Shunsuke's Concise Guide to Better Fanfic Writing Version 1.2 Welcome To My Guide! "Wright, you've written 'right' wrong. Now, Wright, I want you to write 'right' right, right away." - teacher to a student Fanfiction is fun. Well, reading it is, anyway. But when reading becomes as much a chore as writing it was, when the story's text is difficult or even painful to read, it is time to do something about it. That is what this document is all about. "Our admiration of fine writing will always be in proportion to its real difficulty and its apparent ease." - Charles Caleb Colton Well written stories look seamless and effortless because a lot of work is put into them. This may seem contradictory, but it is similar to reggae music: it's the space, the strategic placement of notes (or in the case of writing, words) that gives each played notw or written word that much more impact. And a song, like a story, may be good on paper in its rough form, but without the polish of a producer or a proofreader, it stays only an idea, not something of lasting value. "Writing comes more easily if you have something to say." - Sholem Asch While I'm not offering to proofread and correct stories for aspiring writers (I ain't got the time!!!), I am offering a collection of useful ideas and information. I urge all writers, new or established, to at least consider the key points I mention. So much fanfiction out there is only a few minutes effort from rough work to finished, and nothing I suggest here is excessively time-consuming. (The amount of text an author can write in one hour can be fixed within five minutes.) Do yourself and your writing justice - make it worth reading and worth saving. "What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure." - Samuel Johnson And that leads to the most important reason for fixing your story: pride. Not arrogant pride, but of self-accomplishment. Make your story something that represents you, what you think, and who you are. You would not perform an act (legal or otherwise) that would embarass or degrade yourself, so why would you do that with your stories? Having said that, I hope this guide is of some help to you. If it has, tell me, and if it hasn't, tell me that, too! Contributions and corrections are always welcome. Enjoy! Shunsuke -||| January 1, 2000 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table Of Contents 1: Tools Of The Trade 1.1 The Basics 1.1.1 Dictionary 1.1.2 Thesaurus 1.1.3 Encyclopaedia 1.1.4 Technical Writing Books 1.1.4.1 The Elements of Style 1.1.4.2 Write Right! 1.1.4.3 The Canadian Writer's Handbook 1.1.4.4 Administratively - Write! 1.1.5 Japanese Culture and Language Books 1.1.5.1 Vest Pocket Japanese 1.1.5.2 Barron's Japanese Language Series 1.1.5.3 Living Language Japanese-English Dictionary 1.1.5.4 Sanseido's New Concise Dictionary 1.1.5.5 Berlitz Japanese Phrase Book and Dictionary 1.1.5.6 Language/30 Japanese 1.1.5.7 Fodor's Japan 1.2 The Real McCoy 1.2.1 Novels and Short Story Compilations 1.2.2 Essays and Non-Fiction 2: The Right Words 2.1 Spelling 2.1.1 English Spelling 2.1.2 Japanese Spelling (Romaji) 2.1.2.1 Japanese Syllabyry 2.1.2.2 Sound Modification 2.2 Grammar 2.3 Punctuation 2.3.1 Apostrophes (') 2.3.2 Semicolons (;) 2.3.3 Commas (,) 2.3.4 Quotation marks (" ') 2.4 Mechanics 2.4.1 Visible Appearance 2.4.2 Abbreviations 2.4.3 Capitalization 2.4.4 Titles 2.5 Diction 2.5.1 Level of language 2.5.2 Figurative language 2.5.3 Concreteness and Abstraction 2.5.4 Euphemisms 2.5.5 Wrong Words 2.5.6 Idioms 2.5.7 Wordiness and Jargon 2.5.8 Word Usage 2.5.8.1 Troublesome words 2.5.8.2 Homophones 2.5.8.3 Frequently Misspelled Words 3: A Brief Glossary Of Japanese Words 3.1 A *Very* Abridged Japanese/English Dictionary 3.2 A *Very* Abridged English/Japanese Dictionary 3.3 Pronouns 3.4 Family Relationships 3.5 Numbers 3.6 Time and Date 3.6.1 Days Of The Month 3.6.2 Days Of The Week 3.6.3 Months Of The Year 3.6.4 Time Of The Day Appendix 1: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Fanfic Writing Appendix 2: Recommended Books and Resources ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1: Tools Of The Trade "A book, if you've a mind to(o); a pen, if you've a mind to(o); and paper, if you've a mind to(o)." - Plato, to a student asking what he needed to bring to the university 1.1 The Basics Sure, these are basics, but how many people use them on a regular basis? If you want to write at a college level, you need these; in fact, if you write poorly and do not have these, I am not surprised. O_o A good set of books does not have to be expensive; a complete, serviceable and new set of paperback books (English and J/E dictionaries, thesaurus, a book on grammar, and a desktop encyclopaedia) can be purchased for less than $35. 1.1.1 Dictionary Nevermind Japanese spelling, the English spelling in many fanfics is terrible. If you are in doubt about a word's spelling, look it up, it will not take long. Good spelling may not make you look smart, but poor spelling will make you look stupid. I still have a copy of the Students' Webster's Dictionary (the thin one that fits in a binder or duotang) I purchased 15 years ago for $.75 and it stands up even today, so price is not a factor. (No, I am not still using it. ^_^ ) ($5-10) 1.1.2 Thesaurus "What's a thesaurus?" "It's a book of words that died a long time ago." - characters from the comic "For Better Or Worse" Roget's Thesaurus (Pocket) The New Roget's Thesaurus (Pocket) Stuck for a word, or forced to repeat the same one too soon? Grab your Roget's (or any sort) and you will be writing/authoring/composing/fabricating/weaving better English in no time. Seeing the same word over and over can bore a reader quickly; you do want your letter or story to be read, do you not? 1.1.3 Encyclopaedia Encyclopaedia Brittanica Compton's Internactive Encyclopaedia CD ROM Microsoft Encarta CD ROM The New American Desk Encyclopaedia Several small paperback desktop encyclopaedias are on the market, and while containing nowhere near the depth of information of an Encyclopaedia Brittanica or the like, they do contain more than enough information to make you knowledgeable on many subjects. If your computer has a CD-ROM drive (whose does not, nowadays), a CD encyclopaedia can provide an extensive amount of information in a small, affordable format. With the rebates commonly offered on new software, a good new CD will cost anywhere from $0 to $40. Even a used or older version of a CD encyclopaedia will do; I recently purchased a 1997 version of Compton's Interactive Encyclopaedia for $10 (Canadian). 