The Japanese are a very polite people, in theory and practice. Any visitor to Japan will marvel at how helpful and polite Japanese people are to the common tourist.

Today's Japanese lesson will start with the unlikely circumstance that you, as a non-native, will be not thanking someone for a deed they have performed in your favor, but saying "you're welcome" if you had performed one in theirs. Why? Because it's fun. Get used to fun.

"You're welcome" can be said thusly: "doitashimashi-te"

(Editor's note: the "-" in the above statement was inserted to foil Gamespot's blog post censors. Please ignore it.)

As Japanese is a syllabic language, this word can be divided up into its syllabic parts (and kana characters, if I weren't so lazy to write it out) as:

"do-i-ta-shi-ma-shi-te"

Say it slow, and you'll get it. If you're still having trouble with prounciation, and if you don't feel like you can remember the string...just remember this phrase: "Don't touch my moustache."

If you have a moustache to not be touched, you main glean some enjoyment from uttering this statement to an unsuspecting audience. If not, I suggest you grow one...

This about wraps things up for the first Japanese Lesson with Makkun installment. Next time look forward to various and sundry ways of calling your friends "fools" in Japanese.

Sore de ha, mata ne.


Makkun
(Maxwell)