aimeekitty

Yes, that's what I meant! I was thinking that it meant past tense based on usage... but I was confused because sometimes people use gozaimasu for for past tense too... *_*

But I guess when I leave a store, I would say gozaimashita, right?

but when someone gives me something, that's gozaimasu, right? cuase it's not "as" past tense, because it's something that JUST happened...?

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jennekohan.livejournal.com

Masu is present positive tense, mashita is past. I'm not sure how to say everything you need to know because I'm not fluent, but I'd think "Ikura desuka?" (How much is this?) Is something easy you can ask to see if it is for sale. "Kaitai desu" is "I want to buy this."

Have fun in Japan! I'd love to go loli shopping there. X3

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jennekohan.livejournal.com

Oh and I think you can say, "Otoko no fuku ga arimasuka?" for "Do you have men's clothes?"

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penultimateokgo.livejournal.com

It would be perfectly fine to use gozaimasu :D

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Yeah, I know those particular ones, but I was hoping to learn how to ask of something specifically is available for purchase, because some things that I ask about aren't... it seems more polite to say "is this for sale" instead of the more demanding "I want this"... if it's something unusual, like a one of a kind doll. But I guess my generally embarrassed manner in japan would get that across. *_*

Also we ran into a train ticket problem, where we specifically had to be able to ask "is this type of ticket available" but we couldnt, we could only ask how much and I'd like to buy, etc, it didn't quite work.

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junemermaid.livejournal.com

I just used "kitemite wa ok/ii desu ka?" for asking if I could try something on...but I'm sure that's not proper or probally even polite. But one of the shop girls told me I could ask that way and it worked for me XD

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When we went to Japan last year (about a month later than you'll be going), it was still snowing in places, and cold and damp. (If it wasn't snowing it was raining.) Especially if you're not used to that kind of weather, I'd suggest bringing things you can wear in layers. That way you can add or remove clothing to suit the temperature. Tights would be a good start, I think, and should look fine. :)

As for the language stuff, here are my husband's suggestions (since he is far more fluent than I):

"Is this for sale?" - "Kore, kaemasu ka?" or "Kore, utte imasu ka?"

"I made this myself" - "Kore wo jibun de tsukurimashita."

"Can I try this clothing on?" - "Kono fuku, haite miraremasu ka?"

"Do you have men's clothing?" - "Dansei no fuku, arimasu ka?"

Hope that helps! ^_^

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yes, but would BLACK tights look ok with a white skirt? O_O?
it was snowing in early febuary when we went last time (in Kyoto) this time we're going to be in Kyoto and Tokyo. I was hoping it would be warmer, but everyone seems to be saying that it's really cold. I'm not really used to cold weater. *_* I was going to bring my silk long-johns for underneath my jeans, but those don't go with skirts. I'd kinda like to avoid wearing dress-pants, since most dress pants don't quite fit me right. *_*

Thanks so much for the translations!

so... tsukurimashita, it's pronounced kinda like "sue-kuri-mash-sta" right?

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arigato gozaimasu - pronounced arigato gozaimas = thank you very much

arigato gozaimashita - pronounced arigato gozaimashta = thank you very much but saying it for the final time (the thanks is being said for something that is finished, and the conversation is ending.)

For all verbs: masu= present/future tense, mashita= past

Her's my best lousy student Japanese: :p

---- "Is this for sale?"
kore wa kaimono wo shimasuka? ("kore" = "this" (item implied but not specified), indicates it is near you - if you are pointing at it and it is near the clerk, use "sore", if it is not near either of you, use "are")

---- "I made this myself."
kore, watashi wo tsukurimashta.

---- "Can I try this clothing on?"
kono fuku wo kite miru? ("kono" = "this" (item specified, in this case it is "fuku" = clothing), indicates it is near you - if you are pointing at it and it is near the clerk, use "sono", if it is not near either of you, use "ano")

---- "Do you have men's clothing?"
otoko no hito no fuku ga arimasuka?

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tsukurimashita is pronounced "tsoo (yes, you should stick the "t" in) koo ree mahsh tah"

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As far as black tights with white skirt, I see Japanese women around San Franciso typically not matching the tights color to their skirts but using a contrast color.

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I was thinking it might be kinda cute, if I have black shoes and a black shirt...?

white tights, it seems like would look weird. *_*

I'm not brave enough to wear red or purple tights. (and there are no nude warm tights really..)

