CEI 's BASIC JAPANESE through comics Lesson 51 © The verb of understanding: wakaru Wakarw basically means “understand/comprehend,” but when translated into English it often overlaps with our use of “know,” as well as with such conyms for understand as “see,” “get,” “grasp.” “di igure out,” and “follow.” Additionally, the word often ineludes a p (canvbe able to") not just “understand” but “understandable,” as well /grasphellfigure out.” ete, nes translates as “know,” it covers some of the same ground as shir (come 0 know/learn”), but the two are definitely not interchangeable. As we noted in Basic Japanese No. 50, siru is generally used to speak of knowledge acquired from some outside source, while wakaru is used for what one knows from having internally “figured out” or “understood” though, of course, this internal comprehension is often in reyponse to some- thing observed externally Even in cases where either siriru or wakaru will work, they can’t be used in quite the same way, The direct object of shirw is marked with the usual 0, while the direct object of wakarw is marked with ga. Wakaru = you'll see {tatu doesn't know it, but he’s been ehosen by visitors from totake part in ntest that will decide the future of the planet. Hi , who does know the tion, has finally tracked him down and is g him home to meet one of the Ataru: Mother: + Guestion-word qucstions can be asked withthe explanatory da Asking something this way sounds guite abrupt ad is done mostly by + kareba ist condivion ition” or of kur (“come”)fronted by his mother, he denies knowin; 1m Chiet Sasayamaa has just stated that he bel serious problem, Hiroshi hay placed a frog in his sister's backpack to get back at her for M Shirabatbure FX: Hiroshi can tell sing him, When con- inything about it, but she is not fooled, ace bi $4 cence unerstnan sl (pt “Even if you play innocent, Lean tell!” (PL3) “Ou shizabokkurete nis «conditional “even i” fo lor shinabakarer which sa seh!” (PL) 9 shirabakkaer or for pretend formals nol to know/play innocenVeign ignorance ‘wukarimasi the PL3 fra os fri an adjective meaning “hurts painful” but its alo use as the exclamation “ouch!” Wakatte iru = | know ves his team may be able to land a major Kataoka: ‘Sasayama: something all the team members thought was impossible, Kataoka points out one i ae + here's hardly any time left! (PL3) Wokunera!? “Lknow that! (PL2) sashisermarte ais fom sashisemare (be impendingypressing”), When vse sth kn ( ies the appointed time/deadhine/tine “drawing near” "thot’s hagdly any tie el waren is acontraction of wake ru ( Sando ner Like shire come to kro) {othe momentary action "come to understand ‘wabatte suis used to express nhl 9 Stand and contings to understand Mangain $5Understanding the situation ‘Todo, manager of the Hotel Platon, and a hotel employee are trying to figure out what an eld- erly woman is doing snooping around the door of one of the hotel guests ‘Tod: © B44 EQ Don doin oat RE ‘Whrwhats the sivation Te “Whewhat’s she 5 Employee: bi) a Watrinasen 3 ‘don't know (2) + oro refers to an intangible “hing” question acd materfevenUsituaion” ee, sod litho fda) = "what Kind of station (i 12)" > ‘Whats going on here2/What's the deal here” > Whats she doing + using a question with a is masculine + eakerimasen isthe PLS negative of wakarn. He doesn know Because he eat Tigue 00 fom the situation and her actions. Understanding or speaking a language Win New York, two Americans While Noriko was waiting for a fiend at a Japanese restaur ‘began speaking to her in English and invited her to join them. Noriko: W075, fh... TRA Shane tees fva da, Watashi... eigo wakarana (ham) Eapish_ dont unerstand “Oh, my goodness. 1... don’t speak English.” (PL2) + hu da often expresses strong displeasure or refusal but here she’s Simply istered, + wallaranui i the negative form of waar, which in the content ‘fa Tamuage can mean either "understand or "speak." Ga to mark ego as the object of wakaranai has been omitted, (See Ingoduetion) Ton] Rah Skin Kak Kote 96 ManganRowse s sictJepene Understanding a request or command thas become increasingly difficult for Haibara’s boss to pay his monthly bills, and he’s relied ‘on Haibara to take out personal Ioans from a sarakin lender several times already. He has just asked Haibara to take out another such loan, i z u ‘mater is. contraction of mate fru aril be waiting”. teoide is thee Tenn of sogn (anblhure”, an Kure makes it an informal Boss: zh ° aw bs Maa shikai no denwa ga ara again ingary OF te cll (3b) there kil be & MAPS, oe fot! OH, 0 omow kara, koko de mattera kara (Gute tink 50" here at willbe wating 0 wech lwolde hare a dehirn dake uth as possible rey request) (ei) think there’IL be an inquiry eall this time, 00,0 PIL wait here. Hurry back.” (PL2) Haibara ba Le Wakarimashita