します or 為ます?

[Andygakusei]

Hello everyone,

Just a quick question to ask about writing in Japanese. For the verb shimasu (to do) would you use the above kanji or just keep it in hiragana? Thanks a lot in advance. (I am trying to go through the entire Japanese for Busy People I book writing answers in kanji and hiragana/katakana). Thanks a lot for your help.

Andy

[Psy]

Always hiragana for that one. Strangely enough, 為 doesn't even pop up in the candidate list when I type shimasu. While it is used in such words as 行為(koui, "conduct") and the occasionally-written kanji form of the grammatical 為 (tame, "for the purpose of/due to") it isn't especially common otherwise.

Hope that answers your question!

[Andygakusei]

Thank you very much for that quick reply. While I am trying to learn kanji by writing all of the non-garaigo that I can in Kanji form.. I am now realizimg that some words have kanji forms that are not commonly used. (I use WWWJDIC for translation) For example, I used to write the kanji forms of sokoado words until my Japanese teacher told me they are just written usually in hiragana. I am trying to learn which words are commonly used with kanji and which aren't. Thanks again for your help.

[Javizy]

With certain words, like yojijukugo and most sino-Japanese compounds, you pretty much have to use kanji, and there are a lot of general conventions, such as not using kanji for auxiliary verbs. However, in many cases, it can be a question of the individual's stylistic preference. You'll notice different people write the same thing different ways, and even the same person might use a particular kanji in one sentence, and not in the next (even within the same paragraph).

I've heard people talk about getting a 'balance' between kanji and kana, so if your sentence is looking a bit squiggly, you might use some slightly less common written forms like 出来る. The best way, for now, is to use the first choice that the IME pops up (assuming it's the right homonym), since this is generally the most commonly used one. Outside of that, you'll pick up the conventions quite quickly through reading, and start to develop your own personal style. I've got to say though, I couldn't even read 為ます, and it's a good example about my IME point, since it's not even in there The forms you mentioned for the ko-so-a-do words were used in some of the early 20th century stuff I tried reading (Souseki and Akutagawa), but there have been a lot of changes to the writing system since then.

[Andygakusei]

Hello javizy,

Could you please explain to me what IME and auxiliary verbs are? Thanks.. I am still a relative newbie at learning the Japanese language but I am trying to learn kanji through self-study and the Japanese pod 101 materials. Thanks for your help.

[Psy]

IME = Microsoft's Japanese input thingamajig. When you type in Japanese and see the roman letters convert to kana, or hit space and see the kanji pop up-- that's the IME: the Input Method Editor.

Auxiliary verb = a verb that applies a grammatical meaning to another verb. In Japanese, this generally follows a -te form, e.g. the "kudasai" in "te kudasai," the "miru" in "te miru." While some people do write these as て下さい and て見る, respectively, typically they are only written in kana.

Here are a few more common words normally written only in kana:

Good morning
おはようございます（お早う御座います）
Good day
こんにちは（今日は）
Good evening
こんばんは（今晩は）
Good night
おやすみなさい（お休みなさい）

Thanks
ありがとう（有り難う）
You're welcome
どういたしまして（どう致しまして）

To become
なります（成ります）
To exist (inanimate)
あります（有ります）
To exist (animate)
います（居ます）

When
いつ（何時）
Where
どこ（何処）
Why
なぜ（何故）

You
あなた（貴方）

There are many more but this is all I can think of off the top of my head without getting into words like 巫山戯る（ふざける）. As Javizy suggeted, all of the ko-so-a-do words are in kana, as are the interrogatives excluding dare 誰 and nani 何. You'll develop a good feeling for this as your studies progress!

[Jessi]

There are many more but this is all I can think of off the top of my head without getting into words like 巫山戯る（ふざける）.

Wow, I didn't know kanji existed for this one And I've never even seen that first character in my life!

[Psy]

Whaa? You didn't know about the shrine girls 巫女(みこ)? I have no idea why, but they always seem to be in a huge hurry...