Learn about New Year's customs and greetings while reviewing humble expressions
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Naomi: なおみです。(Naomi desu.) |
| Kat: Kat here. You Can Never Be Too Polite in Japanese.. |
| Naomi: シーズン６の レッスン１ですね。 このレッスンは、ニュービーシリーズのシーズン２、シーズン３、ビギナーシリーズのシーズン４、シーズン５の続きになります。(Shīzun roku no ressun ichi desu ne. Kono ressun wa, nyūbī shirīzu no shīzun ni, shīzun san, biginā shirīzu no shīzun yon, shīzun go no tsuzuki ni narimasu.) |
| Kat: This is Season 6, Lesson 1. This lesson is the continuation of Newbie series seasons 2 and 3, and Beginner series seasons 4 and 5. |
| Naomi: もし、このシーズン６が難しかったら、前のシリーズに戻って復習してくださいね。(Moshi, kono shīzun roku ga muzukashikattara, mae no shirīzu ni modotte fukushū shite kudasai ne.) |
| Kat: If you find this series too difficult, we recommend that you go back to the previous series and review the material there. In the Lesson Notes for this lesson you'll find references pointing you to the appropriate series and lesson number for reviewing. So, Naomi-sensei, what are we going to learn in this lesson? |
| Naomi: 謙譲語 (kenjō-go) |
| Kat: humble language |
| Naomi: と、新年の挨拶 (to, shinnen no aisatsu) |
| Kat: new year's greetings |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Kat: And this lesson's conversation takes place at? |
| Naomi: うち (uchi) |
| Kat: at home. And the conversation is between? |
| Naomi: ジョシュさんとジョシュさんのホストファミリーです。(Joshu-san to Joshu-san no hosuto famirī desu.) |
| Kat: Josh and his host family. Josh is actually going to be the main character in this series. |
| Naomi: そう、そうなんですね。で、ジョシュさんと、家族はテレビを今見ています。(Sō, sō nan desu ne. De, Joshu-san to, kazoku wa terebi o ima mite imasu.) |
| Kat: Josh and his host family are watching TV. |
| Josh is using formal Japanese and his host family is using informal Japanese. The reporter on TV is using formal Japanese. |
| Naomi: では、聞きましょう。(Dewa, kikimashō.) |
| Kat: So let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| （家）(Uchi) |
| お母さん (o-kā-san) : 新年になったのね。ジョシュさん、今年もよろしく。(Shinnen ni natta no ne. Joshu-san, kotoshi mo yoroshiku.) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。(Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.) |
| 大地 (Daichi) : (yawn) ねぇ、テレビつけよう。(Nee, terebi tsukeyō.) |
| (テレビ）(Terebi) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : 新年 明けましておめでとうございます。(Shinnen akemashite omedetō gozaimasu.) |
| : 本年も どうぞ よろしく お願い いたします。(Honnen mo dōzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) |
| : 今、私は浅草におります。(Ima, watakushi wa Asakusa ni orimasu.) |
| : 人が たくさんいて、全然 動くことが できません。(Hito ga takusan ite, zenzen ugoku koto ga dekimasen.) |
| : ...え？あ、押さないでください。キャー！(... E? A, osanaide kudasai. Kyā!) |
| : あ、カメラさん、大丈夫ですか？(A, kamera-san, daijōbu desu ka?) |
| : 失礼いたしました。浅草から レポートいたしました。(Shitsurei itashimashita. Asakusa kara repōto itashimashita.) |
| Naomi: もう一度、会話を聞いてください。今度はゆっくり話します。(Mō ichi-do, kaiwa o kiite kudasai. Kondo wa yukkuri hanashimasu.) |
| お母さん (o-kā-san) : 新年になったのね。ジョシュさん、今年もよろしく。(Shinnen ni natta no ne. Joshu-san, kotoshi mo yoroshiku.) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。(Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.) |
| 大地 (Daichi) : (yawn) ねぇ、テレビつけよう。(Nee, terebi tsukeyō.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : 新年 明けましておめでとうございます。(Shinnen akemashite omedetō gozaimasu.) |
| : 本年も どうぞ よろしく お願い いたします。(Honnen mo dōzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) |
| : 今、私は浅草におります。(Ima, watakushi wa Asakusa ni orimasu.) |
| : 人が たくさんいて、全然 動くことが できません。(Hito ga takusan ite, zenzen ugoku koto ga dekimasen.) |
| : ...え？あ、押さないでください。キャー！(... E? A, osanaide kudasai. Kyā!) |
| : あ、カメラさん、大丈夫ですか？(A, kamera-san, daijōbu desu ka?) |
| : 失礼いたしました。浅草から レポートいたしました。(Shitsurei itashimashita. Asakusa kara repōto itashimashita.) |
| Naomi: 今度は、英語の訳と一緒に聞いてみましょう。(Kondo wa, Eigo no yaku to issho ni kiite mimashō.) |