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kore, watashi wo tsukurimashta.

YEAY! Thats only one new word. I can remember that. :D

what does kaimono and shimasuka mean?

Thanks for all the help

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kaimono wo (wo pronounced "o") shimasu = a verb combo meaning shopping, kaimasu = to buy

I cannot guarantee to be completely accurate, but I think what you mean will come across!

I hope you and Judy & AJ have a blast! :D

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Black shoes, tights and shirt with white skirt seems like it would pull a look together nicely! Not too "out there", not too conservative. :)

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Well... it snowed in Kyoto when we left and that was around the 20-something of March so... ^^;; Sorry! I just thought I should warn you to prepare for cold weather, I'd feel so bad if you went and didn't have enough warm clothing and spent the trip freezing! As for the black tights under the white skirt, it kinda depends how heavy the skirt is... if only a bit of black tights would show at the lower calf and ankle underneath the skirt, I think it would still be okay. If the skirt goes kind of transparent so the black shows through (I hate how white fabric does that!) then it would probably look strange, yeah...

Ah, I see Karisu-sama beat me to the pronounciation. ^_^ But in that case, yes, make sure to have the "T" sound at the start - it's kind of a similar sound to the end of the word "lets" in English. Also, the Japanese have a funny way of dropping the "u" sound half the time - "desu" is pronounced "des" for example - so in this case, it's more like "tskuri-mashta." If you find it easier to say "tsu-kuri-mashta" though, I think they'll understand you. Everyone was very tolerant and polite about my bad Japanese when I was there. They seem to be well aware that their language is not an easy one and generally act flattered rather than offended when a "gaijin" tries to use it. :)

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Errrrr... I hate to correct, but actually "Kore, watashi wo tsukurimashita" means "This thing nade me"! Which I think is not quite what you are trying to convey... ^^;;;;

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the white skirt is pretty thick, fully lined, so it should be ok! :)

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Great! I say go for it then. ^_^

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I stared at your question about the clothes for several minutes trying to understand it. (LOL) March is the start of miniskirt/bare legs season in Japan! ^_^ (well, a lot of women never stop wearing miniskirts with bare legs no matter how cold it gets, but I'm talking about ordinary women...)

Those skirts will be perfectly fine and tights are okay too. I recommend you bring clothes which can be layered so that you can adjust the warmth depending on how you feel when you get here. Also, be aware that it will get much colder at night, so if you'll be out all day and into the evening bring a light sweater so you don't freeze on the way home. For the past week, I've been wearing a light trenchcoat with a small sweater underneath and find this sufficient for the weather. It's been a little unseasonably warm and I've found my wool coats too hot. You might be a little cold coming from California, though.

The arigatou gozaimasu/gozaimashita thing is confusing. I'm still not sure I understand how it works... Seems like every time I think I've gotten a handle on whether a particular situation would call for thanking for services already done or what's happened and may happen again, I hear a Japanese person use the one that I thought was wrong. >_<

- "Is this for sale?"
I think there isn't a standard Japanese phrase which is equivalent to all the possible uses of that English phrase, and I'm not sure in which sense you mean it. If you can tell a bit more about the context in which you'd like to use it, I might be able to help, or if I can't perhaps Cassiel can. But as it is, I think if it was translated literally, it wouldn't necessarily make sense all the times that you might use it.

- "I made this myself."
"Jibun de tsukurimashita" will do.

- "Can I try this clothing on?"
Kore o kite mite mo ii desu ka?

- "Do you have men's clothing?"
I've never asked this question so I don't really know but I think the best literal translation is something like "shinshifuku ga arimasu ka?" That word for men's clothing seems like it might be a little obscure or weird, though.

I think this might be a case where you should rethink what you want to say with the English phrase in order to get something that'll sound good in Japanese. Anyway 95% of the time, it'll be pretty obvious if a store has men's clothes/men's sizes and the question will be unnecessary. Except for the Kera shops at Marui One, BPN, and Moitie, very few boutiques have both women's and men's clothes together. If you see boys shopping in a store, pay attention to what size they are, not just that they're male. A LOT of Japanese boys are slender enough to wear ordinary women's clothes (even if it's a tiny size like an American 0 or 2), and if they're interested in alternative fashion, they'll shop at "women's" stores as if they're unisex places.

