Counting isn't hard, is it?

As I mentioned on NYE, I've started studying Japanese again, more consistently and intensely. A friend introduced me to a website that I can access on my phone that consistently teaches and reviews vocab and kanji (complex Japanese characters that make up many words). My goal is to improve in my reading, which shouldn't be hard because my level is quite low. But I hope it also overflows into my daily conversation too. 

The system is compelling and almost like a game. I'm enjoying it (most of the time) and definitely making progress like I haven't seen for over a decade, partly because I'm doing this more than once a day, everyday, and when I get stuff wrong, I have to answer the question again, a bit later, no escape if I want to make progress up the 60 levels.

But of course no new method makes learning a new language easy (especially for someone like me who doesn't have a high aptitude for learning new languages). So there are frustrations along the way. One is counting.

Counting in Japanese is a bit of a pain. Truly. They have more than one word for some numbers eg. 4 is "yon" or "shi". And, even more challenging, depending on what you count, the suffix (called a counter) you use changes.

Here's an explanation of counters that I found:

What Are Japanese Counters?

Japanese counters are the words used to count objects, people, lengths of time, events and so forth. Counters are usually single-kanji characters that have a special reading just applicable to their function as a counter.

Let’s think about counting in English. To count in English we usually take a cardinal number (i.e. one, two, three, etc.) and add it to an object. If we are making a plural, then we stick on that object’s plural ending. One cat becomes two cats; one fox, two foxes; one mouse, two mice.

Counting just doesn’t work like that in Japanese. Remember—Japanese has no real plural/singular endings, so it’s not going to be the same as the English system anyway.

So how do you count objects in Japanese? Japanese uses special counting words, which come in different categories according to what you are counting. The way to count long, narrow, cylindrical objects is different from the way you’d count thin, flat ones, for example. And the words for counting small animals differ from the words used for counting humans, etc.

For example (the characters at the end are the kanji):

one = ichi 　一
one person = hitori　一人
one machine = ichidai　　一台
one pen = ippon　　一本
one piece of paper = ichimai　一枚
one generation = ichidao　一台
one portion = ichibu　一部
one o'clock = ichiji　一時
first place or first or best = ichiban　一番

There are lots more counters than this. There are counters for small animals, lessons, volume, pages, day of the month, night, day, head of cattle and for objects that presumably don't fall under any special category like the more unusual ones for chopsticks, bowls of rice, tatami mats (traditional flooring we have in two of our rooms), single stem flower, and wheels.

Alas, I'm hopeful. Lots of practise will equal progress, right? I've invested money in this and  that is highly motivating for me. Not to mention the competitive side of me that wants to make progress in this game-like project.

"Having eaten rice from the same pot"

It is something of a mysterious thing, the friendship shared by missionaries. For the most part they can be deep, despite having so many differences: of nationality, culture, background, gifting, age, etc.

This lady I've travelled with to missionary women events,
and I got us lost on one of them. There are many differences
between us, yet we share a friendship that's probably
gone deeper faster than it would have in different
circumstances.

I can feel a deep attachment to missionaries who I've only know for a short while, and know little "facts" about their life. How can this be?

This Japanese idiom holds part of the answer:

"Onaji kama no meshi o kutta"  

同じ釜の飯を食った

This literally means "having eaten rice from the same pot", the Japanese equivalent to "breaking bread together". Most often this is used in reaffirming a special relationship developed through shared experiences. (Michael L. Maynard and Senko K. Maynard, 101 Japanese idioms, p200-201)

Two of the ladies in this photo drove more than 10
hours in the car with me to and from the Writer's
Workshop, we had lots of time to talk!

I think this Japanese idiom captures the essence: we've shared a common experience, the experience of leaving behind everything and everyone familiar and coming to a foreign land because we feel God is calling us here.

There is more, of course, to this mystery:

• Because change is frequent in this missionary life, we tend to dive deep in relationships faster. We don't have the luxury of seeing people week after week, month after month, before deciding to form a deep friendship.
• Additionally, for most of us, loneliness is common, so, for the most part, we're all seeking friendship.
• We're fairly "free agents" in terms of relationships. Because we've left family and long-term acquaintances behind, we have room, and indeed need for new friendships.
• We don't have a lot of choice of friends, and because of the above mentioned factors, that makes one less choosy.



Missionary friends: sweet times!

• In a foreign country we are needier than back home. And in the absence of family to lean on, we ask more of our friends on the field than we would back home, this breaks down walls that otherwise would be there in our "self sufficiency"

Can you suggest more reasons why missionaries (and to some extent expats in general) form deep relationships quickly?

