Is “great” a good word? /Japanese Learning Support LLC
Have you ever heard the word "Erai"?
"It's great to study Japanese every day."
"Did you make lunch today too? That's great."
I think many of you have heard these words.
"Great" is often used as a compliment.
However, the word "Erai" actually has various meanings depending on how it is used.
This time, let's think about the meaning of ``great''.
table of contents
1. What does "great" mean?
2. What kind of person is a “great person”?
3. Is "bossy" a good word?
4. Summary and supplements
1. What does "great" mean?
First, let's consider the meaning of the word "great" used in the example sentence at the beginning.
Yamada: “Rin-san, your Japanese has improved a lot recently.”
Rin: “I still try to study for an hour every day.”
Yamada: "It's really great that you're studying every day while working."
The word "great" that Yamada-kun said in the above conversation expresses his feelings of "thinking it's amazing" and "admiring" what Rin-san is doing. In this way, we use the word ``Erai '' when we feel that someone is doing something wonderful or when we want to express our admiration for them .
example)
・Daughter: “I put away all my toys!”
Mother: " It's great that you were able to clean it up by yourself. Well, let's have a snack."
・Yuko: “I'm thinking of taking a qualification exam for my job next time.”
Brother: ``It's great that you've been working hard even after getting a job, Yuko.''
・Kawada: ``Yamamoto-san's son is only 5 years old, but he still greets us properly.''
Rin: “Also, I hear you can stay quiet on trains and in the library. That’s great considering you’re still a child.”
However, since it is a way of evaluating the other person's actions, be aware that if you use it with a superior, it may be rude or make the other person feel uncomfortable. If you use words such as ``You are very good,'' ``I respect you,'' and ``I would like to learn from you,'' when speaking to someone above you, such as your boss, you can praise them without being rude.
Example) × The manager is great because he listens to the hobbies of his business partners and then researches and learns about them.
→〇The manager listens to the hobbies of his business partners, and then researches and learns about them. I really respect you.
2. What kind of person is a “great person”?
Now, in Part 1, I introduced that "Erai" is a word of praise used when you are impressed with someone's actions or think they are amazing. So, what about the following situations?
Rin: “Tanaka-kun, the sleeves of your shirt are dirty.”
Tanaka: “Ah, that’s true. I didn’t notice that, thank you.”
Yamada: ` `Some important people are coming this afternoon, so I need to be careful about what I wear.''
Now, what kind of person is the "great person" that Yamada-kun was talking about?
In fact, ``Erai'' has another meaning in addition to the one mentioned above : ``High social status or status.'' In other words, Yamada-kun was talking about people in higher positions in the company than them, such as the president, managing director, and executives at business partners.
By the way, this usage has nothing to do with the ``excellent behavior and character of a person'' introduced in 1. That's why there are people like ``a great guy who is hated by all the employees'' and ``a great guy who doesn't work at all and tries to keep all the company's money for himself.'' People who are in a high position, such as those who stand above others, are expected to have great personalities as well.
☆There is a word called ``Ijin'' that looks very similar to ``Ijin.'' If you just look at the text, it means "a great person," but the meaning is not "a person with great character or behavior," or "a person of high status," but rather, "a person who has accomplished an outstanding job that is beneficial to the world." It is used to mean a person who has made great historical achievements. It might be interesting to think about what would happen if the scale of "great behavior" became large enough to have an impact on society and people around the world. For example, Thomas Edison, who created many inventions, Pablo Picasso, whose paintings still captivate the hearts of many people, and Helen Keller, who devoted herself to social welfare activities, all achieved great things and were praised by many people. People who are respected are called ``great people.''
3. Is "bossy" a good word?
Now, if we look at how the word ``Erai'' has been used so far, we can see that it is a word that has an overall positive image, such as ``great behavior'' and ``high position.'' However, depending on how it is used, it may be used in the opposite sense. Let's also look at a simple conversation.
Tanaka: “Ah, I was really tired from yesterday’s drinking party…”
Rin: “If I recall correctly, it was a drinking party with seniors from the sales department.”
Yamada: ``Wow, I don't like those people either. They always lecture me in a bossy way .''
Well, the word "bossy" that Yamada-kun said here doesn't seem to have a very good meaning, considering the context of the conversation. "Being bossy" refers to acting like you're a great person more than necessary (even though you're actually not that great) or arrogant . The seniors in the sales department that Yamada-kun and the others are not good at are not doing a great job and are not in a very high position, but they behave in a way that looks down on Yamada-kun and the others more than necessary, and he lectures them. That means there is.
example)
・The new manager was always disliked by his subordinates because of his bossy attitude, but he seems to have been warned by the previous manager and has recently become a little kinder to his subordinates.
・Yamada: "Tanaka is shy. You can't get married if you're like that."
Tanaka: ``I know you're trying to sound bossy , but even Yamada gets nervous and gets red in the face when he talks to people he's meeting for the first time.''
4. Summary and supplements
Now, this time I thought about the word "great." In the basic meaning
・Compliments expressing admiration for someone who has done a great job
・Words that describe people who have a high social position
If the shape changes slightly,
Great person: A person who has accomplished great work in history and is respected by many people.
Bossy/arrogant: A person who is not really great but has a big attitude.
It also means. You need to be careful because "great" and "great" express almost opposite states.
In addition to the above, ``Erai'' can also be used to express ``a great deal'' or ``a difficult task.''
example)
・Even though it was warm until yesterday, it's extremely cold today. (= very/quite cold)
・The train was extremely crowded this morning during rush hour. (=It was very crowded)
・I'm in trouble...I ended up in a terrible situation because of my mistake. (= Something terrible happened) etc.
If you have the time, please try learning how to use this.
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