common questions you’ll get asked in japan
November 19th, 2005 by heatherExactly ONE MONTH before I arrive in Japan! get very excited/anxious.
I’ve been asking friends of mine who have been in japan since the summer- what are the most common questions people will ask you in japan? i’ve started listing them below. these are both from adults and kids but i’m not sure which.
Some are surprising, some possibly awkward. i know for sure i would not expect to be asked ‘how old are you’ upon meeting osmeon in ireland. i remember being shocked in taiwan when people asked me how much i earned or how much i paid in rent. in the US or Ireland, this is hardly a topic of conversation for even acquaintances, let alone someone you just meet. so you do get used to it, but it’s odd.
This article is enlightening; Common misconceptions: # 2.2 Foreigners cannot speak Japanese, use chopsticks or eat sushi” That author is seriously annoyed about some of these questions, as they may belie ignorance or possibly prejudice. Either way, it’s good for me to get familiar with the questions, so that I respond when I hear them.
I still don’t have the Japanese for all of them, nor do i have the responses. Hopefully I can gather them here.
- Q: do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend?
- かれしがいますか - Q: what’s your bloodtype?
A: - Q: how old are you? what age are you?
- なんさいですか?
A:
あなたよりとしがうえです。(older than you; or compared to you, my years are higher) - Q: what’s your favorite food?
A: - Q: can you eat japanese food?
A
: - Q: why did you decide to come to japan?
A: - Q: can you use chopsticks? they even ask you while you are using chopsticks.
A: - Q: what sports do you like?
どのスポーツが好きですか。
dono どの which; 好きis すき (like)
A: . スポーツがすきではありません。I don’t like any or うえに pingpong
November 20th, 2005 at 4:26 am
I remember people there are always interested about where you came from and what you do?
One month from now, it would be very cold there wouldn’t it? Have you written about where in Japan you’d be going?
” meeting osmeon in ireland.”
I’ve heard the name before…
November 20th, 2005 at 6:20 pm
[…] duling Goals Atypical Foreigner Syndrom or A.F.S Heather over at I want to learn Japanese has a list of common questions you […]
November 22nd, 2005 at 11:01 am
Hi, Heather
I’m Natsu who live in Japan .
I really enjoyed reading your blog and was so impressed with your great
attitude learning Japanese.
Above lists are right ! Expecially we like to ask question 2 and 3 each other when we meet new people and inroduce ourselves. You know,
in Japan, blood type is associated with a person’s character (I think it is
nonsense!!). So when Japanese ask you what your blood type is, they
might be suprised if you say “I don’t know my blood type”.
Japanese think people in youg age are better.
People in twenties are even called “OBASAN”, “OYAJI” or “OJISAN”
(Do you know these words?). I heard it was rude to ask an age first in
U.S. But in Japan, it seems not to be rude. I’m 33 years old, so I’m
“RIPPANA OBASAN”!
There are the lists I think Jaanese might ask you ;
1. Why are you interested in Japanese?
なぜ日本語に興味をもちましたか？
2. Where do you want to go siteseeing in Japan?
どこへ観光に行きたいですか？
** Japanese think people from foreign countries almost always like to
go to Kyoto, Asakusa and Kamakura. Recently Akihabara is getting
populer.
As Vince A. said, we are interested in about where you came from and
what you do.
Anyway, I’m happy to help you to learn Japanese. Please feel free to
contact me and send E-mail. “GANBARE!”
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:16 pm
I think I do know those words now, like Ojisan. In highschool, my friend had a tape of Japanese folk music, and there was a song: “Haijai Ojisan, Hai!”, and we used to sing it all the time.
Recently, I sang it to my Japanese-speaking boyfriend– calling him: Ojisan, and he wasn’t very pleased.
But I don’t know what RIPPANA OBASAN means. I Looked it up:
りっぱな = nice
おばさん = aunty!
Thank you for visiting, Natsu. I saw your site. I can’t exactly read all of it, but I see you don’t mind displaying your age on your ‘about’ section. I guess it’s different.
I’m さんじゅいち! but I don’t think i’d display it on my site….in english
oh dear! that will be me too!
わたしわおばさんです！
November 23rd, 2005 at 8:42 am
You and I are りっぱな おばさん! That’s soooo funny!
For your infomration, we sometimes say じじい and ばばあ.
じじい is the rude word of おじさん. ばばあ is the rude word of おばさん.
You should not use these words in front of the people whom you don’t
know well. If you use them, they minght be very angry.
BUT, we use these words as a joke when we have a chat with close friends, boyfriends or girlfriends.
For example, I went to the gym and worked out for an hour. I was
so tired. I told my friends that I was so tired to work out. She
said to me, “ばばあになったね”. It means, you get old, so you get
tired so fast even though you work out just for an hour.
Do you know “ババシャツ (baba-shatsu)? I sometimes wear this…hahaha.
November 24th, 2005 at 3:26 am
i looked up ババシャツ in my dictionary… but i can’t find it…
what is it like?
November 25th, 2005 at 12:17 pm
OK, let me explain about ババシャツ.
It’s one of women’S underwear, which preserves heat.
It keeps our body warm, but its design is not so fashionable….In Japan
ばばあ like to wear them and younger people regarded these undershirts
with disdain.
But, recently these underwears have becom popular with young women
because they want to be scantily dressed. I heard there was now a wide variety of colors and designs.
Colors like beige or pink are good because they aren’t see-through. A wide v-neck style is good because it won’t show above your neckline.
However, if you have a date, I have to say “Do not wear them!”.
These undershirts are NOT very popular with men. So go for luxualy
undershirts… even if you catch a cold!!
November 28th, 2005 at 8:45 pm
this is one of those things that trascends cultural barriers:
thermal underwear ( ババシャツ ) is not セクし！
is that how you spell sexy?