It's all Greek to me.

Apr 19, 2015 22:29
Today, I'd like to introduce an unique Japanese phrase.

It's "ちんぷんかんぷん," which means like "it's all Greek to me."

The phrase sounds strange and lovely.

If you face a situation that you can't understand about Japanese, it may be better to say "ちんぷんかんぷんです."

However, since the phrase sometimes sounds ironic in some situations, please be careful.
ちんぷんかんぷん

今日は、日本語の独特なフレーズを紹介しようと思います。

それは、「全くわからない」を意味する「ちんぷんかんぷん」です。

とても不思議で、かわいらしい響きを持つフレーズです。

もし日本語で全く理解できないことがあったら、「ちんぷんかんぷんです。」と言うといいかもしれません。

しかし、状況によっては皮肉に聞こえる恐れがあるので、気をつけて下さい。
No. 1　Timmy's correction
  • The phrase sounds strange and lovely.
  • The (or: this) phrase sounds (both) strange and lovely (at the same time).
  • However, since the phrase sometimes sounds ironic in some situations, please be careful.
  • However, since the phrase sometimes sounds ironic in some situations, please be careful (when using this phrase).
Interesting!
kanotown
Thank you very much for correcting my post! :)
Timmy
You are welcome!
No. 2　davidjeters's correction
  • It's all Greek to me.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Today, I'd like to introduce an unique Japanese phrase.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • It's "ちんぷんかんぷん," which means like "it's all Greek to me."
  • It's "ちんぷんかんぷん," which means like "it's all Greek to me."
  • The phrase sounds strange and lovely.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • If you face a situation that you can't understand about Japanese, it may be better to say "ちんぷんかんぷんです."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • However, since the phrase sometimes sounds ironic in some situations, please be careful.
  • However, since the phrase sometimes sounds ironic in some situations, please be careful.
Thank you for the Japanese lesson on "ちんぷんかんぷん". I enjoy reading your journal entries. May you have a wonderful day.
kanotown
Thank you very much for your corrections and comment!
I'm glad about your words! :)
No. 3　Nameless's correction
スペイン語で「全ては中国語であります」という、よく分かりません時に。皮肉は日本語でもありますか？知りませんでした。日本人は皮肉があんまり好きじゃないだと聴きました。

kanotown
Interesting! 確かに漢字を習っていない人にとって、中国語は難しく思えますね。
日本語にはあまりそのような表現はありませんが、
わけが分からない時に「宇宙人の言葉のようだ」等と言うことがたまにあります。

日本人は皮肉はあまり好きではないと思いますが、ありますよ。
欧米の皮肉とはちょっと違うかもしれませんが。
No. 4　Oceansea's correction
  • It's "ちんぷんかんぷん," which means like "it's all Greek to me."
  • It's "ちんぷんかんぷん," which means, like, "it's all Greek to me."
    　"Like" is a filler word that doesn't really have any meaning. We use it when speaking to make a pause if we need to think, or if we are not sure what to say. There are probably more reasons why people say it at well.

    When writing, I like to put it in commas on both sides of it to show that it is only an extra word. So that way, like, your readers can tell that it is only an insert into the sentence.
  • The phrase sounds strange and lovely.
  • The This phrase sounds strange and lovely.
    　"This" is better because it refers back to the sentence that you just said.
kanotown
Thank you very much for correcting my post!
You're comments are informative for me! :D
Oceansea
You're welcome!

Also, maybe I should mention that "like" can have a meaning if it is a verb. For example: "I like ice cream."
It can also be used to give instructions: "please open the box like this."
Please do not get confused!
kanotown
  • It's "ちんぷんかんぷん," which means, like, "it's all Greek to me."

    "Like" is a filler word that doesn't really have any meaning. We use it when speaking to make a pause if we need to think, or if we are not sure what to say. There are probably more reasons why people say it at well.

    When writing, I like to put it in commas on both sides of it to show that it is only an extra word. So that way, like, your readers can tell that it is only an insert into the sentence.

Thank you for your helpful comments!
Maybe it's too late, but I have one question. Can I say
「It's "ちんぷんかんぷん," which means something like "it's all Greek to me."」?
Actually, I thought that if I said "A means B", it would mean "A equals B." However, I wanted to express "A nearly equals B," so I put "like" after "means."
Oceansea
Yes! That sentence is perfect. "Something like" is a good way to say "similar too."

I just heard ちんぷんかんぷん in an anime recently! I laughed. Thanks for teaching me this phrase.
kanotown
Thank you so much! I understood well. :)

Haha, that's great to hear!
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