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yeah, but I have thin blood from living in CA so long! LOL! I get cold easily now. When it was snowing in Kyoto, tons of women had miniskirts on!! It blew my mind! That was one thing I always tell people about my trip to Japan. LOL.
stilletto huge heels too, and I'm still taller. WAAAH :)
I can't quite decide if I'd be warm enough, with one of these long skirts, some tights, and a light shirt with a light sweater? It seems like maybe I would be? I'd hate to bring a huge winter coat and take up all that room in my luggage if it's not that cold. *_*

"Is this for sale?" - I mean basically... erm... "does it exist to be sold" or "is this available for sale" you know, like if you went in a Volks store, and there was a one-off, just for example, how would you ask "is this ok to buy?" instead of just saying "I want to buy this" which seems too um... forceful or something to me?
Also, in some cases, I just want to ask "is this item available and is it for sale" I guess some form of arimasuka would work for that?

I'm definitely going to Marui,...
would a better way to ask be "Is this men's?" I bought a Atelier Boz (for men) jacket last year, and other than having to cinch the belt a little more it's FABOO for me. It's taller and awesome. I'm guessing that in some cases atelier boz's mens clothing, and possibly some H.Naoto stuff might be nice. The women's version of the same jacket I got, was not as good of a fit.

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That's fine; even my 2nd-year-student daughter was telling me I wasn't getting it quite right... :p

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ziggybecket.livejournal.com

Do you have a Japanese phrase book yet?

The one that Hitori brought with her was fantastic! It was very small so it was easy to carry around and contained all the nessessary phrases I needed, including everything you asked about above. :)

If you don't have one already, I'll ask which one she had. I think it was a lonely planet one but I'm not sure.

You guys are going to have so much fun in Japan! X-D

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I have a couple, but I'd love to know what she had, it might be better!

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You should bring a light jacket or coat. Not a huge winter one. Maybe something about the weight of a suit jacket or raincoat, that kind of light jacket, but with enough room that you can fit a sweater inside if necessary. It's becoming warm, but it could still become cold again. If you bring things that you can layer, like an undershirt/camisole, regular shirt, sweater, light jacket, and cute scarf, that ought to be enough.

Maybe for that kind of "is this on sale?", something like "(kore/item name ga) hatsubai saretemasu ka?" would work. Or, "kore o kaemasu ka?", "can I/is it possible to buy this?"

Oh, you're definitely going to Marui? I'd like to go with you, if you don't mind, and if our schedules permit. ^_^ It would be nice to meet, and I enjoy going shopping with friends.

If you want to confirm whether a certain product is for men or women, maybe "dansei no shouhin desu ka? Dansei no ga arimasu ka?" (Is it a men's item? Do you have men's?) would work. But often it'll just be obvious, either from the size/style, or it'll be marked on the product tag. For example, Moitie has two sizes: 2 (women), and MAN (in English), so you can figure it out easily for yourself.

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persoconchii.livejournal.com

sorry to randomly bust into your LJ....

comment on skirts!
You can always wear less warm tights AND the cute knee/thigh socks
Creates an extra layer for extra warmth [heey, up here in NewEngland, it kept me toasty during snow]

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dechanique.livejournal.com

how long will you be wearing the skirt? I wear mid thigh length skirts for most the winter here in maryland (b/w 50-30 deg) and sandals or vans. It only bothers me when i'm wearing sandals since extremities get cold first.

when i was in new york, i saw tons of japanese girls wearing skirts and peacoats on the subway. As long as you wear warm shoes I don't think it'll be aproblem.

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twotone

kore, kaimono wo shimasuka would mean "Does this go shopping?"

It's probably a lot simpler to say "Kore kaemasuka?" (Can I buy this?)
or "Kore, urimono desuka?" (Is this a product for sale?) <-- probably on the slangy side.

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fatwetdog.livejournal.com

---- "I made this myself."
I'd usually go with "tsukurimasita" (don't really need the "I" in this case. It'll be assumed and I like to drop the agency to sound humble. If you want the "I did it myself" then I'd use "Zibun de tsukurimasita.)

Really, I'd probably just say "Tezukuri desu." The latter means "It's handmade." When people use that it seems like they generally mean "made it herself." Like in Cosmode when they were talking about Adella's Aeris costume and were all like "Tezukuri desu!"

