Amato and Karato

Jun 14, 2016 10:49
Today, I will talk about the Japanese words "amato" and "karato," which are often misused.

"Ama" in "amato" means "sweet," "kara" in "karato" means "spicy," and "to" means "(political) party."

Therefore, most Japanese people think that "amato" means people who like sweets, and "karato" means people who like spicy food literary.

However, the original meanings are something like the following:

Amato: People who prefer sweets than sake (alcohol).

Karato: People who prefer sake (alcohol) to sweets.

The meaning of "amato" is almost correct, but that of "karato" is dramatically different from the original.

One of the most widely-accepted theories that explain why "karato" means people who like sake is that high alcohol sake that have a low sugar content is called "辛い" (spicy) in Japan.
甘党と辛党

今日は、多くの日本人が誤用している日本語、「甘党」と「辛党」を紹介します。

「甘」は「sweet」、「辛」は「spicy」、「党」は「party」を意味します。

このため、文字から「甘党」は「甘いものが好きな人」、「辛党」は「辛いものが好きな人」と考えられていることが多いです。

しかし、本来の意味は、それぞれ以下のようになります。

甘党:酒よりも甘い菓子類が好きな人

辛党:甘い菓子類よりも酒が好きな人

「甘党」の意味はおおよそ正しいですが、「辛党」の意味は大きく異なります。

「辛党」が「酒好き」を意味する有力な説の一つに、アルコール度数の高い酒(糖分の少ない酒)を日本では「辛い」と言うから、というものがあります。
No. 1 Kimera's correction
  • Today, I will talk about the Japanese words "amato" and "karato," which are often misused.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • "Ama" in "amato" means "sweet," "kara" in "karato" means "spicy," and "to" means "(political) party."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Therefore, most Japanese people think that "amato" means people who like sweets, and "karato" means people who like spicy food literary.
  • Therefore, most Japanese people think that "amato" means people who like sweets, and "karato" means people who like spicy food literally.
  • However, the original meanings are something like the following:
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Amato: People who prefer sweets than sake (alcohol).
  • Amato: People who prefer sweets rather than sake (alcohol).
  • Karato: People who prefer sake (alcohol) to sweets.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • The meaning of "amato" is almost correct, but that of "karato" is dramatically different from the original.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • One of the most widely-accepted theories that explain why "karato" means people who like sake is that high alcohol sake that have a low sugar content is called "辛い" (spicy) in Japan.
  • One of the most widely-accepted theories that explains why "karato" means people who like sake is that high alcohol sake have a low sugar content is called "辛い" (spicy) in Japan.
すごく上手、やばっ
Kiwi
同意です。もうはやネイティブ並みです。
Toru
Thank you very much for correcting my post!
I'm really glad to hear you say that (^^)
No. 2 Kiwi's correction
  • Today, I will talk about the Japanese words "amato" and "karato," which are often misused.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • "Ama" in "amato" means "sweet," "kara" in "karato" means "spicy," and "to" means "(political) party."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Therefore, most Japanese people think that "amato" means people who like sweets, and "karato" means people who like spicy food literary.
  • Therefore, most Japanese people think that "amato" refers to people who literally like sweets, and "karato" refers to people who like spicy food.
     Placing the adverb before the verb is the most natural way (for Americans)
  • However, the original meanings are something like the following:
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Amato: People who prefer sweets than sake (alcohol).
  • Amato: People who prefer sweets over sake (alcohol).
     "rather than" and "to" are also OK, but I'm American, so I say "over"
  • Karato: People who prefer sake (alcohol) to sweets.
  • Karato: People who prefer sake (alcohol) to sweets.
  • The meaning of "amato" is almost correct, but that of "karato" is dramatically different from the original.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • One of the most widely-accepted theories that explain why "karato" means people who like sake is that high alcohol sake that have a low sugar content is called "辛い" (spicy) in Japan.
  • One of the most widely-accepted theories to explain why "karato" means people who like sake is that high alcohol (by volume percentage) sake have low sugar content, and are thus called "辛い" (spicy) in Japan.
     I made sake plural, and changed 'is' to 'are' although the original sentence is also correct.
私はお菓子とお酒が両方好きです。どうしよう?党がとても決めません! xD
Toru
Thank you so much for the corrections and explanations!

日本には「甘辛い」という言葉もあるので、Kiwiさんは「甘辛党」かもしれませんね(笑)
Since there is the word "甘辛い (amakarai)" in Japan, Kiwi-san might belong to a faction of "amakarato," haha.
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