もう百回言いました！

"I already told you a hundred times!"

もう　ひゃっかい　いいました！
mou hyakkai iimashita!

If you are married, you will understand what I am talking about. My husband washed my favorite white shirt with colors again!!

"How many times do I have to tell you? DO NOT WASH MY WHITE SHIRT WITH COLORS!!!"
"A hundred times..."
"I already told you a hundred times!!!"
"I need another hundred times."
"!!!!!"

At the end of this conversation, we agreed that I do not leave my whites in "our" lundry busket.

What I learned:
Do not try to educate your husband. Just find a solution.


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決して、辞めなかった

"I never quit"

けっして、やめなかった
kesshite yamenakatta

I met a man who is taking online college classes today. I think that's great. So I wanted to encourage him and told that it took me 13 years to graduate from American college. I had to go back to Japan several times when I was broke and could not continue taking classes. I changed my major twice (that means I got 3 majors, International Studies, French and English.) 13 years. It is a long time. But with some reason, I did not quit. It was not my option. I think I needed to take such a long time to end up with majoring English which I couldn't at the beginning of my American college life. I am glad I never quit.


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オレオレ詐欺、アメリカ上陸！

"'It's me! It's me!' scam arrives in the United States!"

オレオレさぎ、アメリカじょうりく！
oreore sagi, amerika jyouriku!

Yesterday, I was watching the morning news "Today" and saw "Grandparents Scam." It is a scam targeted on senior citizens to transfer money to for example "Western Union." It is like this. A young man calls an old lady:

"Hi, grandma!"
"Who's this?"
"Your favorite grandson."
"David?"
"Yes!"

Of course, he is not "David," but he just says "Yes!" And he asks to transfer money to his Western Union account because he got a trouble in Canada. He says, "don't call my parents because I don't want them to worry." The old lady wants to help her favorite grandson "David," so sends her money. This is happening in the United States. You know what, I think this is originally from Japan! This is called オレオレ詐欺 "'It's me! It's me' Scam" or 振り込め詐欺 (furikome sagi) "Transfer money scam" in Japan.

I remember that the Japanese class instructer in my American college talked about this in her class. (At that time, I was observing and helping her Japanese class. Of course I did not enroll a Japanese class!) She sounded like mocking the Japanese people because they actually sent money. She said "Japanese are so naive!" I really hated what she said. This is targeted on old people who cannot tell the difference on the phone. I knew this scam because I was in Japan when it was a hot news there. And you know what, this is not only Japanese people. American people do it too. And I believe they actually thought it was their grandson. You cannot make a fun of such victims. The next victim chould be your grandmother who wants to rescue you!

Anyway, I will explain the words.

オレ is "me" used by men. It is a lot more casual than 私 (watashi). 詐欺 (sagi) is a scam. 上陸 is "to land."


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私が日本にいた時は存在しなかった日本語

"The Japanese words which did not exist when I was in Japan"

わたしが　にほんに　いたときは　そんざいしなかった　にほんご
watashiga nihonni itatokiwa sonzaishinakatta nihongo

Wow, it is long. I can devide this into 3.

1.　私が日本にいた時は　
You know "は" is the topi marker. Just in this phrase, the subject is 時 (toki) or "the time." What time is it? It's 私が日本にいた時 or "the time I was in Japan." 私が日本にいた(I was in Japan) modifys the time 時. So it is a phrase "when I was in Japan."

2. 存在しなかった
This part is the verb of "私が日本にいた時は". 存在する means "to exist" and 存在しなかった is the past negative of 存在する. So 私が日本にいた時は、存在しなかった is "When I was in Japan, (it) did not exist" which modifys the part 3, "日本語".

3.　日本語
Japanes langusge or word. This part is the conclusion of all here. I wanted to explain the "日本語". What kind of 日本語? It "did not exist." When did it not exist? "When I was in Japan." Got it?

Anyway, what I wanted to tell you are 2 things. "アラフォー" and "婚活". These words did not exist when I was in Japan, or at least I had never heard in Japan. アラフォー is "around 40." Can you believe this? But this is true. アラフォー is people like 37 ~ 43. And 婚活 is "結婚活動" or "the activity to find a Mr. Right (or Miss Right)." 結婚 is "marriage." 活動 is "activity." 婚活 is for example online dating or something like that. These words did not exist when I was in Japan.


