お世辞 flattery, kissing up

お世辞 flattery, kissing up

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
お世辞 o se ji flattery, kissing up	お o I believe this o is used to sarcastically give it an honorific feel 世 se world, generation 辞 ji word, resign (from a post)	ごますり goma suri - means the same as oseji ; kissing up... ; [lit. rubbing seseme] [I] 世界 se kai - the world [B] 辞書 ji sho - dictionary [B]

This is the hand motion which means kissing up.

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SUGGESTED USAGE: 世界の支配者と言われると、お世辞でもうれしい。 sekai no shihaisha to iwareru to, oseji demo ureshii. Call me the dictator of the world and I will be happy, even if its only flattery.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

世界 se kai - The world
支配者 shi hai sha - ruler the 者 indicates a person
と言われると to iwareru to - said the first TO quotes the previous line and the second TO connects to the second part of the sentence
でも demo - even if... This is different from the DEMO meaning BUT.
うれしい ureshii - happy

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一目惚 Love at first sight

一目惚 Love at first sight

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
一目惚 hito me bore Love at first sight	一目 hito me means glance [lit. one eye] 惚 (bore or actually hore before the phonetic change) has something to do with forgetfulness or not having it all there.	惚け boke - idiot, out of it, not too bright in the head [needless to say this isnt too polite] [I] 寝惚ける ne bo keru - to be half asleep [I] 時差ぼけ ji sa boke - jet lag [I cant be sure if this boke is the actual kanji in question. [I]

Talk about bad breath...

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SUGGESTED USAGE: ある日ゴジラは東京を破壊中にキティに一目ぼれしちゃった。 aru hi gojira wa toukyou wo hakai chuu ni kiti ni hitomebore shichatta. One day while destroying Tokyo, Godzilla saw Hello Kitty and it was love at first sight!

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

ある日 aru hi - one day [used just like in English, usually in stories]
ゴジラ gojira - Godzilla [The Japanese gojira comes from gorira (gorilla) and kujira (whale)]
東京 toukyou - Tokyo
破壊中 ha kai chuu - in the midst of destruction [USEFUL: Use 中 chuu after things to show that they are not finished: example 食事中 shokuji chuu - while eating]
キティ kiti - Hello Kitty [In Japanese Hello Kitty is usually キティちゃん kiti-chan ]
しちゃった shichatta - the shi part is from suru; chatta is an ending that shows the finishing

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太鼓腹 Taiko Belly

太鼓腹 Taiko (Japanese drums) Belly

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
太鼓腹 tai ko bara Taiko (Japanese drums) Belly	太 tai big, thick, become fat 鼓 ko courage, drums, beat 腹 hara belly, stomach	太い futoi - fat, thick [B] 太鼓 tai ko - Taiko Japanese drums [B] 太陽 tai you - sun [B] 空腹 kuu fuku - hunger [A] 腹が立つ hara ga tatsu - angry [lit. stomach stands up] [I]

Many years of careful practice...

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SUGGESTED USAGE: ボブさんの太鼓腹での演奏はあまりにもすごいので、ウィーンでソロデビューしました。 bobu san no taikobara de no ensou wa amari ni mo sugoi node, wi-n de soro debyu- shimashita. Bob's performance on his taiko belly was so extraordinary, he made his debut as a soloist in Vienna.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

趣味 shumi - hobby A common question at introductions
ボブさん bobu san - (Mr.) Bob When a [Mr.] or [Mrs.] can be omitted in English, it probably cannot be omitted in Japanese. SAN can be used for both male and female.
の no - possessive
で - at, on, in, by The best way to get a feel for these particles is to read examples where they are used and notice how they are used.
演奏 en sou - performance
あまりにも amari ni mo - was so... that...
すごい sugoi - great! cool!
ので node - because, therefore Notice the order: the first part gives reason for what comes after NODE
ウィーン wi-n - Vienna Where else would Bob show off his extraordinary talent?
ソロ soro - solo
デビュー debyu- - debut
しました shimashita - past tense

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宇宙人 alien, space man

宇宙人 alien, space man

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
宇宙人 u chuu jin alien, space man	宇宙 u chuu space, outer space 人 jin [also hito or nin] person, people	宇宙 u chuu - outer space. [B] 火星人 ka sei jin - matian, an alien from Mars [I]

hmmm...

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SUGGESTED USAGE: 私はアメリカ人ですけど、妹は宇宙人なのです。 watashi wa amerika jin desu kedo, imouto wa uchuu jin na no desu. I am an American, but my little sister is an alien. [This example comes in quite handy for checking to see if your listener is listening. if your listener shows no reaction, there is a good chance he's not listening.]

