Song phrase ... translation help?

[mmmason8967]

I think I'd go for ケーレン for your name. The long dash extends the 'e' sound, which imitates the greater stress that the first syllable has in English and makes it sound roughly like 'care'.

I learned the kana in sequence using the JapanesePod101 Kantan Kana video series. Once I could write them, I found that the characters that had previously looked very similar actually started to look quite different. And it became a lot easier to read advertisements, movie posters and magazine covers because even if they use a stylised, funky font, they pretty much follow the rules about the way the characters are written.

If you're using Windows 7 there are some nice clear instructions on how to set up Japanese keyboard input on this webpage: http://www.coscom.co.jp/learnjapanese801/msime_win7_en1.html. It also explains how to type in Japanese, which you'll find is actually surprisingly straightforward. For example, if you want to type 'nihongo' in Japanese, you type 'nihongo' and as you type the letters will be converted to hiragana, so you get にほんご. If you hit the space bar at this point, the hiragana will be converted to kanji, giving you 日本語.

マイケル

[natsukoy9313]

マイケルさん、
Thank you very much for your kind consideration!
Don't worry; we always read all the messages and reply to them, so we can keep both origial and additional topics!

Karen-san,
Glad I could help!!
Yes...the problem of Japanese...native speakers often don't know the correct Japanese and corrupt ones become more "commonly used" as if those are correct....
Regarding your name, if you feel ケレン is better fit, you can stick to it! But of course, you can also write カレン as it's written.

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

[PhoenixKarenee]

kimi ga kirai na kimi ga suki
きみyou が(-->) きらいdislike な(?) きみyou が(-->) すきlike

Interesting title. What does な do in the middle, there? Contrast? Are they set up for battle, as in "versus" or is it more like a choice "either or"?

--------------

kisetsu wa mata meguri
きせつseasons　わ(<--)　またagain　めぐりgo round　
(but from what 奈津子san said べくして would be a better way to phrase it, meaning "follow their natural course")

megurumeku machi
めくるめくdazzling　まちcity　
I'm beginning to think this is supposed to be part of the next thought instead of combined directly with the seasons.
Perhaps: In the dazzling city, everyone passes around you...

-----------------------------------

daremo kimi no koto wo
だれもeveryone　きみyou　の　こと　を　
(not sure about "no koto wo") Does the whole phrase together mean "everyone around you"?
"koto" seems to be a multi-use word depending on how it's used.

kinitomezu mawaru
きにとめずkeeping in mind/noticing　まわるrevolve
Who is noticing? Who or what is revolving? ... I seriously need to figure out the particles and verb forms.

I think the two sections above combine to mean something along the lines of "everyone revolves around (circulates/passes through a daily routine) without noticing you" but I'm not sure where the negative shows up.

----------------------------------

sonna no dou demo ii
そんあlike that　の　どうでもいいit's not worth worrying about/whatever is okay　

tada kimi ga soba ni ire ba ii
ただsimply　きみyou　がclose beside　そば　に　いれ　べ　いいis good enough
"ni ire ba ii" ... not sure about that one, either. Is it a common phrase?

---------------------------

Thanks for all your help so far, マイケルさん and 奈津子さん. I'm working hard on writing ひらがな every day. Installing the keyboard is helping, too, because when I type the words I see the correct forms. It's also much faster than copy-pasting.

Is that link for the keyboard instructions on the forum recommendation thread, マイケルさん? I don't think I saw it there when I looked, so you may want to suggest it.

[ericf]

kimi ga kirai na kimi ga suki
きみyou が(-->) きらいdislike な(?) きみyou が(-->) すきlike

Interesting title. What does な do in the middle, there?

It's simply that きらい is a な adjective.
-> "I hate you, I love you" (I think)

--------------

daremo kimi no koto wo
だれもeveryone　きみyou　の　こと　を　
(not sure about "no koto wo") Does the whole phrase together mean "everyone around you"?
"koto" seems to be a multi-use word depending on how it's used.

kinitomezu mawaru
きにとめずkeeping in mind/noticing　まわるrevolve
Who is noticing? Who or what is revolving? ... I seriously need to figure out the particles and verb forms.

I think the two sections above combine to mean something along the lines of "everyone revolves around (circulates/passes through a daily routine) without noticing you" but I'm not sure where the negative shows up.

Who? だれも
Who or what is revolving? Everyone / city life
とめず is this casual negative of とめる, that's where the negative comes in. "Notice" is probably the better translation of the two here.
-> "Everyone goes around without noticing you.", which is what you had.

----------------------------------

sonna no dou demo ii
そんあlike that　の　どうでもいいit's not worth worrying about/whatever is okay　

Small point, but そんな not そんあ.

tada kimi ga soba ni ire ba ii
ただsimply　きみyou　がclose beside　そば　に　いれ　べ　いいis good enough
"ni ire ba ii" ... not sure about that one, either. Is it a common phrase?

~ば is a second conditional - if A then B. In this case "if you're by my side" then "that's good / good enough."
-> "like that, whatever is okay. As long as you're by my side it's good."

Hopefully that helps with some of your questions...

[natsukoy9313]

Since Eric-san has alreay replied quite well, let me just add one thing about the song's title here

I think きみがきらいな　きみが好き means "I like you, who don't like yourself". So, this person likes the other, and this "the other" person doesn't like himself/herslef. Or, you can also translate like "I like the person in you which you (yourself) don't like", seeing "you" as personality AND person.
Does it make sence?

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

[ericf]

Oh how stupid of me! I should have been able to work that out easily.

（君が嫌いな君）が好き。not （君が嫌いな）（君が好き。）if you see what I mean. I really must stop thinking in terms of English...

奈津子さん、なおしてくれてありがとう。

[mmmason8967]

I think きみがきらいな　きみが好き means "I like you, who don't like yourself". So, this person likes the other, and this "the other" person doesn't like himself/herslef. Or, you can also translate like "I like the person in you which you (yourself) don't like", seeing "you" as personality AND person.

That's similar to what I thought it meant. I'd like to explain my reasoning, mainly to find out if it makes sense. ThIs is how I think it works:-

The title is made up of two phrases, きみがきらいな and きみが好き.

The second phrase means <somebody> likes you.

The first phrase is a qualified adjective that describes きみ in the second phrase. If I try to use just きらいな as the adjective, I'm left with きみが, and I can't find any way to use it (that doesn’t mean there isn't a way, though). So the whole title means <somebody> likes the <something> you.

The <somebody> must be the speaker, so the title means I like the <something> you.

The <something> adjective phrase means <somebody dislikes you>, so the title means I like the you that <somebody> doesn't like.

The new <somebody> can't be I as that would make no sense. There are no other obvious candidates apart from you, so the title means I like the you that you don't like.

Does this make sense?

マイケル

[ericf]

Yes, that's exactly it. 君が嫌いな describes (the second) 君, and it's that (second) 君 that the speaker likes.

"The you that you don't like, I like." could be another way of writing it.

エリック

[natsukoy9313]

エリックさん、it's not stupid at all!
Actually, this kind of "complicated" expression make even us (native speaker) stop a bit to think of it, in order to get it right. At least me

Well, glad I could help!

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com