As you all know, I'm in the middle of the long road to learning Japanese.
I thought I'd make a thread where I'll periodically post various Japanese lessons. This'll most likely just be a word or phrase that I came across and found interesting.
Here's my first lesson!
油断 - "yudan" (sounds like "you done")
油 = oil
断 = to sever
油断 = negligence
As per Halpern's dictionary, this word comes out of an old tale of a monarch who made his retainer hold a pot of oil to test his concentration. If even one drop of the oil spilled, the retainer would be killed (have his life severed off). So, oil + sever came to mean negligence.
This word is actually used fairly often. Try to listen for it next time you watch Dragonball, for example (I'm looking at you, David )
AnimeSennin's Japanese 101
- greg
- Posts: 2159
- Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 9:00 pm
- Anime Fan Since: 1989 (consciously)
- Location: Shizuoka-ken, Japan
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Re: AnimeSennin's Japanese 101
Thanks, that's a new word for me. I was lazy the first time I lived in Japan, but this time around I intend to study for the JLPT. I might start at level 3 and try to work up to level 2 the next year.
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