Sader “Yes, sir” (PL3) ipl request (masculine, duis sometimes used with informal regucstlcemmands to emphasize the speaker's desire thatthe action be done the past forms of wakar, ther shasta (PL.2) or wakartoashita (PL), ar fen used in response to feasts or commands, essentially imply Koichi is listening to his uncle, who is on his deathbed recountin him abandon a high-powered international business career for a quict life by the sea ‘Tunderstand what you have askeWordered and wil do it Understanding how someone feels the expericnces that made ZO DS. Me Ut Sono toki kara, ore wa That” time rom Une as or =O ik owe kono ama de hurash-hajimeta beach began ne ind from that time forth, L have lived here by the beach.” (PL2) barney Wakarimas dD indrstand “I understand your feeling know how you felt" (PL3) fore isa rough, masculine word for “Wine: Fash is the stem form of kur "ve, nd ajieta is he pli abeupt pst Fore of Ialinern ehegin") ‘waka or wakarimasu in plain, non-past frm is used (0 express thal ou know /undertund how the other person feel ft, Mangan 97Bosicnep Knowing what to do Nozawa thinks she is ugly as a hoot. When a co-worker gives her flowers, she can’t understand why, and can't make up her mind whether to trust hin. Nozawa: 9 THUK ON 0) Da sareba i nok hho ido + donde engi} “What should 1 do? ily don't haow: “L really don’t know what to do.” (PL2) sntional “i form of sur ("do"), 0 the ex pression sured fs iterally “itis good if do what?” Pt should do what? = surebo is trakuranai essentially makes an indirect question!" don't Know can’t igure out What Being accepting and supportive Hamasaki is worried about the way Sasayan ‘explains that itis just his way of reledsing tension, and insists that the people at his favorite pub loses control after drinking, but Sasayama don't mind Sone hoo @ Ponta. mw marma-dachi mo Eo Sa cdacat “The Mami and the others at Ponta are very understanding about it?” (PL2) 20 iit “Enetly so!" (PL2) + moma (sally without yon) is one of the standard ways of erring t the female wwner/propritres of a drinking stublishenty sad man -tch Here implies the mana an the others who run the pubs" Phough sch is generally thowehr of a a suff that makes plural, wat it actually moans i something Tike “and he ssacited group” (8. stasi-tachi i iterally “Land the proup associated with me™ + We"), so mana-tuchT should not be taken to imp the saat isa contraction of ware kuree du (lit, “he anding ofr me") trom wate kurert Che ip ofr ine”), which generally implies Ue perso s shortcomings o¢ weaknesses and fesponds in a supportive mane 2 petri means “exactly asfn the manner of ~." Since sone means “thao tha” sone tnt =“esaelly asin the man reo that™# "exactly that wis, with Sasayamn here, he oes on to Warn Sassyanta about his Behavior in + athough Hamasak appears be tstablishments her than Ponta 98 MangaynsictJapenese Understanding less Kazamatsuri, the coach of Yawara's rival in judo, went on a date with Yawara to find out more aout her skills, Yawara, not realizing Kazamatsuri's connection with her rival, was excited 1 have a chance to be a norinal teenager on a Saturday afternoon date, Thus, she went out of her ty 10 hide her judo background, leaving Kazamatsuri doubting whether She is really as good. as he has heard, Karamatsuri: $618 £3 be a Tnokwma Yowara 10 iw shojo. ga (are) cgsen nae (te) syed 24 EFEt bbbRS Bor! ‘masursasy——wakeranakr mata even morefss nt understandable became The girl ealled Inokuma Yawara has become even more unfathomable’ “Tunderstand this Inokuma Yawara girl less than ever?” (PL2) + masumnas basically means “to a greater and greater de it modifies, ican become ithee “more ak more’ or “Tess and Tess” gar marks jo (iF) a the object ofthe ver. ‘waaraaki i he adverb form of wekaroua, negative of waar and nara = “become,” so the combination lit seribes 4 state of inereasing consi oF Uncertainty: "not understand‘know” anymore” or “under Sand/Know lens an es Unexpected discernment Matehi (in the middle) has just pointed out to his friends that the seal uses its whiskers for balancing the hall. They are duly impressed with his powers of perception. AY Ey & UCT o bE Monto da Hige 0 tteiera? tang up emp. his whiskers up vue, He’s holding it up with his PL2) Matchi Hahaha (laughing) Eriend 2; Hi dbot bho! + sates slang equivalent of tater ine ("8 holding upeighy Yous wakatia wa ne from Jarra, “hold upright” plas we (colloquial emphasis. well andes (em emp) + sols the adr form of ive ("Boodine")- and ok wy F Be Oat katt wa) ne implies the speakcr hadnt noticed the matter Marchi ama it none? in question sind wai srpned and impressed bythe listener's ‘observation, + tara (ga ii ‘lever/perceptive.” ran (exln) Gag) id you tell! You're so smart, head is goa) is an expression for “Smart! Mangan 99