How to Talk Like a Samurai
09. Feb, 2008
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It seems as though bushido, i.e. “the way of the warrior,” is getting pretty popular amongst several (mostly otaku) groups in Japan. Not only are people speaking like Samurai – using Samurai grammar, vocabulary, etc., but people are starting to “act like them” as well.
Here’s a quote from Japan’s Weekly Playboy (2/18):
“Samurai are supposed to be strong, quiet types, right? So they sit there with their arms folded, saying nothing. After about an hour, they’ll come over and pay, handing out their cash without showing their wallets. A modern wallet wouldn’t match their image. The otaku girls in (the Tokyo shopping district of) Akihabara really like these guys.”
Supposedly, a lot of Japanese are trying to return to their roots; trying to regain that “Japanese uniqueness.” Samurai movies, video games, and comics are currently very popular. More people are wearing kimonos out in public. Even a new magazine devoted solely to the concept of bushido came out at the beginning of this year. Although I’m not sure if this fad is to last, or make any impression on normal Japanese language, I thought that it would be fun to learn a little bit of Samurai lingo just in case. So, if you want to impress your Japanese friends (or give them something to laugh about), click on, friend, click on.
です ー＞ でござる
desu -> degozaru
Definition: It is – are
Everyone knows “desu,” right? No matter what you’re saying, if you switch desu to degozaru, you’re already half way there. Degozaru is one of the main differences between normal Japanese and feudal, Samurai Japanese. You can also replace degozaimasu, da, and any other version of desu with degozaru. Give it a try!
おはようございます ー＞ おはようでござる
Ohayou -> Ohayoudegozaru
Definition: Good Morning!
Good morning! As you can see, the first part is the same (ohayou). The only part that is different is the degozaimasu which changes to degozaru. Easy!
こんにちは／こんばんは ー＞ ご機嫌いかがでござるか？
konnichiwa/konbanwa -> gokigen ikaga degozaruka?
Definition: Good Afternoon – Good Morning
So basically, if you want to greet someone, you use gokigen ikaga degozaruka. It’s sort of asking “are you in a pleasant mood?”麗しゅう
元気ですか？ ー＞ 達者でござるか？
genki desu ka? -> tasshya degozaruka?
Definition: How are you?
“Tasshya degozaru ka” means the same thing as “genki desu ka,” it’s just a different set of words. As you can probably guess, tasshya means “in good health” and degozaruka is the “are you” bit of things.
verb 〜ます ー＞ verb 〜まんねん
v.masu -> v.mannnen
Definition: n/a, these are just masu verbs
When you’re using verbage like a samurai, you gotta change the masu to a mannnen. I don’t think this means anything in particular (besides ~masu); it’s just one of those changes you make to make your speech generally more “samurai-ish.”
大丈夫？ ー＞ 心配御無用？（しんぱいごむよう？）
daijyoubu? -> shinpai gomuyou?
Definition: Are you Okay / I am okay
When asking someone if they are okay (i.e. after you’ve battled them to the death), you would say “shinpai gomuyou?” Shinpai means “worry” or “concern,” go is just the particle on muyou that makes it more formal, and muyou means “needlessness” or “unnecessariness.” Basically you are asking them if their “worry is needless.” That sounds just like “are you okay?”
私／ぼく ー＞ 拙者（せっしゃ）
Watashi/boku -> sesshya
Definition: I – Myself
Before you go out and talk to people, you should know how to refer to yourself (how else will you say “I am the world’s greatest swordsman?”). In these situations use sesshya.
あなた ー＞ 其方（そち）
Anata -> sochi
Definition: You
Gotta tell people what to do if you are an awesome samurai. “You, do this.” “You, fix my sandal.” The list goes on and on. Use “sochi” in place of “anata.”
ありがとうございます ー＞ かたじけない
arigatou gozaimasu -> katajikenai
Definition: Thank you
Katajikenai is the samurai version of “thank you.” When translated directly, it comes out to “I am grateful,” or something similar. “I’m thankful I didn’t run into a ninja today.” Katajikenai indeed.
馬鹿 ー＞ うつけ
baka -> utsuke
Definition: Idiot, Fool
If I was a samurai, I’d probably use this one a lot. “That fool Miyamoto Musashi. He thought he could beat me in Starcraft.” I like the way utsuke just rolls of the tongue. It’s a nicer sounding word than baka, I think.
So there you have it. Now you can speak like a samurai, if you ever wanted to. I’m not sure why you would, but it certainly has a different feel to it. Really rolls off the tongue, if you ask me. Before you go out and begin speaking like this, make sure you know that basically it’s the English equivalent of Shakespearean speech, and may sound kind of silly in large doses.
Anyways, I hope you all have fun with it, at the very least!
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Wow. I’ll have to start using utsuke to pepper my mediocre Japanese conversation skills.
WOW. This is really great. I want to use this in Japanese Club and watch the teacher’s face turn white.
Awesome, i will definitely use this, totally works with my image and personality
Oh, and since I am here, here is an AMAZING site i found for learning japanese: http://www.gwu.edu/~eall/vjg/vjghomepage/vjghom...
They have little movies made in flash (maybe) illustrating all sides of the Japanese grammar. It makes everything clear and easy to understand, in other wods, great for learning the language.
アｱ~いいねでござる。。。
Hmm… I don’t know. I feel really weird trying to speak like a samurai. I’m even using a deep raspy voice. I can’t do it haha.
[ps] Some-what unrelated to the article but I thought you’d find this interesting. Looks like the globalization of otakus are starting to show up outside of Japan. I know there are many that watch anime etc, but I never knew they actually had places to just sit and watch anime. Plus the poor pronunciation of one of the guys in the video might give you a good laugh. Wotas/Otaku…. *sigh*
Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=XJkLJwnSnno
Watch this video after you’ve seen the first:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ONBjeAjjjGo
WHAT IS THIS?!?! I’m SO confused…
My thoughts exactly.