1.1.4 Technical Writing Books Admittedly, with the exception of the first book below all of these are Canadian titles. That, however, does not mean you should not use these or similar types of books. (The US educational system is not that bad, you know. ^_^ ) 1.1.4.1 The Elements of Style (Strunk and White) Less than a hundred pages, this little wonder contains everything you need about proper usage of the English language. 1.1.4.2 Write Right! (Venolia) How can you tell I like that phrase, hm? ^_^ A great book on punctation and grammar, and small in size too. 1.1.4.3 The Canadian Writer's Handbook (Messenger and de Bruyn) An extensive and complete tome of information about every aspect of writing, from the basics of spelling and parts of speech, right up to the diction and mechanics of writing. 1.1.4.4 Administratively - Write! (Blicq) What does a business textbook have to do with better writing? Everything. Writing concisely and completely are techniques hard to learn but very useful once you do. Read any issue of Reader's Digest and you'll see what I mean. 1.1.5 Japanese Culture and Language Books The whole point of this document is about Japanese culture and writing anime fanfiction, after all, so it is worth mentioning some books to consider. 1.1.5.1 Vest Pocket Japanese (Owl Books) Packed with information, this has everything in one book; its small size, however, means some things are not as detailed as they could be. It covers kana, pronounciation, basic sentences, grammar, and a 4000+ word J/E and E/J dictionary. If you can only afford one book, get this one. 1.1.5.2 Barron's Japanese Language Series Japanese Grammar Japanese Vocabulary Japanese Verbs Japanese Idioms Small but very detailed, these are great learning and reference materials. The binding of the books is not the best quality, however. 1.1.5.3 Living Language Japanese-English Dictionary Not very extensive, but highlights all the important everyday words. This is probably the most legible and readable of the lot. 1.1.5.4 Sanseido's New Concise Dictionary The best for reference, very detailed and well designed. But, the price is steep. 1.1.5.5 Berlitz Japanese Phrase Book and Dictionary The least extensive and least expensive, it's breadth is not large, but does contain enough for basic usage and cultural information. 1.1.5.6 Language/30 Japanese Very thin on reference and in its dictionary, it is still a good and simple way to start learning the language. 1.1.5.7 Fodor's Japan Maybe too much information here! Contains so much stuff and is so well written, it is worth reading even if you don't care one whit about Japan. The writer has a wicked sense of humor, too. 1.2 The Real McCoy "I would rather read the worst novel ever written than see the best movie ever made." - CancerMan, The X-Files I will not recommend any specific authors, since likes and dislikes are a matter of personal taste, but I strongly encourage you to go out and buy or borrow some real literature and read it. A basic rule of thumb: if it is assigned reading in high school or college English Lit. courses, it is worth reading. 1.2.1 Novels and Short Story Compilations Real writers are those who have succesfully mastered the English language to the point where they can actually say something worthwhile. And when I say a real writer, I mean someone who wrote something significant. Whether it be Shelley, Dickens, Shakespeare, Wolff, Wilde, Vonnegut, Orwell, Wells, Poe, or Steinbeck, it does not matter. I like Richard Lawson as much as the next fanfic reader, but to really be satisfied, I look to the classics. The books by the authors I mentioned in the previous paragraph are considered classics for a reason. 1.2.2 Essays and Non-Fiction So what if they are not stories? A well written essay or book on an important topic is worth reading. Like any story, it will be cohesive, coherent and will communicate information to the reader in an entertaining or informative way. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2: The Right Words "It's better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and prove it." - old proverb Having something to say and knowing how to say it are two entirely different things. (Witness the document you are reading. O_- ) Having a great story and plot means a lot, but if you can't communicate effectively with your reader, the response will be D&D (delete and discard), not C&C. This section is not intended to be complete guide to the English language (or Japanese, in the spelling section); rather, I intend to cover the points which writers most commonly get wrong in their stories and postings. 2.1 Spelling "Wunce I cudn't spel truk drivr, and now I are one." - joke poster 2.1.1 English Spelling Please, PLEASE, for the love of God, use your spell checkers and dictionaries! If you have a commercial word processor, there will be a spell check program on the disks; if there is not, just search any decent software archive for a shareware or freeware spell checker. You spent hours writing the story, so why not take five minutes and correct your spelling? Correct spelling may not make you look smart, but bad spelling can certainly make you look stupid. And check your homophones!!! It is YOUR words YOU'RE writing down! 2.1.2 Japanese Spelling (Romaji) If you need to use, or insist on using, Japanese words, check the Romaji spellings you use. Inconsistent use of different spellings can confuse or annoy the reader, and may make the story unreadable. Luckily, spelling with Romaji is quite easy, as each Japanese word is spelt exactly as it sounds; there are no silent letters, but you do have to be careful about elongated vowels and consonants. I use the Hepburn system of spelling Japanese, so if you use a different method, I am not saying you are wrong. I simply find the Hepburn system the least ambiguous and most accurate. As long as you are consistent in applying one method of spelling, you are on the right track. 