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今日から、あなたの名前はハチ

"From today, your name is Hachi"

きょう　から、あなた　の　なまえ　は　ハチ
kyou kara anata no namae wa hachi

Do you know the movie "Hachi"? Oh, you have to watch it. It is based on a true Japanese story! I do not think it was played in American theaters, but it is an American movie, stared by Richard Gere. Hachi is a dog who went to a train station every morning and evening to see his owner (in this movie, it is Richard Gere.) When Richard Gere goes to work, Hachi goes to the station with him. And in the evening, when Richard Gere gets to his hometown station, Hachi is waiting for him. But the amazing thing in this story is that Hachi was waiting for him even after Richard Gere's character's death. I think in this movie, Hachi continued more than 10 years until his own death. This movie is about the loyalty of a dog. Please watch the traler below. It is English.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2338193945/

And here is the Japanese official site.

http://www.hachi-movie.jp/


Anyway, today's phrase is what I said to my dog Bojo.



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おばさんには、わかりません！

"Your aunt cannot understand it!"

obasan niwa wakarimasen!

My niece became my Facebook friend recently. She is my husband's sister's daughter and 15 or 14 (I think.) Now I can see how 15 years old kids write their facebook. Their language is a code! "LETS C" is "Let's see." "b4u" is "before you." "bcus" is "because." "u" is "you." "ur" is "your." "JK" is "joke"? Did you know these? Your Japanese aunt feels like a million years old.


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ルンルン！

"I'm happy!"

runrun!

If you are a man, I do not recommend to use it. It sounds too cute. But it does not mean you should not know it. It is my philosophy. When I just came to the United States (it is a long time ago), somebody American woman said, "oh, you don't have to know it," when I asked her to tell me the definition of "bitch"! For the record, I did not know what it means at all. Anyway, the woman thought I do not have to know what "bitch" means. WRONG!! Is there any day you could never ever hear the word? ZERO! How can you tell an adult woman that she does not have to know a word you hear hundreds of times a day? Do you think I am not intelligent enough to understand it? I think it is an insult! Especially beginning of my American life, I saw tons of people (American people) who do not know that foreigners who do not speak English very well can be very smart. "She does not even speak English!" is a very common expression in America (Sorry, I still have some feelings toward this!) But it does not mean the person does not have a brain! Anyway, that is why I never say "Oh, you should not know it!" What I am saying is that you need to know everything even if you don't use the word. Trust me, this is so true. SO, Men should know what "ルンルン" means although I do not recommend to use it!

Why did I say this word? Because I made "mashed potatoes" today. I was so proud of myself. Mashed potatoes sounds so homey to me. So that is why I was ルンルン!

Do you know the best way to study a foreign language? Watch a movie or TV show millions of times until the whole entire script is tatooed in your brain! You have to say it with actors. Try to say it as similar as you can. You do not have to know the meaning of what you are saying but pronounce it! That's how I learned speaking English.


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今日は楽しい、ひな祭り

"Today is the exciting 'Hinamatsuri'"

きょうは　たのしい、ひなまつり
kyouwa tanoshii hinamatsuri

Do you know "Hinamatsuri"? It is "the Girl's Day." We celebrate young girls by decorating dolls. See the website below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinamatsuri

I just remembered this today, because Hinamatsuri is March 3. Today's phrase is from the "Hinamatsuri Song." everybody knows this song. I found the song on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoFPm5sfz_8



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あなたの性格は、父親ゆずり

"Your personality is from your dad"

あなた　の　せいかく　は、ちちおや　ゆずり
anata no seikaku wa chichioya yuzuri


If you read my blog "What My American Husband Said" (アメリカ人夫の一言), you already know this. My husband went to his dad's house. I called him when I was done with my cooking. I made his favorite "Ebimayo" (shrimp with mayonaise, by the way, it is REALLY GOOD!) He yelled "I am on my way!" and got home even before I finished the dishes. BUT! He forgot to bring our dog Bojo from his dad's house! So he returned there after the dinner. When he got home again, he said, "look! There is something on Bojo." I looked at Bojo and found a note under his color. Here is what it said.