| （家）(Uchi) |
| お母さん (o-kā-san) : 新年になったのね。(Shinnen ni natta no ne.) |
| Kat: It's the new year. |
| : ジョシュさん、今年もよろしく。(Joshu-san, kotoshi mo yoroshiku.) |
| Kat: Josh, all the best for this year. |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。(Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.) |
| Kat: I wish you all the best for this year, too. |
| 大地 (Daichi) : (yawn) ねぇ、テレビつけよう。(Nee, terebi tsukeyō.) |
| Kat: Hey, let's put the TV on. |
| (テレビ）(Terebi) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : 新年 明けましておめでとうございます。本年も どうぞ よろしく お願い いたします。(Shinnen akemashite omedetō gozaimasu. Honnen mo dōzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) |
| Kat: Happy new year! We wish you all the best for this year. |
| : 今、私は浅草におります。(Ima, watakushi wa Asakusa ni orimasu.) |
| Kat: Right now I am in Asakusa! |
| : 人が たくさんいて、全然 動くことが できません。(Hito ga takusan ite, zenzen ugoku koto ga dekimasen.) |
| Kat: There are so many people that it's completely impossible to move. |
| : ...え？あ、押さないでください。キャー！(... E? A, osanaide kudasai. Kyā!) |
| Kat: ... Huh? Oh, don't push me! Argh! |
| : あ、カメラさん、大丈夫ですか？(A, kamera-san, daijōbu desu ka?) |
| Kat: Oh, Mr. Cameraman, are you all right? |
| : 失礼いたしました。(Shitsurei itashimashita.) |
| Kat: Excuse me. |
| 浅草から レポートいたしました。(Asakusa kara repōto itashimashita.) |
| Kat: This was reported from Asakusa. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Naomi: I think you need to know the Japanese New Year’s custom called 初詣 (hatsumōde) to fully understand this dialogue. |
| Kat: Yeah, I think you're right. 初詣 (hatsumōde) is the custom of visiting a shrine or temple for the first time of the year to pray for happiness for the New Year. Especially on the first, the second and I would say the third of January, shrines and temples in Japan are packed with people coming for 初詣 (hatsumōde). |
| Naomi: そう、すごい混むんですよね。(Sō, sugoi komu n desu yo ne.) |
| Kat: Yeah, so crowded. |
| Naomi: で、有名なお寺が浅草にあります。(De, yūmei na o-tera ga Asakusa ni arimasu.) |
| Kat: There's a famous temple called 浅草寺 (Sensō-ji) in Asakusa which is in Tokyo. That's why Asakusa was so crowded in the dialogue. Poor TV reporter and T.V camera crew, it seems like they were pushed by the crowd and completely fell over... |
| Naomi: そうですね。ところで、キャットさんは初詣に行ったことがありますか。(Sō desu ne. Tokorode, Kyatto-san wa hatsumōde ni itta koto ga arimasu ka.) |
| Kat: Have I ever been to 初詣 (hatsumōde)? I have indeed, but not on the first three days of January… |
| Naomi: あ～、ですよね。(Ā, desu yo ne.) |
| Kat: Because I'm not good with crowds, or three-hour queues, which is what I saw when I tried to go to a temple in Yokohama a year ago on the 1st of January... so now I usually go on the 10th or 11th with my partner or my friends. As long as it's in January I think it's still okay, right...? |
| Naomi: そうそうそう、大丈夫大丈夫。(Sō sō sō, daijōbu daijōbu.) |
| Kat: Ah ok. I’ve gotten, I’ve gotten. |
| Naomi: ところで、今年の一月一日、リスナーの皆さんは何をしましたか。教えてください。(Tokorode, kotoshi no ichi-gatsu tsuitachi, risunā no mina-san wa nani o shimashita ka. Oshiete kudasai.) |
| Ket: So, everyone there listeners, what did you do on New Year's day this year? Please let us know! |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Kat: So now, let's take a look at the vocabulary in faces for this lesson. |
| And the first phrase is: |
| Naomi: 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: Happy New Year! |
| Naomi: 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: And next: |
| Naomi: こちらこそ (kochira koso) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: same here |
| Naomi: こちらこそ (kochira koso) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: こちらこそ (kochira koso) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: Next: |
| Naomi: 本年 (honnen) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: this year, current year |