2.1.2.1 Japanese Syllabyry Japanese syllables are of four basic types: 1.single vowel (a, i, u, e, o) 2.single consonant (n) 3.compounds ('i' sounds coupled with -ya, -yu, or -yo; eg. gi + ya = gya) 4.consonant vowel combination (all others) These syllables form the basic sounds in all Japanese words. The table below contains all the possible combinations: Hard and Soft Kana Basic Set Sounds Compounds ----------------- -------------- ----------- a i u e o ka ki ku ke ko ga gi gu ge go gya gyu gyo sa shi su se so za zi zu ze zo ja ju jo ta chi tsu te to da ji zu ze zo ja ju jo na ni nu ne no nya nyu nyo ha hi hu he ho ba bi bu be bo bya byu byo ma mi mu me mo ya yu yo ra ri ru re ro rya ryu ryo wa wo n pa pi pu pe po pya pyu pyo The five vowel sounds can be understood like this: a: 'ah', like English "father" i: 'ee', like English "see" u: 'oo', like English "too" e: 'eh', between English "get" and "gate" o: 'oh', like English "show" When modified, some consonants take on different sounds: k --> g s --> z t --> d h --> b, p 2.1.2.2 Sound Modification Two ways of modifying the basic sounds exist in Japanese: 1.Dipthongs, a blend of two vowel sounds into one syllable (there are others beyond this list, but these are the most common). aa: 'ah' + 'ah' --> longer 'ah' sound ai: 'ah' + 'ee' --> 'i' (like 'eye') ae: 'ah' + 'eh' --> 'i' ao: 'ah' + 'oh' --> 'ow' au: 'ah' + 'oo' --> 'ow' ii: 'ee' + 'ee' --> longer 'ee' sound ue: 'oo' + 'eh' --> 'uay' (like 'way') ei: 'eh' + 'ee' --> longer 'eh' sound ou: 'oh' + 'oo' --> longer 'oh' sound 2.Doubled consonants. When a consonant is doubled, the first Roman letter is doubled to symbolize the sound. The only consonants that are doubled are pp, tt, kk, and ss. (When writing in hiragana, this is symbolized by using a smaller 'tsu' just before the syllable to be extended.) Examples: Japanese English Pronounced -------- ------- ---------- kippu ticket hip pocket nattou bean paste cut time kekkon marriage bookcase jissai practice this set Be sure you get these right! 'Yato' means 'opposition party', while 'yatto' means 'at last, at length'. Note: under Hepburn, in the above syllabyry 'chi' is a 't' sound, so the 'c' is doubled; hence, it is "Ucchan" and not "Utchan", or it is "bocchan", not "botchan" (son). 2.2 Grammar "I like to verb words. Verbing weirds language." - Calvin, "Calvin and Hobbes" Due to the length that it would take to define and discuss each part of speech, I will only touch on the basics of grammar where people make the most common errors in writing. * Nouns are the topic, subject, and object of sentences. They are not verbs. Wrong: "He medalled in his sport." Right: "He won a medal in his sport." * Pronouns are nouns referring to an specific individual. Never use an apostrophe with a personal possessive pronoun, such as his, hers, its, whose, or theirs. * Verbs are words that describe actions in the past present and future. Always ensure your verb tenses agree, not just in one sentence, but throughout an entire scene of a story. Unless time changes in the story, all verb tenses must be consistent. * Active and passive voice refer to the description of an action. Unless absolutely unavoidable, always use the active voice. Active: "He saw the accident." Passive: "The accident was seen by him." * The subject and verb of a sentence must agree in both number and person. This is also true of adjectives. Wrong: "The biggest of two boys" Right: "The bigger of two boys" Right: "The biggest of three boys" * Adverbs are words that modify verbs; and are the most flexible part of speech. These are all valid sentences: Quickly he jumped sideways. He quickly jumped sideways. He jumped quickly sideways. He jumped sideways quickly. * Infinitives are forms of a verb that describe an action in no particular time. ("To be" is the infinitive of "is".) Avoid splitting infinitives unless it is absolutely necessary, since it usually produces awkward sentences. Wrong: "I was going to almost forget the book." Right: "I was almost going to forget the book." 2.3 Punctuation "?" "!" - the complete correspondence of two letters between two 19th century writers Here's a few basic rules of punctuation that are regularly ignored and violated. With only a few minutes of checking your story for these, you can make it a much better work to read; if it's hard to read, it won't be. For each possible situation, I have given some obvious examples followed by less obvious ones which are often used incorrectly. 2.3.1 Apostrophes (') Singular Possessive: Bob's, the dog's (a single instance/being), whose Plural Possessive: whose, the dogs' (a group), its Contractions of is/was with other words, as non-possessives: it's, who's Whose is this box? Who's the owner of this box? A note on contractions: Never use contractions outside of quotations in writing. Always expand the words. (This is where the biggest problem of apostrophes and spelling occurs.) Say the words aloud: if it is "you are", then it is "you're", NOT "your"; say "it is", not "it's". A person can assume a contraction from separate words, but may not correctly understand the words from a contraction. You are not saving a person any time, since evaluating a wrong contraction takes more time; people can read more than twice the speed they speak. 2.3.2 Semicolons (;) A semicolon is not a comma; it is a separator used to join two sentences that contain a similar thought. ^_^ (Read the previous sentence again for the semicolon's correct usage.) 2.3.3 Commas (,) A comma is used in specific ways: * as a list separator, following all but the last item in the list (this, that, and the other thing) * as a pseudo parentheses, as in this statement, to contain a thought within another statement * between independent clauses (I went to the store, even though it rained.) There are others uses for commas, but these are the ones most often violated. 2.3.4 Quotation marks (" ') Double quotes (" ") contain the speaker's words; if that speaker is quoting another person, then single quotes (' ') are used within the double quotes to contain the statements quoted by the speaker. Outside of double quotes, single quotes are used to highlight sayings, add emphasis, or to imply something. With only the rarest exceptions, foolow these basic rules on quotations: * Only one person ever speaks in a paragraph, even if it is only a one word sentence. * Only the speaker should perform the actions in the paragraphs they speak in. If you must have another person perform an action, state their name as they are doing so, and always refer back to the paragraph's speaker. 2.4 Mechanics "Not so much for how it looks, but how it feeeeels." - Mike the TV, ReBoot Mechanics is the actual physical appearance of the writing. In physical form, it is as much about font and style as it is about paper and neatness. Here, however, we are dealing with the visual appeal of your text. Remember, you are writing for the reader's pleasure as much as your own. 2.4.1 Visible Appearance Given the physical limitations of computer screens, ensure your writing will fit the dimentions of any computer. Maintain a line length of 60-75 characters per line, with either soft or hard returns after each line. Nothing makes a story more difficult to read that having to trace the text across the screen with your eyes. Place the story title at the top centre to make it easy for your reader to find the start, especially if a large amount of headers appear at the top as some mail systems do (ie, HoTMaiL). If some of the story text is above the title, the reader may delete that part thinking it is not part of the story. If you feel you must put part of the story before the title, place a line of 60-75 characters in length above where the story starts. Separate all paragraphs with at least one line of white space. Line indentations are not always enough to tell the reader where the next paragraph begins, and if the reader reformats the document to fit his own text reader, the reader's software might reformat the story as one long paragraph. 