Hey Mom,

Dad left me with a stranger. I'm frightened. HELP!!!

Love,
Bojo

Isn't that funny? So I learned my husband's personality is actually from his dad.


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無条件な愛

"Unconditional love"

むじょうけんな　あい
mujyoukenna ai

Recently I found the TV show called "Prison Wives." Wow, they are incredible. I watched 4 episodes and 3 of them got married to a man in prison. They had never met each other before he went to prison. These women chose to marry a man in prison! Can you believe it? And all of the husbands got a life in prison. So basically they can never get out of the prison. But the women dedicate their lives to the men. Whenever he is transfered, she moves to follow him. There are many cars in front of the prison at Friday night. Do you know why? The prison wives stay in their car to get in a line next morning. They sleep in the car, change and put makeup in the very early morning, and go to the prison. It is a date for them. The wives look so happy after they met their husbands. Isn't that incredible? The man cannot do anything for her, but she loves him so much! I know their situation is not the most fortunate, but if you can have that much passion, you are a happy person, I think. Anyway, check their website below!

http://investigation.discovery.com/tv/prison-wives/


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プリンセスと魔法のキス

"The Princess and the Magic Kiss"

プリンセスとまほうのキス
purinsesu to mahou no kisu

It is easy to take a guess. It is "The Princess and the Frog." Please check the official website below. You can watch the Japanese trailer. It is a great way to study Japanese.

http://www.disney.co.jp/movies/pkiss/


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数の内に、入らない

"It doesn't count"

かず　の　うち　に、はいらない
kazu no uchi ni hairanai

How was your Valentine's Day? Me? My husband was working! Last Friday, we talked about how we celebrate this Valentine's day. We knew he had to work. So he said, "Well, we had a lunch together today (We ate BBQ in a park near my office. I think it was like 28 degrees outside. Yeah, we are crazy.) That was our Valentine's Day."
「そんなの、数の内に、入らないわよ！！」
I think all women agree with me.


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あなたは私のムコになる

"You will be my groom"

あなたは　わたしの　むこになる
anatawa watashino mukoninaru

Now I feel obligated to report you the Japanese titles of American movies whenever I found. I think this is pretty good translation for this movie. Check this out!

http://www.movies.co.jp/ana-muko/

Of course, this is "The Proposal."

My German coworker told me that they make up totally different titles in Germany too. I guess this is very universal. Maybe I should have a discussion on "BlogCatalog" someday.




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これは、私の！

"This is mine!"

これは、わたしの！
korewa watashino!

I was eating a cookie, and my dog Bojo was really interested in my cookie. He must think I was eating his dog cookie! No! I DO NOT EAT DOGGIE COOKIES!!


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更新しないと....

"If you don't update...."

こうしん　しないと
koushin shinaito

I translated literally this time. (Usually, I don't.) This sentence is not completed, but in Japanese you can hear this kind of language A LOT! Usually this kind of expressions include more than literal meaning. This one, 更新しないと, think about this. If "I don't update this blog," what will happen? "NOBODY WILL READ IT!" It was my sigh. And I was encouraging myself "you've better update your blog, otherwise nobody will read it!"


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スープを作るつもりが、パスタ料理になった

"I wanted to make a soup, but it became a pasta dish"

スープをつくる　つもり　が、パスタりょうり　に　なった
suupu wo tsukuru tsumori ga, pasuta ryouri ni natta

Is this pathetic? Yesterday, I went to a grocery store and found a cooking book. I wanted to make a soup in the book, so got all ingrediants. Usually I tend to put more vegetables than I am supposed to (but that's a good thing, right?) And I put whole package of "uncooked small elbow macaroni" (I didn't even know how much I was supposed to add. Just too lazy to check the cooking book.) By the time my husband I start eating, the macaroni absorbed all liquid. It was not a soup. It was a pasta dish. But it was still good! My husband loved it!

Polite form: (Sorry, I tend to forget this.)
スープを作るつもりが、パスタ料理になりました。


By the way, do you know how Japanese people eat "macaroni"? We put "mayonnaise"!


