Today's study topic is "totte" vs. "taiite".
Thank you very much to everyone who studies Japanese every day for visiting the JLS (Japanese Learning Support) website today.
As spring arrives in Tokyo once again, it's time to apply for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test).
Like with learning any foreign language, it's important to study Japanese every day without fail, and because it's a foreign language, everything about it is difficult.
For example, even something as simple as pronunciation can be difficult to master.
If you're attending school and studying, preparing for classes is a lot of work!
Studying every day, even if it's an enjoyable foreign language like Japanese, is incredibly difficult...
When I repeat my own words over and over, I feel like I start to question the Japanese grammar that I thought I understood.
Even though you've confirmed during your studies that the two are "completely different words," when you actually try to use them, you might find yourself wondering, " Wait, in this case...? "
It's also undoubtedly an opportunity to improve your Japanese language skills.
Now, let's fully concentrate and imagine a world where Japanese is spoken.
Imagine a scene like this.
This is a perfectly correct Japanese sentence, but then what is the difference between it and the two sentences using "totte" and "taishite"?
....
I apologize for the rather long introduction.
I sincerely hope that you will find some helpful tips for improving your Japanese as a resource for your daily studies.
1. "Mr. A," "work," and " in relation to the person ."
2. Examples of sentences using "for ◯◯"
3. Examples of sentences using " Regarding ◯◯"
1. "Mr. A," "work," and " in relation to the person ."
First, let's read the following two sentences.
①: For Mr. A, work is his purpose in life. (*Purpose in life: something that brings joy to one's daily life )
②: Person A is diligent in their work. (*Diligent: They work hard and properly .)
Both ① and ② begin with "Mr. A," followed by the word "work," and end with the sentence ending "...is."
At first glance, they look very similar.
It seems like both ① and ② are talking about "Person A" in relation to their "work ."
[Important point!]
Now, let's find the differences between ① and ②.
In ①, it goes "Mr. A" → "(for)" → "work" → ...
In ②, it goes "Mr. A" → "work" → "(regarding)" → ...
The words are arranged like this.
This is a very important point .
It seems certain that both "totte" and "taishite" are words that take the particle "ni" immediately before them. Therefore, they are paired as follows:
① set ["ni" + "totte"]
② set ["ni" + "tai shite"]
↑
Let's try creating the "set" form for both ①set and ②set by connecting them with the word (or phrase) immediately preceding it in the sentence that is connected by "ni" .
① [ For Person A]
② [ Regarding work]
→①【 For Person A】...The word "for" is focused on Person A.
→② [ Regarding work]... The word "regarding" indicates that the focus is on work.
In this way, it becomes clear what is being said in sentences ① and ②.
↓↓Next STEP↓↓
Let's start by breaking down sentence ①.
For person A , it's "..." = For person A , "work is their reason for living."
That's what person A is feeling . In other words, it's the feeling that person A is experiencing .
For person A, "work is their reason for living."
↑Subject ↑Subject's feeling
[Summary] ↓↓ *This shows the positioning of "Person A" and "work".
Uchi Uchi
=== [Something] outside (←In example ①, "work")
Sentence ② is considered from the part outside the set of "in contrast to".
Person A is... serious. (Person A = a serious person)
⇒A short sentence has been created. (◯) "Mr. A is diligent."
The sentence above (within quotation marks) is perfectly fine as Japanese.
Let's add some information (info.) to it.
Person A is diligent. + "Regarding work" = ② Person A is diligent in their work .
↑※ (+info.: Information)
It's really confusing, but in Japanese, it's common to put information (+info.) in the middle of a sentence.
Person A is serious.
Q: "To what?"
...A: I am (serious) about my work.
[Summary] *The following shows how "Person A" feels about "work".
Uchi →→→ Soto [something] Soto (← In example ②, "work")
I've tried to make both ① and ② as easy to understand as possible by creating summary diagrams, but let's organize them as follows.
① For person A... This is about person A's feelings. Just think from person A's perspective.
② Regarding work... This is an approach directed towards a target. Imagine person A facing "work" and then 'looking' or 'directing their attention' towards the outside.
2. Examples of sentences using "for ◯◯"
For person A, work is their reason for living.
Let's check the pattern.
----------------------------------
For person A, "what" is "...".
↑Whose [feeling] ↑What are you talking about ↑Feeling
----------------------------------
Below are some examples of sentences using "(ni) totte".
For a person,
For athletes, eating is essentially their job.
— For me (having grown up in Japan), 'BR' means "31 (Thirty-One)."
— For children, their parents are likely to be role models for the future.
For many people, natto (fermented soybeans) and raw fish are difficult to eat.
For animals and living things,
For pandas, bamboo is food.
For cats, catnip is like alcohol or a drug.
For cicadas, summer is the season when they sing of their short lives.
— For certain types of birds, mimicking human voices is child's play.
For those who have life (or are close to it),
For certain types of plants, animals that eat their fruit are helpful in ensuring the survival of their offspring.
— For a virus, there's no better place than a place where people gather.
For "Is it a living organism?",
For computer viruses, a computer not connected to the internet was like a coffin.
— To the characters in the story, the author is like a god.
— For a doll, being played with by children must be its greatest happiness.