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

私 watashi - I, me but when the は wa (hirganaga ha) follows, it can only be translated as 'I' because は wa is the main topic never a direct object
アメリカ人 amerika jin - American Just like 宇宙人 uchuu jin simply add a 人 jin to a country to get the countrys people
ですけど desu kedo - but saying this is true, but...
妹 imouto - younger sister older sister is 姉 ane
なのです na no desu - a little bit added to give the impression of conveying truth

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弁解 Excuse

弁解 Excuse

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
弁解 ben kai Excuse	弁 ben has to do with 'speech' 解 kai has to do with 'solving' or 'explanation'	弁護士 ben go shi - lawyer [I] 弁当 ben to - lunch box, boxed lunch [B] 解説 kai setsu - explanation, commentary [A] 理解 ri kai - understanding [I]

SUGGESTED USAGE: 弁解の余地はない。 benkai no yochi wa nai. No room for excuses!

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

余地 yochi - space, room
ない nai - not, does not exist the masu form is arimasen

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強敵 Formidable Enemy

強敵 Formidable Enemy

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
強敵 kyou teki Formidable Enemy	強 kyou strong 敵 teki enemy	勉強 ben kyou - study [B] 強い tsuyoi - strong [B] 素敵 su teki - nice, lovely [B]

Pooh, after extensive training.

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SUGGESTED USAGE: プーさんは忍術の訓練のあとで、ハチたちの強敵になった。 pu-san wa ninjutsu no kunren no atode, hachi tachi no kyou teki ni natta. Pooh, after his ninja training became a formidable enemy of Beekind.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

プーさん pu-san - Winnie the Pooh the full Japanese name is kuma no pu-san
忍術 nin jutsu - art of ninja
訓練 kun ren - training
のあとで no ato de - after this
ハチたち hachi tachi - hachi is bee tachi makes it plural just like watashi is I, ME and watashi tachi is WE
になった ni natta - became

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愛の告白 Confession of Love

愛の告白 Confession of Love

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
愛の告白 ai no koku haku Confession of Love	愛 ai love の no possessive 告 koku making public something 白 haku white	愛猫家 ai byou ka - a cat lover [A] 白 shiro - white [B]

It isnt easy being green...

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SUGGESTED USAGE: ゴジラはキティちゃんに愛の告白をするつもりだったのに、チョコレートを家に忘れてきちゃった。 gojira wa kiti-chan ni ai no kokuhaku o suru tsumori datta noni, chokore-to o ie ni wasurete kichatta. Although Godzilla intended to confess his love to Hello Kitty, he forgot the chocolates at home.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

ゴジラ gojira - Godzilla
キティちゃん kitichan - Hello Kitty
するつもり suru tsumori - planned to do, intended to do 'tsumori' means 'intend to' or 'planning to'; Use after the plain form of a verb

未確認飛行物体 Unidentified Flying Object

未確認飛行物体 Unidentified Flying Object

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
未確認飛行物体 mi kaku nin hi kou buttai Unidentified Flying Object	確認 kaku nin to confirm 未確認 mi kaku nin unconfirmed 飛行 hi kou aviation 物体 buttai object	確認書 kaku nin sho - certificate [A] 未来 mi rai - future [B] UFO UFO - Meaning is same, but pronunciation is different [You Foe] [B]

Crashed!

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SUGGESTED USAGE: 鳥か？未確認飛行物体か？いや、ただのスーパーマンだ。 tori ka? mikakuninhikoubuttai ka? iya tada no su-pa-man da. Is it a bird? Is it an Unidentified Flying Object? Nah, its just Superman.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

鳥か tori ka - a bird? You can think of the か ka as a question mark, but here is is used to compare things to see what it is. Maybe it should be translated, Could it be a...
いや iya - no informal
ただ tada - just, only
スーパーマン su-pa-man - Superman
だ da - to be informal form of desu

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理想的 ideal

理想的 ideal

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
理想的 ri sou teki ideal	理 ri a principle, reason 想 sou idea, thought 的 teki added for generalization; example: 革命 kaku mei (revolution) -> 革命的 kaku mei teki (revolutionary)	義理 gi ri - social obligation, something you have to do [A] 料理 ryou ri - food, cooking [B] 感想 kan sou - impressions, thoughts [I] 具体的 gu tai teki - concretely (as opposed to abstract) [A]

SUGGESTED USAGE: やっと、プーさんの子分たちは理想的な隠れ場を見つけた。 yatto, pu-san no kobun tachi wa risou teki na kakureba o mitsuketa. At last! Pooh's henchmen found the ideal hiding place.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

やっと yatto - at last
プーさん pu-san - Winnie the Pooh His full name is 熊のプーさん kuma no pu-san
子分たち ko bun tachi - henchman, follower the たち tachi makes it plural [like わたし watashi (I) -> わたしたち watshi tachi (we)]]
隠れ場 kakure ba - hiding place
見つけた mitsuketa - found

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真実 the Truth

真実 truth

The word:	Closer look at the kanji:	B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced
真実 shin jitsu truth	真 shin real, truth 実 jitsu fruit, substance, truth	写真 sha shin - photograph [B] 実は jitsu wa - actually, really [B] 真っ直ぐ massugu - forward, straight [B] 木の実 ki no mi - nut, berry, fruit [B]

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