2.4.2 Abbreviations Avoid using abbreviations at all times except for these specific cases: * titles before proper names (i.e., Dr. Tofu) * titles and degrees after proper names (i.e. Jr.) * standard words for dates and times (i.e., AM/PM) * commonly known organization names (i.e., CIA) * commonly known technical names (i.e., DNA) * common Latin expressions (i.e., vs., et al., etc.) 2.4.3 Capitalization Some basic rules apply to capitalization that are easy to memorize and keep track of. * Names designating relationships are only capitalized when addressing a person. (eg., Uncle Bob, Bob's your uncle) * North, south, east and west are only capitalized when part of a name (eg., North America) * Deities and significant religious items are capitalized. (eg. Dead Sea Scrolls, Shinto) * In Japanese, all language names must be capitalized except English; it can be either Eigo or eigo. 2.4.4 Titles These are the basic rules for titles of works cited or mentioned. * Quotations for: Short works (stories and essays) * Underlining for: Reference books and novels Song Titles * Magazine Titles Titles of short works are in quotations, longer works are underlined. Songs and publications (i.e., magazines and newspapers) are also underlined. 2.5 Diction "The fewer words, the better said." - old proverb Diction is the writer's choice of words and how to use them. It is as much a reflection of the person as anything said with the words. With a better choice of words, a writer can say more with less, and say it better. 2.5.1 Level of language Use words your audience will understand. Slang, colloquialisms, and regional dialogue can confuse the reader. (I will wager not one non-Canadian reader can say what a chesterfield is. ^_^ ) Also, remember the era we are in; 'groovy' just does not work anymore. Don't say 'skinny', say 'slim' if it is a compliment. (Just so you know, a chesterfield is a sofa/couch. It is a uniquely Canadian word, so I would never use it in a story.) 2.5.2 Figurative language Use similes and metaphors only where they are appropriate; you can confuse a reader who does not understand your interpretation of a phrase. * Poor: "Craters bloomed like flowers as bombs fell." * Good: "His bloodshot eyes looked like roadmaps." 2.5.3 Concreteness and Abstraction Do not generalize, be specific; it helps the reader to better understand your meaning. * Poor: "She was a beautiful girl." * Good: "Her eyes and smile made me laugh." Where possible avoid generalizations and give the reader specific things to focus on; it will make your writing more memorable, and key details will be easier to recall. 2.5.4 Euphemisms When a euphemism leads to confusion or deception, leave it out. Unless your reader knows exactly what you mean by a turn of phrase, use simple words. 2.5.5 Wrong Words Avoid wrong words in your writing. This does not refer to spelling errors, but instead to their meaning. * effect is a result, affect is a cause * infer is to conclude, imply is to suggest 2.5.6 Idioms Certain common sayings, while not slang, are particular to a language. "Feeling out of sorts" may not translate or travel well, yet there may be a similar saying in another region or language. Make your writing more open to your audience. * Japanese: "The nail that sticks up must be hammered down." * European: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Both convey the same meaning, yet have different origins and inflections (the Japanese saying is one of subjugation, the English saying is more voluntary, reflecting different aspects of each culture). 2.5.7 Wordiness and Jargon Avoid excessive words that have no meaning or can be said more simply. * Wrong: "at the present time" * Right: "now" * Wrong: "all of a sudden" * Right: "suddenly" Do not talk above your audience; if you try to prove yourself to them, you will prove you are boring. Just look at this document. ^_^ Avoid repetition, redundancy, and double negatives. If you write well, things can be properly implied that will reduce wordiness. Also avoid cliches, they are boring and wordy. Beware of "noun disease", the piling-on of excessive nouns on a verb. Both the following sentences say the same, but which is clearer? * The more nouns you use in stating a fact which you are trying to convey will inevitably reduce the impact of the sentence. * Too many nouns make a sentence ineffective. 2.5.8 Word Usage "I said, 'I'm the most illegible bachelor it town,' and she said, 'Yeah, that's why I can never figure those silly letters you send me.'" - Billy Bragg, "Walk Away Renee" Many people believe they know the definition of word when they don't and end up giving the wrong impact or meaning to what they are trying to say. These lists are not exhaustive, but before you ever consider using one of these words or phrases again, look it up and ensure (not assure) you know exactly what it means. 2.5.8.1 Troublesome words This is words commonly used that are cumbersome and detract from the emphasis and meaning of what the speaker is trying to say. Avoiding them (or finding better replacements) will improve your writing. * Wrong: "For the above reasons..." * Right: "For the given reasons..." above/below reasons affect/effect aggravate agree to/with/on alternate/alternative alternately/alternatively although/though amount/number anxious as far as...is/are concerned as to bad/badly, good/goodly basis, on the basis of beside/besides between/among blame (as a verb) bust/busted (as a verb) can/may can't hardly centre around compare to/with culminate decimate differ from/with either/neither ever (after seldom/rarely) former/latter hanged/hung in/into infer/imply likely/liable/apt in terms of irregardless (no such word) is when/where kind of/sort of lie/lay literally/figuratively loan/lend lose/loose mad momentarily partially/partly raise/rise sensual/sensuous (for you hentais ^_^) set forth substitute suspicion/suspect/suspicious true facts verbal/oral very -wise (creating