How do you say "I'm sorry?" I think that in most circumstances, it is best said as, "sumimasen" (すみません) and not "gomen-nasai" (ごめんなさい). Occasionally, when you actually mean to apologize for something you've really done wrong, it is appropriate to say, "sumimasen moushiwakenai-desu" (すみません 申し訳ないです). "Gomen-nasai" sounds, to me, rather intimate, like the kind of thing that is said between parent-child or spouses.
Indeed. Actually, I think it's closer in meaning to "excuse me," although it can be used as an apology. It can also be used in less formal settings by just using「失礼」alone, without a full sentence.
Sometimes I struggle to express some NA/European (?) concepts related to spirituality, lifestyle or society issues. And I'm surprised when a katakana word from English is then used. Example: wellness. I've seen it a lot of times on insta like this: ウェルネス. Sadly switching to katakanazed English doesn't work every time 😂😂
Yes, the most important reason that katakana doesn't always work is that it allows many Japanese to avoid understanding its meaning. In fact, that is often why katakana is used. In the case of "wellness," I think that it is really "健康的" (kenko-teki) with respect to both "体と精神的な" (karada to seishin-tekina), that is, health with respect to both body and spirit (i.e. mental health).
A very related word, one that is also often used in vague and confusing contexts in English, is "mindfulness." When I use the word, it is in the context of being "aware of and concerned for the interests of others." But it is often used today in many odd ways that I don't understand.
How do you say "I'm sorry?" I think that in most circumstances, it is best said as, "sumimasen" (すみません) and not "gomen-nasai" (ごめんなさい). Occasionally, when you actually mean to apologize for something you've really done wrong, it is appropriate to say, "sumimasen moushiwakenai-desu" (すみません 申し訳ないです). "Gomen-nasai" sounds, to me, rather intimate, like the kind of thing that is said between parent-child or spouses.
Do you guys say You're welcome in Japanese? It's hardly ever used, but I feel awkward after having someone say Thank you to me.
Keeping posting here because I am a language otaku 😂🤓
Recently learned how to say "educate oneself" in Japanese: 教養を高める kyōyō o takameru
Literally means "raise one's cultural level".
My mother language is French and it's an expression I'd use often but Id never encountered it in Japanese so far.... I really need to study more 😅
Sometimes I struggle to express some NA/European (?) concepts related to spirituality, lifestyle or society issues. And I'm surprised when a katakana word from English is then used. Example: wellness. I've seen it a lot of times on insta like this: ウェルネス. Sadly switching to katakanazed English doesn't work every time 😂😂
To say lottery in Japanese is 宝くじ (Takarakuj)
To say for a moment or an instant in Japanese is 一瞬(Isshun)
I often hear this Japanese word 万引き (MANBIKI) which means shoplifter or shoplifting. AVOID DOING THIS!😀