For things, something [OK],
For clothing, the greatest joy is being worn; for tools, the greatest joy is being used.
— For this house, the scratches on the pillars and the graffiti on the walls are all memories of the people who lived here.
For Town A, the factory was indispensable for supporting the lives of its residents.
I think the moon is like family or a lover to Earth.
...
What do you think?
Even with nouns that are not living things, such as [◯◯ (for ◯◯)], if we can feel or imagine emotions in them, that is, if we can think about them with the warmth and social aspects of human life, then it seems we can write sentences about them.
What did you all think?
The following sentences sound unnatural.
(✘) For fish and many other ingredients, summer is a season when they are more likely to spoil and go bad.
→ "Oh, don't leave the fish out! Make sure you put it in the refrigerator!"
(In summer, various foods spoil and go bad very quickly.)
(✘) For a refrigerator, every day is a job. (There are no days off.)
→ "The refrigerator runs 24 hours a day."
(✘) The morning rush hour is tough for trains too.
→ "The congestion during rush hour puts a strain not only on the passengers but also on the train cars themselves."
(✘) Global warming is a major enemy of polar ice.
→ "Current global warming is also causing significant damage to polar ice."
3. Examples of sentences using " Regarding ◯◯"
Person A is serious about their work.
Let's check the pattern.
----------------------------------
What is Person A facing (or confronting) ? How is it?
↑Who are you talking about? ↑The external target ↑Who do you want to talk about?
----------------------------------
Below are some examples of sentences using "(ni) taishite" (in relation to).
When babies are born, they often smile at the adults around them; this is called an "angel smile."
Parents shouldn't be too lenient or too strict with their children.
—She seems to have feelings for him.
The staff always greet every customer with a smile, no matter who they are.
My dad is very indulgent towards cats.
Humans are almost powerless against wild animals. (Even in the mountains of Japan, danger awaits if you stray from the hiking trails!)
I think most Japanese children have a positive image of summer insects like rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles.
The neighborhood association took thorough measures against a flock of crows that were ransacking the garbage area.
Parrots and parakeets communicate with their owners in an affectionate way.
— Cats aren't just obedient to their owners.
Dogs tend to behave harshly towards those they perceive as lower in rank within the family.
The large bull, showing its anger towards the bullfighter, charged straight at him.
We must never forget to treat chopsticks and pens with care.
"Itadakimasu" is a way of expressing gratitude to the person eating the meal.
Children also need to take time to distance themselves from smartphones and computers.
A good businessman always thinks carefully about how he should deal with money.
Regarding
Professor A approaches his research with the utmost passion.
— He ended up spending more time on work than on family.
— Providing generous support to younger generations (from adults) will lead to creating a sense of security in the future, knowing that they will be supported in their old age.
—In the coming era, we will have to change our way of thinking about work.
*What about when you want to approach people from things (something)?
↓↓Now, let's actually try writing some sentences and see how they work.
●This one book gave him a great deal of insight into life.
↓Feeling: ...Hmm... It feels a little unnatural.
(◯) This one book gave him a great hint about life.
In this way, the simpler "ni" feels more natural (more like a natural way of speaking).
"Towards" refers to an action directed towards the target. Since it involves movement outward from an object (something), its usage seems to be limited to specific situations.
I want an image of that "thing" (or whatever it is) 'approaching' the target, as if it's pushing forward or leaning in .
I know from feeling (my intuition for speaking Japanese) that I can speak sentences like the following without any problems.
[OK] At that time, 'society' was forcing me to make a life choice: marriage or career.
[OK] The law guarantees rights and equality to all people in this country.
I will add a little more below.
*I tried writing about the approach I feel when observing the movement between something that is not a living thing, using "against" as the subject.
The arrow, having hit the center of the target, pierced straight into the board.
(=) "The arrow hit the center of the target and stuck straight into the board."
This medicine has excellent cleaning power against yellow stains.
(=) "This medicine has excellent cleaning power against yellow stains."
Time brings about change in all things equally.
(=) "Time changes everything equally."
In all three example sentences above, "ni" can simply be used as a substitute for "ni taishite" (towards) .
However, by using "towards" (or "in relation to"), the image of the action is conveyed more clearly.
For yellow stains... vs. Against yellow stains...
You can pinpoint the target (not something else) with a strong, specific name, and then talk about how the approach is taking place and how it's having a significant impact.
Since it involves movement from one thing to another, it can be imagined as being related to things in categories such as natural chemical reactions or physical laws.
"Gravity acts on all objects."
It seems that you can find sentences in this format.
Thank you for reading JLS's blog post today.
I've picked out and studied two ways of speaking that are easy to confuse and use incorrectly: "For XX, ~" and "Regarding XX, ~".
The idea I've been considering this time is to focus on 'properly distinguishing between' two words and grasping their primary meanings.
I would be delighted if you could remember this when you're studying Japanese or speaking it in your daily life and you find yourself wondering, "Hmm?" about the right word to use.
And as you improve your Japanese skills, try to find ways to use the language that have been refined in practical situations as an application of that skill.
Speaking a foreign language is interesting! And fun!
The road to becoming fluent in Japanese is long, but small steps will lead you to your goal.
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If you're having trouble with your studies, please feel free to come to a lesson.
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