / Sawaru dxoroshun // Lolostock / Shutterstock There’s even another common kawaii-related mistake that is explained in number 7 below. When you see something cute, make sure to pronounce your “ka” and the extended “ii” sound or chance being very misunderstood! 猫が怖い (Neko ga kowai) - cat is scary Kowai means scary, afraid, or fearful, and it is also a relatively common word. If you try and say it quickly, you may end up saying “kowai” (こわい) (koh-wah-ee) instead. However, be very careful when pronouncing the word. This is a very common word that you will see in many different contexts as Japanese culture loves everything and anything cute. “Kawaii” (かわいい) (kah-wah-ee-ee) is Japanese for cute or adorable. Kawaii / Kowai Alena Ozerova // elwynn / Shutterstock
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