Popular Japanese Sayings/Expressions: Post or Help!

[Serena27]

If you know of a popular Japanese saying from manga, movies, or real life, could you please post it here? Also if you have heard one in Japanese or English (or another language) and need a translation, you could post it here and hopefully someone will answer. If it applies, please include the origin of the saying, or how it came to be so popular.

For example, I have a couple I've come across in English translations of manga. I don't have the Japanese version but I really want to know what it is b/c it seems very common.

1. "You are 10/100/1000 years to early to [blank]!"

Usually the [blank] is "to fool me" "to beat me" "trick me" "to go out with me". Something like that. It's usually spoken by someone at least 5 years older than the person they are reprimanding. But sometimes teenagers or adults use it on someone the same age - a rival - to show how superior they are.

2. "Well, I guess it can't be helped."

This is usually spoken by a teenage or adult male to his girlfriend, sister or daughter, when the girl asks for something a bit selfish or troublesome, or just needs help in some way. He says this and then and gives in, or helps her out.

Thanks for your help!

[QuackingShoe]

1.俺に勝とうなんて百年早い！

2. しょうがないな

[Serena27]

1.俺に勝とうなんて百年早い！

2. しょうがないな

Thanks so much QuackingShoe! I can't read kanji yet though. I tried the kanji dictionary, but I don't know how to choose the correct reading. I also have trouble figuring out the spacing where one word ends and another starts. Could you please post the kana or romaji as well for number 1?

For number 2 is it "Sho u ga na ina"?

Sho: (pref) various, many, several, (P)
u: (n) help
ga: (prt) indicates sentence subject (occasionally object)
na: (prt) (sentence end, mainly masc.) indicates emotion, emphasis, prohibition, etc.
ina: (int,n) (uk) no, nay, yes, well, (P)

[QuackingShoe]

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If you're not using either firefox or google chrome, switch, because let's be serious - why the hell aren't you using one of those?

Then, use a japanese dictionary, not a Kanji dictionary. Try dic.yahoo.co.jp or something.

But here's your romaji:

1. ore ni katou nante hyakunen hayai
2. shou ga nai na

I'm not going to explain the grammar on 1 because it'll just be confusing for a beginner.
2 is a fixed expression. It can be shou ga nai, shiyou ga nai (which the previous is a shortening of), or shikata ga nai. In all cases, the first word indicates a way to do something. Ga is the subject marking particle. Nai is an adjective that signifies non-existance. The expression means there's nothing to do, there's no other way, it can't be helped. I tossed the na on for the heck of it; it's an ending particle, and a common enough way to end that particular expression.

To read more about the grammar involved in either expression, go through guidetojapanese.com or buy A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.


My post has a lot of imperatives, but don't take it the wrong way. These are just the tools every Japanese learner on the internet uses, so come join the pack

[Serena27]

My post has a lot of imperatives, but don't take it the wrong way. These are just the tools every Japanese learner on the internet uses, so come join the pack

Haha! Thanks QuackingShoe, and no worries, I'm not offended. You took a lot of time to explain it and I really appreciate the detailed translations. I'll look through my dictionary and grammar book when I get home (I do own them -but they have been sadly neglected), and I'll try out those online resources.

For example 1:
俺に勝とうなんて百年早い！
I assume you used 俺 (ore) b/c you are a guy and that it's okay to subsitute 私 or あたし if a female is speaking.

Just using the reference material here at japanesepod101.com, I was able to figure it out, somewhat. I found this explanation in the grammar bank:

Nante(～なんて) is almost the same as "things like -" or "something like --" in English. It implies the speaker's negative feeling about the thing which precedes nante (なんて) such as "it is out of the question" or "it is too inconsequential or deserves contempt."

So in this case the sentence divides into two parts: "ore ni katou" and "hyakunen hayai. The "nante" just joins them, and yet it changes the meaning of the first part so much. I love how Japanese grammar works!

This also helps explain the facial expressions of the character in a manga. They are often smiling when they say the first part, and then their expression suddenly changes to anger or or condescension for the second half.

On a more practical level, I've learned how to create interesting sentences using "nante"!

[QuackingShoe]

I assume you used 俺 (ore) b/c you are a guy and that it's okay to subsitute 私 or あたし if a female is speaking.

Yes.

So in this case the sentence divides into two parts: "ore ni katou" and "hyakunen hayai. The "nante" just joins them, and yet it changes the meaning of the first part so much. I love how Japanese grammar works!

As far as the actual grammar goes, this なんて, here, lets you effectively nominalize the first part of your sentence so you can talk about it with the second, because it's basically a breakdown of などとは or などということは. You can easily enough say 勝つのは百年早い or the like as well, though you lose some of the vitriol.