nonexistant words) 2.5.8.2 Homophones Beware of homophones. Many people use the wrong word in certain situations without noticing it. This is not a complete list, but at least know these ones. aisle isle I'll a lot allot alter altar at all atoll bail bale bear bare birth berth bizarre bazaar border boarder born borne by by- bi- buy bye callus callous canon cannon canvas canvass core corps course coarse die dye draft draught dying dyeing discreet discrete foul fowl furor fuhrer hail hale hanger hangar heal heel he'll hear here higher hire hoar whore hoard horde whored hole whole holy holey wholly idol idle idyll incite insight its it's knew gnu know no noh (Japanese theater) laps lapse led lead lie lye mist missed might mite not naught knot paid (give) payed (received) past passed patience patients pedal peddle petal phase faze plain plane prey pray presence presents principle principal roll role rot wrought rye wry shear sheer sight site cite slew slough some sum soul sole stationary stationery their there they're threw through two to too wait weight waste waist way weigh wave waive whose who's your you're yore 2.5.8.3 Frequently Misspelled Words There are many words in the English language that people spell wrong because of silent letters, wrong assumptions, or the word's obscurity. If you plan to use any of these, make sure you know the word beforehand. Again, this list is not complete, but it is a good place to start. absorption accumulate acknowledgment acknowledgement acquaintance advertise aesthetic esthetic adviser affection affidavit aging a lot/allot alternately always amour analyze analyse analogy anaesthetic anonymous arctic arithmetic auxiliary bizarre botany buoyant bureau cameraderie cartilage catalogue chagrin changeable clamour clamor clothed coincide colossal committee comprise conquerer conscious consensus consider controlled convenient curiosity cylinder decorative decrepit defensive desperate dilemma diptheria dispatch despatch dissipate drunkenness eclectic ecstasy efficient eligible embarassment emphasize emulate endeavour endeavor envelop (verb) envelope (noun) epilogue exhilarating exuberant fallacy fervour fervor focusses focuses foreign foresee fulfill fundamentally furor gaiety gaol (Old English: jail) gauge grievous harass heinous hesitancy judgment judgement lineage liquefy lose/loose manoeuvre maneuvre medieval minuscule mischievous monologue mustache moustache necessary numerous offense offence paralyze paralyse perseverance plow plough positioning practicality practise practice predecessor pursue pyjamas pajamas quandary quizzically rarefied religious repel sceptic skeptic separate simultaneous skillful skilful smoulder smolder soliloquy storey story subconsciously subsequent subtly succinct symbolic synonymous tranquillity tranquility undoubtedly unmistakable vilify weary willful wilful wistfulness woollen woolen ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3: A Brief Glossary Of Japanese Words "It's all Greek to me." - old saying Compiled from several books on Japanese, I have prepared this small section of everyday Japanese words. (If you think this is big, then I think you really do not have a grasp of the situation!) Japanese is both simpler and more complex than the English language. To attempt to show you everything in a standard vocabulary would take too long and would not be read. As I mentioned elsewhere, every Japanese word written here is done so by the Hepburn system; if you use other methods of spelling Japanese, it should not be difficult to determine alternate spellings. I am not saying that Hepburn is the only way of spelling Japanese words, but if you do choose system or another, be consistent using it throughout your story; do not jump back and forth between systems, people may misinterpret or misunderstand a word you use. There is one point I would like to stress above all else when dealing with the Japanese language: avoid using it except where absolutely necessary. Don't try to prove you know any Japanese, you will only prove you are boring. (Just look at me.) When dealing in everyday subject matters, be it family, everyday phrases, or numbers, stick to English. The only time using uniquely Japanese words can improve a story is when they describe or define something that cannot be accurately translated, such as mythical monsters or concepts such as "omiai" (arranged marriage), which holds far more meaning that a simple introduction of two people. 3.1 A Very Abridged Japanese/English Dictionary Here is a very short dictionary that I have put together for any fanfic author who wants to use Japanese words in a story. The main reason for this is because some fanfic authors use a word that I or others may not know, and if that word in Japanese is misspelled, it makes it very difficult to find. (Another tip: if you feel you must use Japanese words, include a glossary so others will know what you mean or will be able to correct your mistakes.) Index of terms: n. noun v. verb adj. adjective adv. adverb pron. pronoun part. particle (in Japanese) Japanese/English: Japanese English and short definition abunai dangerous (description or warning) ai love (parental) aka red (n.) akai red (adj.) aki autumn, fall anata you ano that (distant proximity, used w/noun) ao blue (n.) aoi blue (adj.) arimasen there is not (non-existance) aru there is (existance) asa morning ashita tomorrow asoko over there (distant proximity) atsui hot baka fool, idiot ban number, turn, order/position bara rose flower Beikoku USA bengoshi lawyer benkyou study (n.) benkyou suru study (v.) bocchan boy, son byouin hospital byounin patient (literally, sick person) cha, ocha tea chairo brown (n.) chairo no brown (adj.) chi blood (figuratively, life force) chichi father (one's own) chiisai small, little chiisana small, little chotto just a minute daigaku university daijobu safe, secure (adj.) dame na not good, futile dare who dekimasen cannot do dekiru can be done de mo as well, though, still denki electricity denwa telephone deshita was, it was (conditional form: "to be") desho may be, possibly desu it is (conditional form: "to be") de wa in that case, if so doko where doumo very much, really donata who, anyone, somebody dono which, what dore which, what dorobou thief, robber doshite why (also "naze") doshite mo by all means docchi which (pron.) douzo please (go ahead) eiga film, movie eigo English language Eikoku England eki station en circle, yen fun (pun) minute furo bath (n.) furo ni hairu take a bath futatsu two futsuka two days fuyu winter gaijin foreigner gaikoku foreign country gakokujin foreigner gakkou school genki