---- "Can I try this clothing on?"
"shitchaku site mo ii desu ka?" Shitchaku suru means to try on. Shitchaku sitsu is "dressing room".

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bittenbefore.livejournal.com

its not very cold in Japan so i think you wll be fine ^^
I'm heading there tomorrow [time to go home]!

I would say Arigato Gozaimasusta [just cos i am used to saying it]
you can say it either way, i find the latter has more of a "finished" feel to it ,ie u at at the end of your conversation.

i skimmed the comments and it looks like u got your translations. need aymore help, let me know ^^

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pookimunki.livejournal.com

I really like that dark skirt! If you plan on wearing the white, but w/ the rest of the outfit black like you said, I'd suggest pulling some other white accent into the outfit towards the top...like if you had a whitish scarf to wind around the neck or a light cap for your head, etc. You don't want everything black and then*boom* a big white on your lower half, you know? But if you have one other white item to tie it in, or if your shirt had white accents on it, for example, then it becomes a purposeful style element.

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marui - Oh that would be cool! :D!

say, I'm really tall (broken record) and not super skinny *_*, do you think people would look at me weird if I wore lolita to Marui? I cant decide. People kinda stare at me anyway. But I thought it would be nice to wear lolita shopping at least maybe one day...! what do you think??

Thanks for all the advice! :)!

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I do have a black shirt with white embroidery on the shoulders, that would probably work well, but if I wear it with my black sweater, that wouldnt be showing, so maybe I'll go get a white scarf today! ^_^ I wanted one anyway! Thanks for the great suggestion!

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When were you planning to go to Marui?

To be honest, I think if you're a tall woman people are likely to stare no matter what you wear. ^^; It's just that unusual here. But I also think if you're going shopping for lolita clothes, you might as well wear lolita that day. People in the lolita stores are less likely to think you're weird, and at least they'll appreciate that you have a true interest in the fashion and might possibly buy something rather than just being some tourist gawking at the strange Japanese fashions.

If we go together, I can wear lolita or EGA too. ^o^

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I'm not sure exactly.. erm... sometime between the 15th and the 18th! :D

I'd feel better if someone else wore it too, but I think my other two friends won't be (which is fine)

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Is the 16th okay? I'm completely free that day. On the 17th I'm going away for the weekend. I can meet during the day on the 15th, but I'm going to a concert that evening so I'd have to leave early.

It would be really nice to meet you! ^_^

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ajmeow.livejournal.com

Hitori mentioned lending it to me (and that you kept stealing it from her). =D

I'll pick it up from her next week Aimee!

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ajmeow.livejournal.com

"Tezukuri desu."
How do you pronounce that? ^^;
Like: Tez-kuri (drop the middle u?)?

From: (Anonymous)

Hi Aimee! I'm in my third year of Japanese class, and I had my Sensei take a look at these phrases too. She suggests that these would be appropriate and polite enough:

"Is this for sale?" - "Kore wa uri mono desu ka?" or "Kore wa kaemasu ka?" (More like "Can I buy this?")
"I made this myself" - "Kore wa jibun de tsukurimashita."
"Can I try this clothing on?" - "Kono fuku o haite mite mo ii desu ka?"
"Do you have men's clothing?" - "Otoko mono ga arimasu ka?"

I'm so jealous. I won't be able to go to Japan for at least another year. Xb
I hope you have a really great time! Take lots of pictures! :D

From: (Anonymous)

Thanks - yes, I don't claim to be anything other than a beginning Nihongo no gakusei. ^^

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Thanks - yes, I don't claim to be anything other than a beginning Nihongo no gakusei. ^^

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when did LJ log me off?? ??:O

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bettyvalentine.livejournal.com

It's the "Te" for "hand" paired up with the nominalized stem "tsukuri" from "Tsukuru/tsukurimasu" ("to make"). Because it is hooked up to "te", the "tsu" in "Tsukuri" takes the hard modifier and becomes "dsu" ... which is pretty much a dental zu. (say zu with your tongue touching your teeth.) I am not sure of the correct accent, but I *think* it is on the second syllable. (but my accent sucks, so YMMV).

Dzu and Ku both keep their cute little Japanese U's.

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bettyvalentine.livejournal.com

Uhh... whoops! @_@ I forgot which LJ account I was signed in on!
FWD

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