ju-nishi

5mi
nut
eJapaneseCl
assbyHi
t
omiHi
r
ayama

15

12 signs
of the Chinese
zodiac

Vol.

Design : Masako Ban

I had dinner with friends after the New Year holiday,

and they started talking about their age. One of
them said, Im a dog. What are you, Mr. Pole? I
didnt know what she meant, so I just said, Im a
penguin. They told me Japanese people are
classified as different animals according to their year
of birth. Is that true?

Did you receive any nengajo- (New Year cards)? Did you notice the
pictures of a dragon on them? This is the year of the dragon in the ju- nishi
Chinese zodiac, and nengajo- designs often include the zodiac sign of the
year. Japanese people sometimes try to determine your age by asking, nani
doshi desu ka (Whats your sign of the zodiac?), instead of directly asking,
How old are you? It is a tactful question used particularly by middle-aged
or older people.

Mr. Pole

Mr. Pole :

osho- gatsu wa
Hirayama :

How was

your trip

2& 3.

Citing more than one item:

-tari can be used when expressing your
impression of several things.

e.g.,

wa do- deshita ka

wa do- datta

ryoko-

(casual form)

shimaimashita

with family

Mr. Pole :

Y2K problem

There was almost no trouble at all.

hardly

did not exist

We worried about it too much!

6.

Asking how a situation was:

Use the friendly form of 1 . Note that it shows
your concern or sympathy for the person you are talking to.

2000
nisennen mondai

wa do- deshita ka

Hirayama :

too much worry about

this year

5.

How bad...? (asking

about the situation,
in present tense)

e.g.,

Mr. Pole :

n ake
m as h
ne

How is the economy going to be this year?

kotoshi no ke- ki wa

Expressing an action that has gone too far:

I ate too much.

+
or
sugimasu
sugi desu

masu
masu-form
tabesugimashita
e.g., I worried about it too much.
+
no shisugi desu
o shimasu

masu-form
shimpai no shisugi deshita

How was...?
(asking about the situation)

trouble wa hotondo nakatta desu ne

Well, I guess it will level off.

uunnn tabun yokobai desu ne

leveling off

cautious

shincho-

tiger
(tora)

strong-willed

ishi ga tsuyoi

accommodating

sewazuki

rabbit
(usagi)

gentle

onwa

progressive

shimpo teki

dragon
(tatsu)

generous

o-raka

studious

benkyo- -ka

snake
(hebi)

ambitious

maemuki

passionate

jo-netsu teki

horse
(uma)

open-minded

kaiho- teki

active

ko-do- teki

sheep
(hitsuji)

patient

nintaizuyoi

serious

majime

monkey
(saru)

positive

sekkyoku teki

cheerful

akarui

chicken
(tori)

organized

kicho-men

gentle

onko-

dog
(inu)

thoughtful

shiryobukai

honest

sho- jiki

boar
(inoshishi)

strong-willed

ishi ga tsuyoi

kind

shinsetsu

mi

By the way, how was the Y2K problem?

5.

sympathetic

omoiyari ga aru

tatsu

holiday

wa

ox
(ushi)

felt at ease

2000
so- ieba nisennen mondai

(It is a shame that) it is over.

owatteshimaimashita

How (bad) was the Y2K problem?

6.

in a moment

by the way

te-form +

watched

Its a shame the holidays ended so quickly.

4. have finished
atto yu- mani yasumi ga
(expressed with regret)

I visited a shrine, went to the movies and so onit was fun.

e.g.,

5.

after a long time

+ describe
ta-form + ta-form +
ri
ri your feelings

Hav e
(h as)
d o n e/ h ap p en ed
al r ead y : This
expression is used to show regret for what has
happened or something you have done against your

3.

uma

to goz
de
a
as u
im

4.

visited

tora

It was really good to relax with my family for once.

hisashiburi ni
kazoku to nonbirishimashita

(friendly form)

jinja ni ittari e- ga o mitari tanoshikatta desu

2.

terebi o

ushi

How was...? (asking the impression)

Well, I went to the shrine, watched movies (and so on).

jinja ni

(polite form)
wa ikaga deshita ka

s thoughts
on their recent experiences:

1.

New Year

Grammar note

1. Asking someone

How was your New Year holiday?

om

...ne (rat)
...ushi (ox)
...tora (tiger)
...u (rabbit)
...tatsu (dragon) ...mi (snake) ...uma (horse) ...hitsuji (sheep)
...saru (monkey) ...tori (chicken) ...inu (dog)
...i (boar)
Year 2000 is tatsu. The next 12 years will therefore be:
2001 (mi) 2002 (uma) 2003 (hitsuji) 2004 (saru) 2005 (tori) 2006 (inu)
2007 (i)
2008 (ne)
2009 (ushi), 2010 (tora) 2011 (u)
2012 (tatsu)...
e.g., My zodiac sign is dragon. tatsu doshi desu

Mr. Pole and Ms. Hirayama are talking about New Year holidays.

ite

(The 12 signs of Chinese zodiac)

This 12-year-cycle zodiac originated in China. The following list shows all the
signs in the correct order. Try working out what your sign is:

2000

ju-nishi

- nishi signs are believed to reflect the personalities of

The ju
their holders. At one time they represented 12 directions on a
compass and every two hours of the day starting at midnight
with ne. For example, ushi no koku is 2 a.m. You may have
seen the old time system referred to in samurai films.
flexible
sociable
rat

(nezumi)
ne
rinki o- hen
shako- teki

hitsuji

saru

tori

inu

With cooperation from Yasuhiro Koga

Copyright 1999 The Yomiuri Shimbun