I’ve heard utsuke before, probably in one of my asian dramas. But thank you, I’m writing this down and plan to ‘show off’ my new japanese speaking abilities to one of the Japanese exchange students I know, should be fun.
I like the utsuke as well. It rolls off the tongue, though when calling someone an idiot shouldn’t it have a slightly harsher tone to it? But, that’s just me. Also makes me imagine a samurai saying the ‘tsu’ like he’s spitting. xD Tough and mean-like.
Hana Yori Dango perhaps? I think Doumyouji Tsukasa used it a few times…
Thanks for posting this. I think that the historical aspects of any language are fascinating. It pleases me to see people trying to return to their roots. The global cultural amalgamation we are currently seeing is a real pity.
Akihabara@DEEP!!
Akihabara@DEEP!!
Akihabara@DEEP!!
Great ! These should amuse my Japanese teacher!
Wow, I don’t think I could do that…even if it was still popular when I went there. Iunno if it would be polite in me going along with their trends, or if they would think “omg you stupid gaijin, your silly inconcerderate use of my heritage offends me. be gone!”
I might be going to Kansai Gaidai next year in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. Has anyone by chance been there? ^^;
hahah! yeah this makes me want to start saying Utsuke instead of Baka!
it rolls of easier!
-girishajin
i loved アキハバラ@DEEP…haha “yyyyooouusu!” haha
I have exactly no clue what “Baka” or “Utsuke” means, but I do like the idea of Japan following their old traditions instead of the ones America “planted” in them. I’m American, mind you. But I hate how all the other countries were (or are) being forced to be like us. I would like to travel to some place foreign and not see a McDonalds. The world would be boring if we all see the same thing.
P.S
Thanks for posting this info Koichi (my world history teacher will find this very interesting) ^-^
I blame it all on globalization. The borders of countries will some day disappear and this cross country frenzy will spread world wide.
You need not worry. Before globalization finds any ultimate applicability all will go boom.
Either by the annihilation of our actual race and its surroundings or by a destruction of true severity. A destruction where both sides(because there are always two sides) suffer that is. Absolution will not apply. Because the Destroy will take action. And after all that, the others of us, what is left of us or what comes in new, will take another course by the Create. After all that, if we don’t do anything before that is. Ja.
Way to be optimistic.
Yeah, sorry for the biblicallity of all that but i was in mind blur mode at the time… I don’t see it as pessimistic , nonetheless. If anything i state that the terror of an actual, realised globalization will not be. I even say that there is a choise for us to actually act.Pessimism would be to think we can’t act. Logic would be to think that we won’t act right Nevertheless, it’s true that both cases, either total globalization or destruction of such scale, sound bleak. But, blame biblicallity for all that. It’s actually a simpler order of things.
I just remembered something from this movie. I did a TOK project on this film. Haha. It was about how history gets portrayed differently in the media. I remember one of my favorite lines from the film:
“The shame is unbareable! I request permission to end my life!”
I used it all last year. Haha.
Haha, it’d be nice to be able to speak Japanese properly first, but thankyou for the lovely info Koichi :D *Gets out Genki*
man thank you so much for that website!!!!
Wow, that’s really cool. Never going to use it but like Shakespear it is good to know so you don’t look like the retard out of the group….
Lol I might use this in everday life
man that website is genius…one of my favorites, the graphics are sick ><
no, I’m pretty sure he was talking like an idiot, not like a samurai :P
haha! that’s hilarious, I think I’ll try it
no prob. i know it really is helpful, and its not cool to keep such cool knowledge away from people. the graphics and the accent crack me up all the time too. with this, a good dictionary, and some japanese newspapers and film, one can get pretty good at japanese i think, just by one’s self.
You’re right! I’m sooo sending the link to everyone I know (who’s learning Japanese), I don’t think there’s anyone who’ll look at me in the face and tell me they can’t use it. Thanks a lot! :P
SAMURAI CHAMPLOO!! 0.0
what about ninja talk koichi, didnt u want to learn japanese to become a ninja?? just kidding but that would be cool ifthey had a language too
I also hear using おる instead of いる (esp. when referring to oneself) is a great idea, especially given it's typically used in polite form these days (so say 拙者は＜X＞しておる instead of 。。。しています, and you get instant samurai appeal).
I find this very interesting, but at the same time, I dont have much use for it unless pull a Mulan and decide to be a female diguised a samurai.
Surely there's special forms used by entertainers and maybe geisha?
I never hear about those, unless maybe they don't exist (yeah, right).
P.S. Yes I know my name is male. I do it to annoiy Japanophiles. Just like my tree named Mr. Bonsai-san. *brainplodes* XD
How are you saposed to remamber when to pronunce the Us or the Os?
Is there a systam or whay?
'degozaru' is a plain form/dictionary verb yeah?
Nice. I actually knew quite a few of these already… but i didn't know “utsuke” or the verb form “mannen”… and a few other stuff… so thanks for that!!
Anyway, this will come very in handy whenever the guys at my gakkou decide to put together a “jidai geki” sort of play hehe… xD
Nice. I actually knew quite a few of these already… but i didn't know “utsuke” or the verb form “mannen”… and a few other stuff… so thanks for that!!
Anyway, this will come very in handy whenever the guys at my gakkou decide to put together a “jidai geki” sort of play hehe… xD
It is fun to see reactions especially when you use it in front of those who thought that they had mastered the langauge. My friend went bonkers when I talk to her using almost everything here.
It is fun to see reactions especially when you use it in front of those who thought that they had mastered the langauge. My friend went bonkers when I talk to her using almost everything here.