はら はら

hara - hara 5-minute Japanese Class by Hitomi Hirayama

I love the onomatopoeia that I studied in Vol. 49 because the
subtle expressions covered in the class can be understood very
Design : Masako Ban
Onomatopoeia
I'm very happy for you! I'm sure you have studied Put suitable onomatopoeia in the box.
Japanese very hard, but perhaps your conversational style 1. My friends often travel abroad.
was a little awkward before. Why was that? It was because

友達は       海外旅行をします。

easily and are easy to pronounce and remember, too. Japanese you didn't use enough onomatopoeia! Conversational style tomodachi wa often kaigai-ryoko- o shimasu
friends say I have gained a variety of conversational expressions can be awkward when students focus too much on grammar (friend) (abroad)(travel)
in my Japanese, and that what I say is more understandable or if they study Japanese outside Japan. However, when they
than before. So I really want to learn more onomatopoeic learn and start using onomatopoeia in their conversation, 2. Your health will suffer if you keep getting irritated.
expressions. Could you cover some more expressions? I want to their Japanese will sound much more natural!! being すると 体に悪いですよ。
speak Japanese pera-pera (fluently)! irritated suru to karada ni warui desu yo
(health) (bad)

は object を Verb
6. being irritated/ Traffic jams make you irritated, don't they?
3. Well, as tonight is a celebration,
onomatopoeia bothered 渋滞 は いらいら しますね。
wa o さあ 今晩 は お祝い ですから
ju-tai wa ira-ira shimasu ne

→
いらいら
tense sa- komban wa oiwai desu-kara
ira-ira (traffic jam) (tonight) (celebration)
future tense ます。 past tense ました。
masu mashita so everybody, have plenty to drink!
7. being in trouble/ That company has been in trouble all year.
negative ません。 past negative ませんでした。 confused あの 会社 は 年中 ごたごた していますよ。 rapidly, 飲んでくださいね。
masen masen deshita ごたごた ano kaisha wa nenju- gota-gota shiteimasu yo steadily nonde-kudasai ne
gota-gota (that company) (all the year around) (please drink)
1. rapidly/steadily Time passed by so quickly.
どんどん 時間 は どんどん すぎました。 8. hanging out/ I just want to hang out every day without working. 4. Is it about time to have lunch?
don-don jikan wa don-don sugimashita doing nothing 仕事 を しないで 毎日 ぶらぶら したいですね。
it's about お昼にしましょうか。
(time) ぶらぶら
bura-bura
shigoto o shinaide mainichi bura-bura shitai desu ne time ohiru ni shimasho- ka
2. it's about time Well, it's about time for me to go. (don't work) (every day)
(lunch)
そろそろ じゃあ そろそろ 失礼します。
soro-soro ja- soro-soro shitsure-shimasu 9. hectic It's been busy (hectic) all day long.
5. I've been so busy (hectic)
(Well) ばたばた きょうは 一日中 ばたばた していました。
3. often I often went to Kyoto back then. bata-bata kyo- wa ichinichi-ju- bata-bata shiteimashita busy していたので
(today) (all day long) (hectic) shiteita node
ちょくちょく 昔 は 京都 に ちょくちょく 行きました。
choku-choku mukashi wa Kyoto ni choku-choku ikimashita I'm sorry I didn't contact you earlier.
(a long time ago) 10. being humid This year's rainy season is humid, too, isn't it?
連絡 が 遅くなり申しわけありませんでした。
むしむし 今年 の 梅雨 もむしむし しますね。
4. scoff/gobble/ Mr. Kinoshita gobbled down the sushi.
mushi-mushi kotoshi no tsuyu mo mushi-mushi shimasu ne
renraku ga osokunari moshiwake arimasen deshita
munch (contact) (become late) (I'm very sorry)
木下さん は 寿司 を ぱくぱく 食べました。 (this year) (rainy season)
ぱくぱく Kinoshita-san wa sushi o paku-paku tabemashita
paku-paku Most of the time, I just lie around at home
11. lie around 6. Didn't you get nervous when you went out on your first date?
ごろごろ when I have a day off.
初めてのデートは       しませんでしたか。
は tense goro-goro 休み は ほとんど ごろごろしています。 nervous
onomatopoeia hajimete no date wa shimasen deshita ka
wa yasumi wa hotondo goro-goro shiteimasu
(first time)
→

(day off) (almost)

future tense
します。
past tense
しました。 12. full of life That person is 95 years old, but she's full of life. 7. I was hanging out in Ginza last Sunday.
shimasu shimashita いきいき あの人 は 95歳 です が いきいき していますね。
先週 の 日曜日 に 銀座 を     hanging しました。
iki-iki ano hito wa kyu-ju--go-sai desu ga iki-iki shiteimasu ne
negative しません。
past negative
しませんでした。
(that person) (95 years old)
senshu- no nichi-yo-bi ni Ginza o out shimashita
shimasen shimasen deshita (last week) (Sunday)

5. nervous/with a I didn't get nervous when I gave my speech. 13. smile The receptionist always has a nice smile.
pounding heart にこにこ 受け付けの人 は いつも にこにこ しています。 Answers
スピーチ は どきどき しませんでした。
どきどき niko-niko uketsuke no hito wa itsumo niko-niko shiteimasu 1. 3 2. 6 3. 1 4. 2 5. 9 6. 5 7. 8
speech wa doki-doki shimasendeshita
doki-doki (reception) (person) (always)
With cooperation from Yasuhiro Koga
Copyright 2003 The Yomiuri Shimbun