| Naomi: 本年 (honnen) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: 本年 (honnen) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: And next: |
| Naomi: つける (tsukeru) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: to turn on, to switch on, to light up |
| Naomi: つける (tsukeru) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: つける (tsukeru) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: And finally: |
| Naomi: 全然 (zenzen) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: not at all, not...at all |
| Naomi: 全然 (zenzen) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: 全然 (zenzen) [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Kat: Alright. So now, let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. Let's start off from a very well-known new year's greeting in Japan. |
| Naomi: 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) |
| Kat: Happy New Year. I think some of you may already know this expression in Japanese, but can we break it down, Naomi-sensei? |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) 明ける (akeru) here means "dawn" and in this case "dawn of a new year". おめでとうございます (omedetō gozaimasu) means "congratulations." |
| Kat: So, 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) literally means "congratulations on the dawn, or beginning, of the new year", and of course it's equivalent to the English "Happy New Year." If you're talking with your friend, you can drop ございます (gozaimasu) and say... |
| Naomi: 明けましておめでとう。(Akemashite omedetō.) |
| Kat: Happy New Year. |
| Naomi: Please be careful, because you can only say 明けましておめでとう (akemashite omedetō) or 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) AFTER the new year has arrived. I mean... you can not say 明けましておめでとう (akemashite omedetō) in December, even December the 31st! |
| Kat: That's right... you have to wait until at least one minute past midnight, when it actually becomes the new year. I think this is a little bit different than that in English, as we can possibly say 'Happy New Year' to someone in December, meaning "I hope you have a happy New Year". In Japanese, as Naomi-sensei just said, it's only said after the new year has arrived. And by the way, Naomi-sensei. |
| Naomi: はい。(Hai.) |
| Kat: 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) is usually followed by this phrase... |
| Naomi: 今年もよろしくお願いします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu) |
| Kat: "All the best for this year" is probably the best translation. Literally it means "Please treat me well this year, too". |
| Naomi: Hm. |
| Kat: Now, in the dialogue, the TV reporter used the word 本年 (honnen) instead of 今年 (kotoshi). But they both mean "this year", right? |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Right. でも「本年」のほうが丁寧です。(Demo “honnen” no hō ga teinei desu.) But 本年 (honnen) is more polite, and sounds more formal. |
| Kat: So you can say 本年もよろしくお願いします (honnen mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu) if you want to be a bit more formal. |
| Naomi: はい。そうです。(Hai. Sō desu.) |
| Kat: And if you're talking to your friend or friends, お願いします (onegai shimasu) is usually dropped. |
| Naomi: Right.「今年もよろしく。」(”Kotoshi mo yoroshiku.”) |
| Kat: OK. So let's recap. When you meet your friend for the first time of the year, you say... |
| Naomi: 明けましておめでとう。今年もよろしく。(Akemashite omedetō. Kotoshi mo yoroshiku.) |
| Kat: But to your colleague or teacher, or to someone socially superior to you, you have to say... |
| Naomi: 明けましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくお願いします。(Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu. Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.) |
| Kat: And if you want to be even more formal... |
