Slang is very difficult to understand sometimes, however, it is a great way to learn about both language and culture. Slang was very difficult for me when I first came to Japan (it sometimes still is!) mainly because I only learned 'polite' Japanese in school. I don't use so much slang when speaking Japanese, but I think it is important to understand common slang.
If you have any questions about words you hear, please ask me!
Kyoko, when I was in college, I read a linguistics book about the word 'fuck.' It can mean almost a thousand things! 'Fuck' can be a noun, verb, adjective, etc. It can be a very expressive and interesting word.
'Bug' is an old and popular idiom/slang word. It has the same meaning as 'annoy' or 'bother.' Because insects (bugs) such as mosquitos and bees sometimes bother people, the act of bothering someone became 'bugging' someone. I think it is a good idiom!
I often use the word when I am reading and somebody tries to talk to me. I say 'stop bugging me!'
例えば
I'm pissed off.「キレた!」
You totally pissed me off. 「完全にキレたからな!」
みたいな言い方が出来ると思います。
>Seth
Experience is the best teacher. I'm still learning English so I'd really appreciate your comments or suggestions whenever they are needed or I say something in a wrong way.
みなさん、こんにちは☆ふと日常で使われるスラングを考えてみました。
・suck:最悪だ、最低だ
He sucks. 「あいつ、最悪!」
・the fuck, the hell, hella, way:強調で使われる
What the fuck (the hell) is that? 「ありゃ一体なんだ?」
He is hella (way) cool. 「彼すげぇいけてる」
・have a crush on:(あまりよく知らない人に)好意がある
I kind of have a crush on Natalie. 「何となくナタリーに気があるんだよね」
・dump: 〜をふる
She dumped me last night. 「昨日の夜彼女にふられた」
・mess up:〜を台無しにする、しくじる
I messed up on the exam. 「テストしくったよ」
・like: (言葉をぼかして)〜みたいな、文の調子をそろえる感じで使われたりもしてるのかなぁ?
What he said was like embarrassing. 「彼が言ったことって恥ずかしいって言うかさ」
I was like, totally insulted. 「完全に侮辱されたみたいだよ」
特に学生はlikeを頻繁に使いますね。多いときは一つの文で3回くらい聞いたりします。
このlikeはかなり使えますよ♪普通の文に加えるだけでかなりネィティブの会話っぽくなったりするのではないでしょうか☆
Thanks for all the great slang! All of the expressions you wrote are very common and often come up in movies. I think your translations are all very good as well. Where did you learn such natural slang?
Thanks Seth. Coz I've lived in San Francisco for three years, I learned those slang in daily life. When I came here, I couldn't understand what other people said since they often used slang, you know. So this gave me an idea that I had to study slang first to get along with them.
Today I learned the word "hilarious" (すごく面白い). I'm learning something every day!^^
Slang is fun because it often expresses current culture. It is also important to understand slang when you try to watch movies in English or talk with actual foreigners. Japanese slang was so difficult for me when I came to a Japanese school as an exchange student (In America, I had only learned polite Japanese!).
The word "hilarious" that けい-san introduced is very common. In America (my British and New Zealand friends use it, too), when somebody tells a funny story or a joke, instead of saying, "that's funny" or "that's interesting," most young people say, "that's hilarious" or "that's fuckin' hilarious." Try to use it sometime!
しばらくです。
今日彼女から一個良い単語教えてもらったのでぜひともみなさんにも紹介させていただきたく思います。
radiant…full of happiness and love, in a way that shows in your face, eyes etc.
日本語で書くより、英語でそのままイメージした方がしっくりくると思ったので敢えてそうしました。
Your eyes are so radiant and beautiful.「君の瞳は輝いていて(愛に満ちていて)とても綺麗だ」と言うような意味になると思います。
I totally agree with you about creating an image of a word. That helped me a lot when I was studying Japanese. If you only use a dictionary, you think that every English word matches a Japanese word. However, they are always different words with different images.
By the way, 'radiant' is a great word. I wish more people used it!
Well actually, one of my effective ways to study vocabularies is watching favorite movies and dramas and making a list of new words with meanings and sentences.
What I did was I watched FRIENDS season one through nine and put unknown words on a spreadsheet with definition and short sentences.
In so doing, I can remember the meaning of the word by visulaize the scene in which the word is used.
I think listening is the most natural way to learn a language. It is how babies learn to speak. I also learned Japanese by listening to the radio and T.V. while I cooked or cleaned my apartment. In most foreign language classes in America and Europe, students begin by speaking, and then move on to reading, writing, etc.
However, both eyes and ears are important when studying. They should be used together. Eyes connect images with the sounds that come into the ears. That is why movies and T.V. are a great way to study language!
Jackie,
Slang and idioms are difficult because they require a lof of 'cultural knowledge' to understand. When I visit America, sometimes I can't understand my friends because slang changes so fast!
I wish I could better translate the sentence for you... but I am not so confident in my Japanese. Maybe something like...
Thanks for your comment and I think you're right.
In addition, I've learned 93% of communication comes from non-verbal language, such as eye contacts and gestures. So eyes are definitely critical to understand stuff more effectively.
By the way, I think your translation is pretty acurate.
I'm sorry for missing the point. I was thinking too much about language and not enough about culture!
In America, it is an important fact that the gang member was wearing blue. Traditionally, there are two major gangs in inner-city America, the Bloods (red) and the Crips (blue). If people only wearing blue clothes are hanging out together in front of a store or restaurant, it is probably a 'Crip' hangout. The war between the Bloods and the Crips is not as bad as it was 20 years ago, but it is still happening. The fighting between Bloods and Crips is often related to drug-selling territory. It is very sad, as many people in America are killed every year in gang shootings.
Hi Virgil, thanks for the comment. 'Wild goose chase' is a funny but common idiom. I agree that idioms are sometimes impossible to understand without a certain cultural background. Luckily, idioms make studying English and culture easier and more interesting.
Trying to become a good English speaker is NOT a wild goose chase! Good luck!
By the way, the Diehard movies are good for studying English because the action is easy to understand, there are a lot of funny expressions and idioms, and all of the bad guys have different accents!