vigour, spirit (n.) genki na healthy (adj.) geta wooden clogs getsuyoubi Monday go five gofujou toilet, washroom gogatsu May gogo PM, afternoon gomen excuse gozaimasu there is (humble form of arimasu) gozen AM, morning hachi eight hachigatsu August haha mother (one's own) hai yes hairu enter, come in hajimaru to begin hajime beginning (n.) han, gohan cooked rice, meal han half hana flower, blossom hanasu to talk, speak haru Spring hashi chopsticks hashi bridge hayaku fast, quickly (adj.) hei wall, fence heiwa peace heya room, chamber hi sun, day hi fire hidari left higashi east hiroi wide, broad hito person hitotsu one hodo about, extent (adv.) hohoemi smile (n.) hoka no other, another hon book honya book store hontou no true (adj.) hoshi star hoshii desire, want hosoi thin, slender, narrow (adj.) hyaku hundred ichi one ichiban first, best ichigatsu January ii good, fine iie no ike pond ikebana flower arrangement ikenai bad, wrong iku go (v.) ima now ima living room imouto younger sister inaka countryside inochi life (n.) inu dog irassharu be,exist (polite form of iru) iro colour iru to be, exist, reside iru want, need, require isha doctor isogu hurry, hasten(v.) isu chair itadakimasu recive, accept itoko cousin itsu when itsu made how long, until when itsu mo always, forever itsutsu five (counting items) ja well, in that case (abbrev. "de wa") jibun oneself jikan time, hour joudan joke, jest ju ten jugatsu October juichigatsu November junigatsu December ka question marker, logical "or" kado corner kaeru return kagami mirror kagi key kaisha company, firm kaku paint, draw kami paper kami deity kami hair kane, okane money kangaeru think (v.) kansha gratitude, thanks (n.) kao face kara from, since, because (part.) karui light (adj.) kasa umbrella kasumi haze, mist kau buy, purchase (v.) kawa river kawa skin, leather kawaii cute, darling kawaru change kayoubi Tuesday kaze wind, breeze kaze cold (n.) kaze o hiku catch a cold kazu number kekkon marriage, cermony (n.) kekkon suru to get married (v.) kenri right, privilege kesu to put out, to extinguish (v.) kiki crisis kinjo neighborhood kinou yesterday kinyoubi Friday kippu ticket kirau dislike (n.) kiru cut, slash (v.) kisetsu season kisha train (railway) kita north kochira this one, this way, here kodomo child kodomora children kodomotachi children koe voice koi love (romantic) koibito lover, sweetheart koibumi love letter koko here kokoro mind, heart, spirit komban this evening kondo this time, now, next time konnichi wa good afternoon, good day kono this konogoro lately, recently kore this, this one kotoba language,speech, word, term kowasu break, destroy (v.) ku, kyu nine kubi neck kuchi mouth kudasaru give, confer, bestow (v.) kugatsu September kumori cloudy kurai dark (adj.) kuro black (n.) kuroi black (adj.) kuru to come (v.) kyou today kyonen last year kyousai-ka henpecked husband kyoushi teacher kyuryou salary, wages machi town, city made until, up to (part.) made ni before, not later than mado window mae front mae ni in front of, ago mai- every (prefix) man ten thousand mata again, once more me eye megane glasses mei niece meishi calling card, business card mendou trouble midori green (n.) mieru visible (v.) migi right (direction) mikan mandarain orange mimi ear mina, minna everything minami south miru to see (v.) miso soy bean paste mittsu three mizu water mizugi bathing suit mo also, too, as well mou now, soon, shortly mou ichido once more, again mokuyoubi Thursday moshi moshi hello motto more, much muika six days, sixth day mune chest, breast, bust mura village murasaki purple mushi insect, bug, worm musume daughter na, namae name nado et cetera (suffix) nagai long, lengthy, prolonged nagame view, scenery nagara while naka inside, interior naku cry, weep namida tear, rip nan, nani what nandaka somewhat, somehow nandemo any, anything, whatever naruhodo indeed, to be sure natsu summer nawa rope naze why (also "doshite") neko cat, kitten neru to sleep (v.) ni two ni to, at, in, toward (part.) ni sun nichi sun nichiyoubi Sunday nigatsu February niku meat ningyou doll nippon, nihon Japan nishi west niwa garden, courtyard nodo throat nomu drink (v.) ochiru fall, come down, drop (v.) omiai arranged introduction for marriage omoi weighty, heavy omou think, consider (v.) onegai shimasu please give me ongaku music onna woman onna no ko girl onsen hot spring, spa osoi late, behind otearai toilet oto sound, noise otoko man otoko no ko boy owaru end, close (v.) oya parent pan bread peeji page pinku pink rainen next year raishuu next week roku six rokugatsu June romaji romanization ryokan inn ryokou trip, journey ryoushin conscience sadou tea ceremony saigo the last, the end saka slope, hill saka refreshments sakana fish sake rice wine saki point, tip sampatsu hair cut samui cold, chilly san three sangatsu March satou sugar sayonara good bye (long term only) seiyou the West, the Occidental world sekai world sekken soap sen thousand senaka back sengetsu last month sensei instructor, teacher, doctor senshuu last week setsu season, time, occasion setsumei explanation shakkin debt, loan shi poetry, poem shi four shi death shi city shichi seven shigatsu April shimbun newspaper shimpai worry, trouble, anxiety shinai do not shinai wooden sword shinobu to put up with, to endure (v.) shinsetsu kindness, goodness shio salt shiro white (n.) shiroi white (adj.) shita under, below shita did shitsubou dissapointment shizen nature shizuka na quiet (adj.) shoukai introduction, recommendation shomei signature shounin merchant shouyu soy sauce shumi hobby, interest sou that's right sochira there soko there sono that sora sky sore that sorekara from then on, after that soretomo or soshite and then, now soto outside suiyoubi Wednesday suki love (fondness, liking) sukoshi a little, a few, some suru to do, to try (v.) suteki na wonderful, great, splendid ta rice field tabako cigarettes, tobacco taberu to eat tabitabi frequently, many times tabun maybe, perhaps tadaima now, just now, in a minute tamago egg tamashii soul, spirit tegami letter, note terebi television to ten tochu de on the way, en route, halfway tokei watch toki time, hour tokidoki sometimes tsuki month, moon tsuma wife, spouse ude arm udon noodle ue above umi sea, ocean uo fish ushiro behind, rear uso lie, falsehood uta song utau sing (v.) wakaru understand warau laugh (v.) warui bad, evil, wrong (adj.) wasureru to forget (v.) watakushi I, me, myself (polite) watashi I, me, myself (plain) (less formal, "atashi") -ya store, business (honya = book store) yama mountain yasai vegetables yasui cheap (adj.) yoi good, fine yon four yori rather than (this, not