When I was younger I used to watch a lot of Anime, and I remember 手に入れる was used many times, however now I watch mostly dorama and very few Anime, and I hardly see 手に入れる being used.
Is 手に入れる used mostly by children or in content for younger audiences or it’s just a coincidence that what I’m watching now doesn’t have much if it?
Thanks in advance!
4 comments
Everyone uses 手に入れる regardless of age. I think it’s just a coincidence that you haven’t seen someone use it. Maybe depending on the dramas that you’ve watched, they use the formal/fancy alternative 入手する・入手した more often.
It sounds like game or anime
I don’t consider it as childish at all. Chinese-ish word like 入手 definitely has more stiff tone to it (I forgot the term for those words – usually it’s consists of two-Kanjis, maybe 漢語 is the therm), therefore that better suits for formal expressions, but 手に入れる is not dumb or lazy in any ways – that is to say that you can still use 手に入れる for nice language.
What might sound childish to me to say that is to use phrase like “もらう” for 手に入れる in situations that doesn’t translate well. Kids around early teen or younger uses that in place of them. I think Anime stories uses 手に入れる for exaggerated expression to get something, as in gaining special power or legendary items.
I don’t use 手に入れる much in real life because it sounds a bit too exaggerated. Like, when I get things, usually I purchased them (買った) or gifted them (もらった) and I don’t really use that word unless the act of having ownership alone is the important part. But then when I want to exaggerate them, I may go for stiff tone, therefore using 入手 might be somehow more often the case – although it still doesn’t mean that 手に入れる is any less legitimate. My example would be 「ついにプレステ４を入手したぞ！」 (“I got PS4 AT LAST (despite the scarcity and long wait!)”) to stress on the ownership rather than mere fact that I payed money for ownership or that I own it now.
I remember Zelda using that when you get a new item