Daily Thread: simple questions, comments that don’t need their own posts, and first time posters go here (January 16, 2024)

4 comments

1. Hi all! I have a question regarding learning Japanese while in Japan. Right now, I wouldn’t even be N5 but I want to be at a point where I can have conversations (whatever N level that is).

   I can order food, say how many people are dining, ask “where is…”, say laundry detergent (however useful that may be), etc etc etc. I’ve been studying Japanese once a week for 6 months.

   I’m in Japan for probably 2 months, it’s unlikely but it could be three. I can’t attend a language school, because they’re expensive and I couldn’t find one near me.

   Also, I’m actually in Japan now. So there’s no delay in when I can start.

   I had a look at the subreddit wiki, but I’m not sure if there is any targeted learning to compliment the fact that I’m in Japan. Because, if the learning process is just the same as if I was back in my home country, and not faster or more efficient etc, I figure I should probably just enjoy my time in Japan and study once I leave.

   So, I was wondering if you have any advice, software, routine etc for learning Japanese in Japan.

   Thanks.

2. When 「~たい」 is taught, it generally comes with the caveat that it should used only to express your own volition, since it implies a certainty that you can only have about yourself, not about others. You can use it regarding to others when quoting them (と言った) or by implying it’s just your guess, such as with と思う. In other cases, it is taught that you should use 「~たがる」.

   The thing is, in practice, I generally don’t see 「~たがる」 too often, and I often see characters simply using 「~たい」 to talk about another character’s volition, without quoting or expressing doubt or whatever. So, how does it really work in practice?

3. TL;DR: I need the Kanji writing for the term “Taikyo”, which translates to “mysterious emptiness” and maybe some additional information on its uses and the philosophy behind it.

   I have a couple of books on Japanese art. Mainly in German, but some of them were authored by Japanese philosophers. I note that here, so you understand that I am translating my information from German into English.

   So I know that there is a term called Yūgen, which nowadays seems to be translated as “mysterious depth” (geheimnisvolle Tiefe) and it is also described as a sort of “grace” (Anmut). In Kanji its written as 幽玄.

   Now I stumbled across another term in a book by Kenji Moriya, who uses the term Taikyo and translates it as “mysterious emptiness” (geheimnisvolle Leere). The book doesn’t give a Kanji version of the term. I figured if might be something like 太虚, which would mean “big emptiness”. It seems to be a term linked to art, since it’s from a book on Japanese Painting.

   PS: This was originally written as a question to r/Japanart. I guess it would suffice for this subreddit, if someone could at least lead me to the correct Kanji. With 太虚 I only found the Chinese Buddhist Taixu, and I also don’t know if the reading as Taikyo is even possible with these two Kanji. I already tried to google the term in Romaji, but I can’t seem to find the information I am looking for.

   Thank you in advance for any kind of help.

4. In the below, does the “考える” mean: the thinking is/the general thinking is? The context is: a bunch of defense lawyers are discussing strategy for getting a lesser sentence for their client. Shigemori is explaining to Hattori that a grudge-based crime is viewed more favourably by the justice system if compared to a crime where the primary motive is money.

   重盛: 怨恨の場合は、殺意を抱くやむを得ない事情があったって考えるわけ.

   服部: でもそれで罪の重さが変わっちゃったら・・・法律ってなんか不思議ですね.