| Naomi: 明けましておめでとうございます。本年もよろしくお願いします。(Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu. Honnen mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.) Or… 本年もよろしくお願いいたします。(Honnen mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) |
| Kat: Did you catch this subtle difference in the last phrase, お願いいたします(onegai itashimasu)? Actually that いたします (itashimasu) is the grammar we're going to cover in the grammar section. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Kat: So as we’ve noticed the focus of this lesson is how to speak extra formally. |
| Naomi: 前に勉強したことがあると思います。なので、復習 (Mae ni benkyō shita koto ga aru to omoimasu. Nanode, fukushū) |
| Kat: review |
| Naomi: です。(desu.) |
| Kat: Right. We think you've probably studied this before, but in this lesson we’ll review the usage of 謙譲語 (kenjō-go) or humble language. |
| Naomi: First of all, let's learn the usage of the verb いたす (itasu). |
| Kat: いたす (itasu) is a humble form of する (suru), to do. OK. So how do you say "I study Japanese." or "I'll study Japanese." |
| Naomi: 私は日本語を勉強する。(Watashi wa Nihon-go o benkyō suru.) |
| Kat: Replace する (suru) with its humble form いたす (itasu). |
| Naomi: 私は日本語を勉強いたす。(Watashi wa Nihon-go o benkyō itasu.) |
| Kat: (laugh) See, we both are laughing because of the translation as I humbly study Japanese. or I'll humbly study Japanese. Of course, we would never say that in English, but hopefully you see what the usage of いたす (itasu) does to the sentence in terms of how it sounds to the listener. |
| Now the actual meaning of the sentence doesn't change if you use いたす (itasu) rather than する (suru). But if you use いたす (itasu), it lowers the status of the speaker and elevates the listening party of course figury speaking. Humble language is used when the speaker wants to be extra formal, and/or when the speaker is talking to someone socially superior to him/her. |
| Naomi: Please also note that the verb いたす (itasu) is a class 1 verb. So the corresponding masu-form is いたします (itashimasu) as in よろしくお願いいたします (yoroshiku onegai itashimasu). Whenever you hear いたす (itasu) used it will almost always be in the masu-form, いたします (itashimasu). |
| Kat: OK. So let's do one more exercise. How do you say "Excuse me"? |
| Naomi: 失礼します。(Shitsurei shimasu.) |
| Kat: Replace します (shimasu) with いたします (itashimasu) which is the masu-form of いたす (itasu). |
| Naomi: 失礼いたします。(Shitsurei itashimasu.) |
| Kat: "Excuse me" in humble language. OK. Listeners, please repeat. |
| Naomi: 失礼いたします。(Shitsurei itashimasu.) |
| Kat: (pause) Now, say "Excuse me" in humble language? |
| Naomi: (pause) 失礼いたします。(Shitsurei itashimasu.) |
| Kat: OK. So now, let's recap this lesson with a quiz. What do you say when you meet your friend on new year's day? |
| Naomi: (pause) 明けましておめでとう。今年もよろしく。(Akemashite omedetō. Kotoshi mo yoroshiku.) |
| Kat: Now say this phrase in an extra formal way. |
| Naomi: (pause) 明けましておめでとうございます。本年もよろしくお願いいたします。(Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu. Honnen mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) |
| Kat: 今年もよろしくお願いいたします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu) is also okay, isn't it? |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Right. |
| (farewell) |
| Kat: So that's about it for this lesson. Don't forget to read the lesson notes. There, you can find a detailed write-up about 謙譲語 (kenjō-go) or humble language. |
| Naomi: そうですね。それでは、皆さん。今年もよろしくお願いいたします。(Sō desu ne. Soredewa, mina-san. Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) |
| Kat: That’s right. Please keep listening this year too! Thanks and see you next time! |
Outro |
Easily master this lesson’s grammar points with in-depth explanations and examples. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get complete breakdowns, review with quizzes and download printable practice sheets! Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Comments
Hide