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Feb 24, 2024 · Japanese have a culture of being vague when it comes to expressing their opinions. As illustrated by the following, in the Japanese language there are many expressions that avoid arriving at a conclusion: “Sono teian, yosasou desu ne.” (That sounds good). “Sono teian ii kamo.” (That suggestion may be good). “~ sou” or “~ kamo”
- とか
- かな
- かも
とか is usually used to list things or people, such as “リンゴとかオレンジ” meaning “an apple and orange”. However, it is also used when you offer a suggestion while indicating that you are open to the other options. For example, when your friend asks you when and where you want to meet up, you can say “７時に銀座とか？” meaning “(How about) Ginza at seven?”. Here, と...
かな is used at the end of a sentence to make it sound softer and more casual. As in とか, it is often used when you answer a question in a casual and friendly way. For instance, when someone asks you “最近(さいきん)仕事(しごと)どう？” (“How’s your work going?”), you can say “まあまあかな”, meaning “(I guess) it’s so-so/not bad.” in English. Here, putting “かな” at the end ...
かも is an abbreviation of “かもしれない” meaning “may/might” in English. As in the expressions above, it is put at the end of a sentence and makes it less assertive. For instance, when your friend asks you what you want to eat for lunch, you can say “ラーメンとか食べたいかも” meaning “(I may) want to eat ramen (or something)“. Here, とか and かも are used to state your o...
Oct 16, 2023 · Subtlety is pretty key when it comes to Japanese communication, so sometimes, social cues like facial expressions and body language aren’t as physically evident. Japanese people believe that people should be so in tune with each other that the verbal words make up only 10% while the non-verbal ones communicate the remaining 90% — hear one, know ten.
Because of these kinds of , the idea that Japanese is a “vague language” has become extremely popular among Japanese and non-Japanese alike. For the Japanese, it is another reason to extol how “unique” their culture is, and for non-Japanese, it’s often just another way to feel superior “The Japanese can’t even communicate properly because their language is vague!”
In Japan, there is a huge emphasis on nonverbal communication. Words, of course, are important, but nonverbal Japanese communications like gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, and sounds (non-words) are of equal importance. This concept of nonverbal communication in Japan is called haragei. Nonverbal Japanese communications.
Jan 30, 2015 · All things aimai (vague, vagueness): they are the bane of many non-Japanese people. In a culture where unspoken rules, manners and words abound, any newcomer is likely to be nothing less than confused. These very aspects of Japanese and even some other Asian cultures tend to indirectly contribute to unfortunate stereotypes of Asian inscrutability.
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Nov 12, 2020 · Not only do these 7 words have robust meanings with many translation options, but they’re also so core to the way Japanese people speak that hopefully, they give a glimpse into how people think ...