"Even cats and rice ladles"

Yesterday was the first day of the new financial/school/church year for Japan. I went to the gym, as I usually do on a Monday if I'm free. It seemed like "every woman and her dog" were there too. Whether it was because it was the first day of the year or just because they knew that it would be raining the next two days, I cannot tell.

But I can tell you that, while I didn't have to wait long to get on the circuit, there were no spaces open on the circuit for longer than about a minute the whole 45 minutes that I was in the gym. Additionally there were at, all times, least 5-10 women stretching after their work-out and another half a dozen women waiting to be weighed and measured (this Curves does that only during the first seven working days of the month, no appointments).

It was a hopping place, and all of this in a space about half the size of a normal Curves in Australia! Tokyo-ites are fabulous at smoothly working in such a situation. For this country girl, it gets a bit claustrophobic.

However, it does give me a chance to introduce you to another Japanese idiom. I'm proud of myself, this is one I know but my husband didn't, but then my "101 Japanese Idioms" book tells me it is a female phrase anyhow.

"Neko mo shakushi mo" 　 

猫も杓子も　

This literally means "even cats and rice ladles". Above I used an English equivalent, "every man and his dog". Other phrases are "everybody and his/her mother/brother" or "every Tom, Dick and Harry".  In other words: a lot of people!

 

"To cover foul-smelling things."

Here is another Japanese idiom that is particularly suitable, considering the aroma I encountered last night.

"Kusai Mono ni wa Futa o Suru"

臭いものにはふたをする 　 

Literally, to cover foul-smelling things.

Who remembers this from childhood? I haven't driven
to the dump with a trailer load of rubbish for a long time!

It means to opt for short-term solutions. A stop-gap or temporary fix. Shutting the door on last night's offensive smell wasn't going to make it go away, as much as I wanted it to!

"Willing to accept even the helping hand of a cat."

Here's another Japanese idiom.

"neko no te mo karitai"

猫の手も借りたい

I thought this one might apply to many of you this busy season. Literally it means to wanting to borrow even the hand of a cat.

It applies to someone who is swamped, shorthanded. Someone who is so busy that they'll even accept the help of a cat. If you think about it, being willing to accept the help of a cat is pretty desperate!

So, if you're feeling this way this week in the lead up to Christmas, just say, "I'm so busy I would even accept the help of a cat!"

"To decorate the ending with beauty"

Here's another Japanese idiom.

"Yuushuu no Bi o Kazaru"

有終の美を飾る

This one means to achieve something great just before the end [of one's career].

I'm thinking of this one particularly as we follow the cricket this weekend. The South African team is touring Australia. 

The teams are playing their third five-day match at present. It hasn't been a terribly successful tour so far. Neither team has won a match yet: two draws. For people who don't understand cricket, it seems strange for two teams of 12 people to play each other for five days and not have a result, but that is one of the idiosyncrasies of the game that I'm certainly not going to be able to explain in a short blog post.

In international team sports, there are always other smaller dramas going on on the sidelines. At the moment, Australians are watching the former captain of the Australian team. He's had a long and lustrous career. His perseverance is admirable: he declined to quit playing for his country even after he lost the captains hat. However, most people now probably feel he's persevered too long. 

He's made appalling scores this season. And now he's decided to retire after this current match. It would be nice to see him finish his career with something great, rather than dribble into obscurity. He's had one chance to bat this match, and failed to make any significant runs. That gives him one more chance.

Can you think of a time when you really hoped someone would be able to "decorate the ending with beauty"?

Sourced from 101 Japanese Idioms, by Michael L. Maynard and Senko K. Maynard.

"Rain firms the ground."

I found a book on Japanese Idioms on our shelf the other day and thought I'd periodically share one with you. Idioms in your own language can be boring, or very useful. But idioms in another language can be fascinating!

Today's is particularly relevant to the camping trip we're about to take.

"Ame futte ji katamaru" 　 

雨降って地固まる

 This phrase literally means "rain firms the ground". Its meaning is that adversity builds character.

Apparently it is often used at weddings, encouraging the bride and groom that though bad times may come, their tie to one another will be strengthened as they stick together through the challenges. Or at least that is my interpretation of the explanation given in the book.

However for today, as we embark on our camping trip in the cold, it is tempting to think, What a foolish adventure. I prefer to think that avoiding difficulties doesn't help us grow or appreciate what we have. After a trip like this, we will appreciate the wonderful things in life like, heating! It also will give us good family memories.

But one thing I'm looking forward to is the simplicity of life without email and the internet for a couple of days. It's been a stressful month. I've been pushing myself hard on several fronts and it is time to take a short break for sanity.

Sourced from 101 Japanese Idioms, by Michael L. Maynard and Senko K. Maynard.