Multi-lingual-istic Ramblings...

[tj_dragonblade]

I have yet another Japanese question...can anyone tell me if there's a word for 'puppet'? Or something along those lines? (Looks hopefully at Sycho) I'm pondering fic titles for a Kou-POV work-in-progress and it would just fit the flow of what I've done with him so far and another piece that's trying to come together in my head if the title is Japanese. Otherwise it'll probably just be called 'Puppet'; and that somehow sounds a little plain.

Also, while I'm at it...what can y'all tell me about 'anou' and 'aa'? They keep trying to worm their way into Hakkai's speech, and I need to have a better understanding of what they mean before I decide to either kick them back out or let them stay. I have the impression that 'Aa' may just be a sound, or it could be an actual word--but it seems to get used in much the same way that 'Ah', 'Oh', and even 'Hn' appear in English. Sort of...a non-committal sound to indicate understanding or just paying attention. And 'anou'...it usually seems a polite way of saying something along the lines of 'Umm...' or 'Ahhh...' (shrugs)

If all else fails, does anyone have any site recs for researching these sorts of questions myself? Though I still find that a person with knowledge is generally more helpful than an automated translation device for languages like Japanese and Mandarin...which reminds me that I never did verify if using xin ai as a term of endearment was acceptable or not...whoops.

And, as an aside: Steph, thanks to you, every time U2's 'Vertigo' comes on the radio I'm hearing 'Uno! Dos! Tres! Battosai!' instead of 'catorce'...or is it quatorce? Quatorze--no wait, that's French...I think. >_< My semester of seventh-grade Spanish was a *very* long time ago...I'm afraid I don't remember the proper spelling for 'fourteen'.

Nonetheless, the idea of Bono as a Kenshin fan amuses me. ^_^

Comments

[deathlike.livejournal.com]

Puppet: Ayatsuriningyo

[sychogrl.livejournal.com]

Hehehe. I happen to know that a common Japanese word for "puppet" is "ningyou." However, there are at least two other words for "puppet" in my online dictionary; one might assume that the others are given to slightly different connotations. Sort of the difference between a doll and a marionette, and perhaps the abstraction of a person being treated as a puppet? I dunno quite for sure. But "ningyou" would probably do. Also, make sure to leave the final "u" in there, because a "ningyo" is a mermaid! XD

Regarding "anou" and "aa": "anou" is a polite interjection. English equivalents are: "ummm," "well," "errr," etc. So you were right about that. As for "aa," I think it has more than one meaning. It's not in my dictionary, but from what I know it can either be an informal "yeah" (Sanzo uses it quite a bit), or used to strongly agree with someone or something. As in, "Aa, sou desu, ne!" which Hakkai likes to say sometimes. "Oh, that's true!" I heard it used in another anime when a character was expressing great contentment with her lot. :)

Hope that helps. ^_^ Also, if you're looking for a particular word, this is a very good dictionary: http://www.trussel.com/f_nih.htm No Japanese language support is required. :)

[wind-chijmes.livejournal.com]

I never did verify if using xin ai as a term of endearment

If you use it like this => "xin ai de Hakkai" for example, which would mean "beloved Hakkai". xin ai isn't a noun, to put it in English terms. ^_~ Hope I've helped a bit.