maxiewawa

The lesson on which this dialogue was based can be found here.

In case you can’t see the video, it’s actually really funny, watch it here.

I sound a bit girly in this video; I guess we can put it down the nervousness of performing on camera.

This Youtube thing is like an addiction! I’ve taken a break from Korean, and today is my introduction in Japanese. This week’s Newbie Lesson at JapanesePod101.com is about a guy just standing there and introducing himself, so I thought I’d do the same.

I took this photo when I was in Japan. Do you get it? For those of you who don’t get the joke immediately, I’ll give you a moment. Get it yet? Ok. I’ll wait. Get it?

Ok, let me explain 前田 is (apparently) a common Japanese surname. It literally means “in front of a field”. 前 is “in front” and 田 means “field”. If you look at the character, it even looks a little like a field.

Mr 前田 has a parking spot in this area, and has his name on it. But his parking spot happens to be right in front of a rice field. This sign literally says “In Front Of A Rice Field” and it stands in front of a rice field.

Ok, I admit that it’s kind of an obscure linguist’s joke, that you have to realise that that dark patch in the distance is a field, that 前田’s parking spot is in front of it, and that 前田 literally means “in front of a field”, but I’m sure someone gets it.

This post is dedicated to that vanishingly small demographic who is, at this moment, rolling around on the floor laughing.

Thanks to WoAi for his editorial help.