Let's read the story about why shrimp's backs are curved. This time we will introduce part 2! | blog

Read the story about why shrimp have curved backs!

Last time I introduced part 1 of this story.

Today is part 2.

Part 1 synopsis → Once upon a time, there was a snake that thought it was the biggest snake. But when you met an eagle that was bigger than you, you complimented him saying that you were the biggest creature in the world. The eagle was so happy that he was praised and went on a journey to find out if he was really the best.

The eagle, tired after flying over the ocean for a day, rested for a while on something that looked like a large wooden stick.

Click here if you want to read all part 1 ↓

https://nihongojikan.jp/blog/20240124-4228/

"Why is the shrimp's back curved?" Part 2

Eagle: “Oops!!”

The eagle almost fell into the sea.

Shrimp: "Hey? Who was that? Who was sleeping on my beard?"

Eagle: "This is this... I thought it was a stick, but it turned out to be your beard!"

Shrimp: "I'm a spiny lobster, so it's big! Hahahaha!"

Eagle: "Right now, I was traveling in search of a creature bigger than me. You're about 10 times bigger than me! You're the biggest creature in the world!"

Shrimp: "I see. I'm definitely big."

Shrimp was happy when the eagle told him that he was the biggest shrimp.

Then, I wanted to see if I was really the best, so I decided to travel under the sea.

We waded through the sea for many miles and saw many creatures.

However, there was no creature larger than a shrimp.

Shrimp: "I'm the biggest one after all!! Haha, I'm tired after swimming so much. Let's rest here for a while."

The shrimp went into a large hole nearby and took a short break.

Then, suddenly a big hole appeared! I started moving.

Shrimp: "Oh! What is it?"

Whale: "Who is that? That's in my nose!"

Shrimp: "What! That was a whale's nose!!! It was so big that I didn't notice it!"

Whale: "That's right! I'm the biggest in the world...ha, ha, haha!"

Shrimp: "Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!"

The whale sneezed so loudly that the shrimp was blown away and hit a hard rock.

Shrimp: “Ah, I want it!!!”

The shrimp hurt its back when it hit a rock.

From then on, the shrimp's back became bent.

How was it.

Now you know why the shrimp's backs are bent!

You never thought you'd be blown away by a whale's sneeze!

This time's story was about the animals going on a journey, but there seems to be a story where they were actually on their way to visit Ise Jingu.

This is an old story, so even if it's the same story, the content may be slightly different, so if you're interested, please check it out.

Now, let's move on to the corner where we will introduce the Japanese expressions and words that appear in the text.

Today, I would like to introduce expressions related to "~ times", mathematics, and numbers.

In the text, you said, "You're about 10 times more powerful than me!"

Let's take a look at what it means.

[Double]

Sample1 He earns twice as much as I do.

Sample2 This year's examinees are 1.5 times as many as last year.

Sample3 Company A's sales have increased approximately five times compared to last year.

Sample 4 The Japanese spoken in this drama is so fast that I can't hear it, so let's watch it at 0.5x speed.

Sample5 He worked harder than anyone else to become a professional singer.

1x is x1, 2x is x2, and 3x is x3.

If you use just "double" as in Sample 1, it means ×2.

"0.5x speed" in Sample 4 means "speed" means speed, so let's look at it at x0.5 speed. In other words, slow playback. Nowadays, it's convenient to be able to choose the speed.

Sample 5's ``Hitonichibe'' is an expression that is used idiomatically. It is used to mean that you have done twice as much as someone else. Some of you may be wondering why it's called "1x", but in ancient Japan, "1x" meant x2. Times have changed, and now "1x" has become x1, but the expression remains the same.

From here, let's look at how to say the symbols used in mathematics: +, -, ×, and ÷ in Japanese.

It doesn't come up often in beginner Japanese textbooks, but it seems that a surprising number of learners are actually interested in it, so I would like to introduce it today.

・1+1=2

This is pronounced in Japanese as "1 plus 1 is 2."

In mathematical formulas like this, + means "add."

・1-1=0

We say, "1 minus 1 is 0."

- is read as ``hiku''.

In non-mathematical contexts, + and - are sometimes called "plus" and "minus."

For example, a positive and negative battery, a Phillips screwdriver, a flathead screwdriver, etc.

・1×1=1

It is read as "1 times 1 is 1".

× means "multiply".

・1÷1=1

“1 to 1 is 1”.

÷ is read as "waru".

There are some interesting expressions using these words.

"It's like adding and dividing by 2."

It often comes up when describing a person's face.

For example, when talking about what Tanaka-san looks like...

"Tanaka-san is a good-looking guy, isn't he? His face looks like actor A and singer B divided by two, right?"

Mr. A and Mr. B are both famous and handsome people.

Mr. Tanaka is similar to Mr. A and Mr. B. It means that her face is a mix of person A and person B.

How was it.

Today, we introduced part 2 of ``Why is the shrimp's back bent?'' and Japanese words related to mathematics and numbers.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Also, in my next blog, I will be posting interesting Japanese stories, grammar, and vocabulary explanations, so please come and read it!