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131110
Sat, 07/03/2010 - 08:48
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https://oananews.org//node/131110
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Feature: HIDDEN VALUES IN JAPANESE PEOPLE'S DAILY PHRASES
By Amie Fenia Arimbi
Tokyo, July 2 (ANTARA) - The words "sayonara", "arigato" and "ohaiyo gozaimasu" are some common expressions in Japan which foreigners invariably take as meaning "good bye", "thank you" and "good morning" respectively in English.
But actually those words mean more than what the English translations imply. The phrase "ohaiyo gazaimasu", for example, literally means "you are early" in Japanese. A noted Japanese cultural affairs observer, Yokoyama Sozo, said the idea of greeting people in the morning by saying "ohaiyo gozaimasu" was to praise the person concerned for waking up early to go to work.
"Japanese always value their day-time. Therefore, seeing someone already leaving for work or doing something else in the morning, they will appreciate that by saying 'ohaiyo gozaimasu," he said.
Another expression is "sayonara" which is always translated into English as "good bye". The literal meaning in Japanese is actually "...well then" , a phrase ton express regret to have to part with another person he or she is talking to. It is an expression of a little sadness for having to stop the conversation to go somewhere else. While the word "arigato" whose popular English equivalent is "thank you" literally means "unbelievable". It is an expression of deep thankfulness to someone who has helped in accomplishing something or doing a job.
All the expressions reflect the way Japanese respect other people. Yokoyama said Japanese always believe, if they praise someone else that will please the person, make him or her inclined to make friend with you and , if applied in bigger community, will create harmony among people.
"The bottom line is always about creating harmony. Japanese people believe that harmony can be achieved if every body respects others," he said.
Japanese respect each other not only in their daily greetings, Yokoyama added. They also show respect for others by adding the suffix "-san" the names of people they address or refer to. He said the suffix had no specific meaning but was just an expression of respect for others regardless of their gender.
"For example, my family name is Yokoyama, therefore, my friends and associates always call me Yokoyama-san. While my wife who has taken my family name is also called Yokoyama-san by her friends," he said.
Another example of the way Japanese respect each other can be seen when they invite people coming to their house for a tea party. Yokoyama said Japanese take such events very seriously , especially when they are the host. They prepare the team to be served in a very careful way. First, the host takes out a small Japanese tea cup, then three spoonfuls of tea leaves are out into it and hot water is poured into the cup. Then, the drink is stirred with a mixer-like bamboo stick until it turns either green or red in color (depending on the type of the tea leaves used). Then the hot tea is poured again into another cup to be served to the guest.
"The host makes the tea himself or herself as a gesture of respect for the guest in return for his or her willingness to visit the host's house and drink tea with him or her," he said.
Yokoyama said Japanese believe in the power of language and sincerity to touch someone's heart. Therefore, using words of appreciation and behaving in a formalistic way was important to express respect to another person and, in wider context, to create harmony among people.
Yin, a journalist from Singapore, said she was surprised to know the common expression such as "arigato" that used to be associated with "thank you" actually had a philosophical meaning to it.
"It is something new to me. I never thought that such a simple word actually holds such great meaning ," she said.
While Hannah from the Philippines said she was very impressed by the fact daily Japanese words or phrases have hidden values. "These are things you will not get from the dictionary," she said.
Tokyo, July 2 (ANTARA) - The words "sayonara", "arigato" and "ohaiyo gozaimasu" are some common expressions in Japan which foreigners invariably take as meaning "good bye", "thank you" and "good morning" respectively in English.
But actually those words mean more than what the English translations imply. The phrase "ohaiyo gazaimasu", for example, literally means "you are early" in Japanese. A noted Japanese cultural affairs observer, Yokoyama Sozo, said the idea of greeting people in the morning by saying "ohaiyo gozaimasu" was to praise the person concerned for waking up early to go to work.
"Japanese always value their day-time. Therefore, seeing someone already leaving for work or doing something else in the morning, they will appreciate that by saying 'ohaiyo gozaimasu," he said.
Another expression is "sayonara" which is always translated into English as "good bye". The literal meaning in Japanese is actually "...well then" , a phrase ton express regret to have to part with another person he or she is talking to. It is an expression of a little sadness for having to stop the conversation to go somewhere else. While the word "arigato" whose popular English equivalent is "thank you" literally means "unbelievable". It is an expression of deep thankfulness to someone who has helped in accomplishing something or doing a job.
All the expressions reflect the way Japanese respect other people. Yokoyama said Japanese always believe, if they praise someone else that will please the person, make him or her inclined to make friend with you and , if applied in bigger community, will create harmony among people.
"The bottom line is always about creating harmony. Japanese people believe that harmony can be achieved if every body respects others," he said.
Japanese respect each other not only in their daily greetings, Yokoyama added. They also show respect for others by adding the suffix "-san" the names of people they address or refer to. He said the suffix had no specific meaning but was just an expression of respect for others regardless of their gender.
"For example, my family name is Yokoyama, therefore, my friends and associates always call me Yokoyama-san. While my wife who has taken my family name is also called Yokoyama-san by her friends," he said.
Another example of the way Japanese respect each other can be seen when they invite people coming to their house for a tea party. Yokoyama said Japanese take such events very seriously , especially when they are the host. They prepare the team to be served in a very careful way. First, the host takes out a small Japanese tea cup, then three spoonfuls of tea leaves are out into it and hot water is poured into the cup. Then, the drink is stirred with a mixer-like bamboo stick until it turns either green or red in color (depending on the type of the tea leaves used). Then the hot tea is poured again into another cup to be served to the guest.
"The host makes the tea himself or herself as a gesture of respect for the guest in return for his or her willingness to visit the host's house and drink tea with him or her," he said.
Yokoyama said Japanese believe in the power of language and sincerity to touch someone's heart. Therefore, using words of appreciation and behaving in a formalistic way was important to express respect to another person and, in wider context, to create harmony among people.
Yin, a journalist from Singapore, said she was surprised to know the common expression such as "arigato" that used to be associated with "thank you" actually had a philosophical meaning to it.
"It is something new to me. I never thought that such a simple word actually holds such great meaning ," she said.
While Hannah from the Philippines said she was very impressed by the fact daily Japanese words or phrases have hidden values. "These are things you will not get from the dictionary," she said.