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マイレージ マイライフ

"Mileage, My Life"

Okay, I told you how weiredly movie titles are translated in Japan. Here is another example. "Mileage, My Life" Take a guess. I will give you a hint. I recently watched this movie. Well, if you still don't know this, click below!

http://www.mile-life.jp/

Yes, this is "Up in the Air." How about that!



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恋するベーカリー

"A baker who is in love"

こいする　ベーカリー
koisuru be-kari-

Do you know what this is? This is the Japanese title of the movie "It's Complicated"! Totally different! If you doubt, check this out!

http://www.koibake.com/

Japanese movie companies sometimes change the titles of foreign movies totally differently. Maybe "It's Complicated" does not sound attractive in Japanese (if you translate it literally), but what do you think? American official site is this.

http://www.itscomplicatedmovie.com/

I didn't even know she is a baker until I saw the Japanese website. Icould not recognize it first. I watched the movie, but I do not think Japanese one is right. At least, I wouldn't make such an advertisement.



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女性読者が増えて、うれしいです

"I am happy more women are reading my blog!"

じょせい　どくしゃ　が　ふえて、うれしいです
josei dokusha ga fuete ureshiidesu

I mean I do not want to exclude anybody from my blog. But at the beginning, I was wondering why ONLY MEN accessed to this blog! Is that because the title is "What a Japanese Wife Said"? Does that sound dirty? Actually, I googled "Japanese wife," and found my blog is in the first page! Okay, people, this is not a site to find a Japanese girlfriend!! I hope you are interested in studying Japanese language. Anyway, I noticed that recently women are reading my blog too. I am happy with that. You (of course including men) encourage me to write this blog. So thank you very much for reading this.


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悲しい味がする

"It tastes pathetic"

かなしい　あじ　が　する
kanashii aji ga suru

Hi, everyone. Are you still reading my blog? Thank you!

Today's phrase is about the sandwich I made for my lunch. I used avocado, but it did not taste great. Plus, I did not like the bread (it was my husband's choice.) Anyway, I thought it was pathetic to eat the soggy sandwich without any meat (I was out of lunch meat.) I felt bad for my husband who had the same sandwich for his lunch. But you know what, he loved it! That is so typical for us. He likes what I don't like, and does not like what I like! If you are single, you should know this. This is the REALTY. You cannot agree on everything with your spouse. But, if you still want to be with him or her, I think the marriage is real too.


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捜していたのは、これじゃない

"This is not what I was looking for"

さがしていたのは、これじゃない
sagashiteitanowa korejanai

I was looking for my make-up bag. I thought I put it in my bag I usually bring to my office, but it was not there. I found it in another bag.

Polite form:捜していたのは、これじゃありません


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どうしよう～！

"What should I do!"

doushiyou~!

During this Christmas season, we had a lot of snow in the midwest. I did not drive my car for 4 days because of the weather. But after the weekend, I had to go back to work. Actually, Monday was okay, but the next day, I got stuck on the street in front of our house. Our house is on a hill, so it was very hard to go up the hill. I got stuck in the snow and saw a car behind me!! どうしよう～！I got out of my car, and talked to the driver. He said to help me. I grabbed a snow shovel from our front yard, and returned to my car. In a meanwhile, another neighbor came to rescue me. And then another one. We shoveled the snow for a while, and I started my car again with three men pushing my car! I finally made it to up the hill. THANK YOU!! You guys are my heros!


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ジョージ・クルーニーが、オマハに住んでいるとは、知らなかった

"I did not know George Clooney was living in Omaha"

ジョージ・クルーニーが、オマハにすんでいるとは、しらなかった
jo-ji kuru-ni- ga omaha ni sundeiru towa shiranakatta

It is a little long as my title. I just watched George Clooney's movie "Up in the Air" yesterday. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska for 43 days a year, and travels all others days. I went to University of Nebraska at Omaha, so lived in Omaha for a long time. I was happy to see my American hometown. The airport, the downtown and the view from the sky. These are very familiar to me. I don't know why the directer chose Omaha as the place his company exists. Maybe he is from the Midwest. George Clooney's character is like a business man in NY. But after the movie, I appreciated that I have a husband living with me. It is that kind of movie, I think.

The polite form: ジョージ・クルーニーが、オマハに住んでいるとは、知りませんでした。


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