37 Do you have any funny or embarrassing Japanese mistake stories? (Part 2)

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Do you have any funny or embarrassing Japanese mistake stories?

Topics Discussed

• How "sayonara" is not used in most situations when saying "goodbye" in Japanese
• A mix up at a convenience store
• Getting used to referring to people in the Japanese language
• What exactly a rōtari is
• Being asian
• Dealing with people that want to speak English even when they're English ability is poor
• Mixing up yasui (cheap) with yasai)
• The tricky situation that people with Asian features who are not fluent speakers of Japanese often find themselves in Japan
• A peculiar usage of the term shikkari and shikkari shiro
• And much more!

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Sources, Links, Videos, Etc.

This episode features Kyle Broyles as a special guest. If you would like to follow him on Twitter, please use the link below.

• Kyle Broyles on Twitter

Kyle is one of the hosts of the Tokyo Splosion podcast. If you would like to check his podcast out, you can look it up wherever you get your podcasts or use the links below.

• Tokyo Splosion on Apple Podcasts
• Tokyo Splosion on Google Podcasts
• Tokyo Splosion on Spotify
• Tokyo Splosion on Twitter

To listen to the other Ichimon Japan episodes that Kyle Broyles was a guest on, use the links below.

• What's life like in Japan during the coronavirus pandemic? (Uncovering the cute sneeze conspiracy) | Ichimon Japan 13
• Why are vegetables so insulting in Japanese? | Ichimon Japan 14

To listen to the first "Japanese mistakes" episode of Ichimon Japan, use the link below.

• Do you have any funny or embarrassing Japanese language mistake stories? | Ichimon Japan 30

To listen to the latest episode of Japan Station, use the link below.

• Obscenity, Censorship & Erotic Comics in Japan (Patrick W. Galbraith) | Japan Station 59

To pick up a t-shirt and support the show, check out KimotoDesigns.com

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Japanese Vocabulary List

Most episodes feature at least one or two interesting Japanese words or phrases. Here's some of the ones that came up on this episode. All information is from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.

• Onigiri
  • おにぎり (n) (pol) onigiri; rice ball (often triangular, sometimes with a filling and wrapped in nori)
• Rootari
  • ロータリ (n) traffic circle; circle; rotary; roundabout
• Yasai
  • 野菜 【やさい】 (n,adj-no) vegetable
• Yasui
  • 安い(P); 廉い 【やすい】 (adj-i) (1) cheap; inexpensive; (adj-i) (2) (安い only) calm; peaceful; quiet
• Tsumetai
  • 冷たい 【つめたい(P); つべたい】 (adj-i) (1) (ant: 熱い・1) cold (to the touch); chilly; icy; freezing
• Doobutsuen
  • 動物園 【どうぶつえん】 (n) zoo; zoological gardens
• Daibutsu
  • 大仏 【だいぶつ】 (n) large statue of Buddha (trad. at least 4.8m high)
• Shikkari
  • しっかり (adv,adv-to,vs) (1) (on-mim) tightly (holding on); firmly; securely; (adv,adv-to,vs) (2) (uk) (on-mim) strongly (built); solidly; sturdily; steadily; (adv,adv-to,vs) (3) (uk) (on-mim) properly; well; sufficiently; hard (working, etc.); fully; completely; (adv,adv-to,vs) (4) (uk) (on-mim) reliably; dependably; levelheadedly; shrewdly; wisely; cleverly
• Shikkari shiro
  • しっかりしろ (exp) pull yourself together; get a grip; get a hold of yourself; come on
• Ou
  • 負う 【おう】 (v5u,vt) (1) (See 背負う・1) to bear; to carry on one's back; (v5u,vt) (2) to take responsibility for; to accept a duty; (v5u,vt) (3) to receive (wound); to incur (damage); to be injured; (v5u,vt) (4) to owe

We Want Your Questions

Is there something about Japan that confuses you? Is there something about Japanese culture that you would like to learn more about? Is there something in Japanese history that you would like us to explain? We're always looking for new questions about Japan to answer, so if you have one, please send it to ichimon@japankyo.com.

Special Thanks

Opening/Closing Theme: Produced by Apol (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Fiverr)

Ichimon Japan cover art: Produced by Erik R.

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Full Show Notes

• https:///www.japankyo.com/ichimonjapan

What are you funniest Japanese mistakes? | Ichimon Japan 30