A
The adjective aoi 青い and its nominal counterpart, ao 青, cover a wider range of color than does “blue,” since the Japanese word may also refer to the range of color that one would call “green” in English. Though aoi normally means “blue,” it can indicate “green” in reference to a limited number of items (though midori 緑 “green” is also acceptable), especially vegetation, as in aoi shiba 青い芝 “green grass,” aoi kusaki 青い草木 “green vegetation,” and ao-shingō 青信号 “green traffic light.” Centuries ago, according to Ikegami (p. 16), the use of ao for green was even more extensive than now; nowadays, however, in the sense of “green,” midori is becoming more popular.
Aoi 青い also means “pale” in reference to a person’s complexion.
EXAMPLE:
Suzuki-san dō shita n deshō ka. Aoi kao o shite-imasu yo.
鈴木さんどうしたんでしょうか。 青い顔をしていますよ。
I wonder what’s happened to Mr. Suzuki. He looks pale.
In this case, no other color word may replace aoi 青い.
Are あれ that
In Japanese, there are two words corresponding to the English demonstrative “that” as in “That is a park.” They are are あれ and sore それ. The difference between these two Japanese demonstratives when used with reference to visible things is that are is for something removed from both the speaker and the addressee while sore refers to something removed from the speaker but close to the addressee. Suppose you are talking to Mr. Suzuki and want to refer to a book that he is holding in his hand. Then use sore, as in
EXAMPLE:
(1) Sore wa nan no hon desu ka.
それはなんの本ですか。
What book is that?
On the other hand, if you and Mr. Suzuki want to talk about a building seen in the distance, you use are and say, for example,
EXAMPLE:
(2) Are wa nan no tatemono deshō ne.
あれはなんの建物でしょうねえ。
I wonder what building that is.
When are あれ and sore それ are used as prenoun modifiers, they become ano あの and sono その, as in ano pen あのペン “that pen” and sono hon その本 “that book,” but the semantic difference between ano and sono remains parallel to that between are and sore.
Since, in Japanese, words normally do not differ in form whether they are singular or plural, are and sore can mean “those” instead of “that.” The same is true of ano and sono.
With reference to something that is not visible to either the speaker or the hearer at the time of speech, are and sore are used as follows. Are is used “when the speaker knows that the hearer, as well as the speaker himself, knows the referent” whereas sore is used “either when the speaker knows the referent but thinks that the hearer does not or when the speaker does not know the referent” (Kuno, p. 283). Compare the following examples:
EXAMPLES:
(3) A: Kinō Sutā Wōzu to iu eiga o mimashita yo.
きのうスターウォーズという映画を見ました。
Yesterday I saw a movie called Star Wars.
B: Are (not *Sore それ) wa omoshiroi eiga desu nē.
あれは面白い映画ですねえ。
That’s a fun movie, isn’t it?
(4) A: Kinō Roshia-eiga o mimashita yo.
きのうロシア映画を見ましたよ。
Yesterday I saw a Russian movie.
B: Sore (not *Are あれ) wa donna eiga deshita ka.
それはどんな映画でしたか。
What kind of movie was that?
In (3), speaker B has already seen the movie, so he refers to it as are あれ. In (4), on the other hand, speaker B does not know what movie speaker A is talking about, so he uses sore それ instead.
A
The Japanese equivalent of “Thank you” has variants depending on the tense. If you want to thank someone for something that he is doing, is going to do, or repeatedly does for you, you say Arigatō gozaimasu ありがとうございます. To thank someone for what he has already done for you, however, you say Arigatō gozaimashita ありがとうございました. For example, if someone has just invited you to a party that is to take place next week, you say Arigatō gozaimasu. After the party, however, you say Arigatō gozaimashita, meaning “Thank you for what you did for me.” Likewise, as you accept a present from someone, you say Arigatō gozaimasu, but next time you see him, you thank him again by saying Arigatō gozaimashita. The difference in usage between these two forms remains even when dōmo どうも “very much” is added for emphasis. Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu どう もありがとうございます functions like Arigatō gozaimasu, and Dōmo arigatō gozaimashita like Arigatō gozaimashita, except that the versions with dōmo are more polite than the ones without.
The informal version Arigatō ありがとう (without gozaimasu ございます or gozaimashita ございました) may be used regardless of the time of the event for which you wish to show gratitude. This version, however, cannot be used when speaking to someone higher in status. Since it is difficult for nonnative speakers of Japanese to determine who is higher or lower than they are, the safest thing would be to use Arigatō only when talking to a child. Otherwise, use the full form Arigatō gozaimasu (or gozaimashita) ありがとうございます (ございました), or simply Dōmo どうも.
Unlike “Thank you,” Arigatō gozaimasu ありがとうございます and its variants may not be used in response to compliments. If someone compliments you for your “excellent Japanese,” for example, say Mada dame desu まだダメです “It’s still no good.” Thanking someone for a compliment, to the Japanese way of thinking, is like admitting you deserve the compliment; it is therefore an act of conceit.
A
Aru ある means “to be” in the sense of “to exist.” As a rule, the verb is used with inanimate subjects (including plants).
EXAMPLES:
(1) Ishii-san no ie wa Nagoya ni aru.
石井さんの家は名古屋にある。
Mr. Ishii’s house is in Nagoya.
(2) Go-gatsu no dai-isshū ni wa kyūjitsu ga mik-ka aru.