that) yowai weak, frail (adj.) yuube last night yubiwa ring yuki snow yukkuri slowly (adv.) yume dream, vision zasshi magazine, periodical zeitaku luxury zouri sandals (for a kimono) 3.2 A Very Abridged English/Japanese Dictionary Index of terms: n. noun v. verb adj. adjective adv. adverb pron. pronoun part. particle (in Japanese) English/Japanese: English Japanese about, extent (adv.) hodo above ue again, once more mata also, too, as well mo always, forever itsu mo AM, morning gozen and then, now soshite any, anything, whatever nandemo April shigatsu arm ude arranged introduction for marriage omiai as well, though, still de mo August hachigatsu autumn, fall aki back senaka bad, evil, wrong (adj.) warui bad, wrong ikenai bath (n.) furo bathing suit mizugi be, exist (polite form of iru) irassharu before, not later than made ni beginning (n.) hajime behind, rear ushiro black (adj.) kuroi black (n.) kuro blood (figuratively, life force) chi blue (adj.) aoi blue (n.) ao book hon book store honya boy otoko no ko boy, son bocchan bread pan break, destroy (v.) kowasu bridge hashi brown (adj.) chairo no brown (n.) chairo buy, purchase (v.) kau by all means doshite mo calling card, business card meishi can be done dekiru cannot do dekimasen cat, kitten neko catch a cold kaze o hiku chair isu change kawaru cheap (adj.) yasui chest, breast, bust mune child kodomo children kodomora children kodomotachi chopsticks hashi cigarettes, tobacco tabako circle, yen en city shi cloudy kumori cold (n.) kaze cold, chilly samui colour iro company, firm kaisha conscience ryoushin cooked rice, meal han, gohan corner kado countryside inaka cousin itoko crisis kiki cry, weep naku cut, slash (v.) kiru cute, darling kawaii dangerous (description or warning) abunai dark (adj.) kurai daughter musume death shi debt, loan shakkin December junigatsu deity kami desire, want hoshii did shita dislike (n.) kirau dissapointment shitsubou do not shinai doctor isha dog inu doll ningyou dream, vision yume drink (v.) nomu ear mimi east higashi egg tamago eight hachi electricity denki end, close (v.) owaru England Eikoku English language eigo enter, come in hairu et cetera (suffix) nado every (prefix) mai- everything mina, minna excuse gomen explanation setsumei eye me face kao fall, come down, drop (v.) ochiru fast, quickly (adj.) hayaku father (one's own) chichi February nigatsu film, movie eiga few, some, little sukoshi fire hi first, best ichiban fish sakana fish uo five go five (counting items) itsutsu flower arrangement ikebana flower, blossom hana fool, idiot baka foreign country gaikoku foreigner gaijin foreigner gakokujin four shi four yon frequently, many times tabitabi Friday kinyoubi from then on, after that sorekara from, since, because (part.) kara front mae garden, courtyard niwa girl onna no ko give, confer, bestow (v.) kudasaru glasses megane go (v.) iku good afternoon, good day konnichi wa good bye (long term only) sayonara good, fine ii good, fine yoi gratitude, thanks (n.) kansha green (n.) midori hair kami hair cut sampatsu half han haze, mist kasumi healthy (adj.) genki na hello moshi moshi henpecked husband kyousai-ka here koko hobby, interest shumi hospital byouin hot atsui hot spring, spa onsen how long, until when itsu made hundred hyaku hurry, hasten(v.) isogu I, me, myself watakushi I, me, myself watashi in front of, ago mae ni in that case, if so de wa indeed, to be sure naruhodo inn ryokan insect, bug, worm mushi inside, interior naka instructor, teacher, doctor sensei introduction, recommendation shoukai it is (conditional form: "to be") desu January ichigatsu Japan nippon, nihon joke, jest joudan June rokugatsu just a minute chotto key kagi kindness, goodness shinsetsu language,speech, word, term kotoba last month sengetsu last night yuube last week senshuu last year kyonen late, behind osoi lately, recently konogoro laugh (v.) warau lawyer bengoshi left hidari letter, note tegami lie, falsehood uso life (n.) inochi light (adj.) karui living room ima little, a few, some sukoshi long, lengthy, prolonged nagai love (fondness, liking) suki love (parental) ai love (romantic) koi love letter koibumi lover, sweetheart koibito luxury zeitaku magazine, periodical zasshi man otoko mandarain orange mikan March sangatsu marriage, cermony (n.) kekkon May gogatsu may be, possibly desho maybe, perhaps tabun meat niku merchant shounin mind, heart, spirit kokoro minute fun (pun) mirror kagami Monday getsuyoubi money kane, okane month tsuki moon tsuki more, much motto morning asa mother (one's own) haha mountain yama mouth kuchi music ongaku name na, namae nature shizen neck kubi neighborhood kinjo newspaper shimbun next week raishuu next year rainen niece mei nine ku, kyu no iie noodle udon north kita not good, futile dame na November juichigatsu now ima now, just now, in a minute tadaima now, soon, shortly mou number kazu number, turn, order ban October jugatsu on the way, en route, halfway tochu de once more, again mou ichido one hitotsu one ichi oneself jibun or soretomo other, another hoka no outside soto over there (distant proximity) asoko page peeji paint, draw kaku paper kami parent oya patient (literally, sick person) byounin peace heiwa person hito pink pinku please (go ahead) douzo please give me onegai shimasu PM, afternoon gogo poetry, poem shi point, tip saki pond ike purple murasaki question marker, logical "or" ka quiet (adj.) shizuka na rather than (this, not that) yori recive, accept itadakimasu red (adj.) akai red (n.) aka refreshments saka return kaeru rice field ta rice wine sake right (direction) migi right, privilege kenri ring yubiwa river kawa romanization romaji room, chamber heya rope nawa rose flower bara safe, secure (adj.) daijobu salary, wages kyuryou salt shio sandals (for a kimono) zouri school gakkou sea, ocean umi season kisetsu season, time, occasion setsu September kugatsu seven shichi signature shomei sing (v.) utau six roku six days, sixth day muika skin, leather kawa sky sora slope, hill saka slowly (adv.) yukkuri small, little chiisai small, little chiisana smile (n.) hohoemi snow yuki soap sekken sometimes tokidoki somewhat, somehow nandaka song uta some, little, a few sukoshi soul, spirit tamashii sound, noise oto south minami soy bean paste miso, nattou soy sauce shouyu Spring haru star hoshi station eki store, business (honya = book store) -ya study (n.) benkyou study (v.) benkyou suru sugar satou summer natsu sun, day hi, ni, nichi Sunday nichiyoubi take a bath furo ni hairu tea cha, ocha tea ceremony sadou teacher kyoushi tear, rip namida telephone denwa television terebi ten ju ten to ten thousand man that sono that sore that (distant proximity, used w/noun) ano that's right sou the last, the end saigo the West, the Occidental world seiyou there sochira there soko there is (existance) aru there is (humble form of arimasu) gozaimasu there is not (non-existance) arimasen thief, robber dorobou thin, slender, narrow (adj.) hosoi think (v.) kangaeru think, consider (v.) omou this kono this evening komban this one, this way, here kochira this time, now, next time kondo this, this one kore thousand sen three mittsu three san throat nodo Thursday mokuyoubi ticket kippu time, hour jikan time, hour toki to be, exist, reside iru to begin hajimaru to come (v.) kuru to do, to try (v.) suru to eat taberu to forget (v.) wasureru to get married (v.) kekkon suru to put out, to extinguish (v.) kesu to put up with, to endure (v.) shinobu to see (v.) miru to sleep (v.) neru to talk, speak hanasu to, at, in, toward (part.) ni today kyou toilet otearai toilet, washroom gofujou tomorrow ashita town, city machi train (railway) kisha trip, journey ryokou trouble mendou true (adj.) hontou no Tuesday kayoubi two futatsu two ni two days futsuka umbrella kasa under, below shita understand wakaru university daigaku until, up to (part.) made USA Beikoku vegetables yasai very much, really doumo view, scenery nagame vigour, spirit (n.) genki village mura visible (v.) mieru voice koe wall, fence hei want, need, require iru was, it was (conditional form: "to be") deshita watch tokei water mizu weak, frail (adj.) yowai Wednesday suiyoubi weighty, heavy omoi well, in that case (abbrev. "de wa") ja west nishi what nan, nani when itsu where doko which (pron.) docchi which, what dono which, what dore while nagara white (adj.) shiroi white (n.) shiro who dare who, anyone, somebody donata why (also "doshite") naze why (also "naze") doshite wide, broad hiroi wife, spouse tsuma wind, breeze kaze window mado winter fuyu woman onna wonderful, great, splendid suteki na wooden clogs geta wooden sword shinai world sekai worry, trouble, anxiety shimpai yes hai yesterday kinou you anata younger sister imouto 3.3 Pronouns "It's just me, myself, and I." - de la Soul 3.3.1 Personal Pronouns The personal pronouns given in the table are given in plain form unless they are the polite form of the word. The symbol (p.) signifies words in the polite form. English Singular Plural I, me watashi watashitachi watakushi (p.) watakushitachi you anata anatatachi anatagata (p.) him, he kare karera (also for mixed male/female) her, she kanojo kanojotachi kanojora that person ano hito ano hitotachi (person) ano kata ano katagata 3.3.2 Interrogative Pronouns The questioning words in Japanese are quite easy to spot, beginning with da-, do-, na- or its-. In fact (as is shown in the part on Demonstrative Pronouns) most of these words are simple variations of other pronouns. Japanese English dare who dou how doko where (place) donna which kind dochira which, where (preference) dore which donata which person (polite) doshite why nan, nani what nannin how many people ikura how much ikutsu how many itsu when 3.3.3 Indefinite Pronouns Japanese English dareka someone donataka someone (polite) doreka something daremo no one donatamo no one (polite) doremo nothing dokoko somewhere nanika something ikuraka some, a little nandemo anything dokomo nowhere nanimo nothing ikuramo not much nannimo nothing 3.3.4 Demonstrative Pronouns In English, we have two locations, here and there. In Japanese there are three: here (prefix of ko-), in the speaker's proximity; there (so-), in the listener's proximity; and over there (a- or aso-), away from both the speaker and the listener. The other possible location is the indefinite in the form of a question (do-). here there over there Pronoun kore sore are (this) (that) (that) Adjective kono sono ano (this) (that) (that) Adjective konna sonna anna (this kind) (that kind) (that kind) Adverb kou sou aa Adverb, koko soko asoko pron. (here) (there) (over there) Adverb, kochira sochira achira pron. (this, (that, (that, here) there) over there) 3.3.5 Reflexive Pronouns English has several reflexive pronouns to refer to individuals, but Japanese has only one. It is used for all people, singular and plural, and for animate or inanimate objects. jibun myself, yourself, themselves, himself, herself, itself, etc. 3.4 Family Relationships "I'm My Own Grandpa" - title of an old country song In Japan, each member of a family is referred to by a different name, depending both on their relation to the person being spoken of, but also in the family is the speaker's own or anothers. For example, when talking about a friend's family, you would never refer to that friend's mother "his haha"; you only speak that title of your own. Conversely, you would never address your mother as "haha", only as okaasan. For the most part, the names are the same, but for the more senior members of the family, the differences are greater. (Just for curiousity's sake, "oyaji", which Ranma Saotome uses to address his father, means "old chap", and is considered slang and derogatory.) Talking about Talking about Family member Your Own Family Another's Family grandfather sofu ojiisan grandmother sobo obaasan father chichi otousan mother haha okaasan husband otto/shujin goshujin wife tsuma okusan uncle oji ojisan aunt oba obasan son musuko musukosan daughter musume ojousan cousin ikoto itoko elder brother ani oniisan younger brother otouto otoutsan elder sister ane oneesan younger sister itouto imoutosan 3.5 Numbers The Japanese numbering system is both simpler and more complex than is English. When counting with larger numbers (10^5 or higher) the groupings do not make sense, but for smaller numbers it does. Number Japanese 1 ichi 2 ni 3 san 4 shi, yon 5 go 6 roku 7 shichi, nana 8 hachi 9 ku, kyu 10 ju 100 hyaku 1000 sen 10000 man A number in Japanese is simply the digit values from largest to smallest by place. Hence, a number like 1985 is written as "ichisen kyuhyaku hachiju go" (1 thousand plus 9 hundreds plus 8 tens plus 5). For cardinal (counting) numbers, it is fairly straightforward; just add banme to the end of each number for that position. Position Japanese first ichibanme second nibanme third sanbanme fourth yonbanme fifth gobanme sixth rokubanme seventh nanabanme eighth hachibanme ninth kyubanme tenth jubanme When counting different types of objects, however, different counting systems are used for numbers one through ten, depending on the type of item being counted; beyond ten, use the suffix appropriate for the units value. (I have included only those I think most likely to be needed by fanfic authors.) Thin Bound Flat ## People Objects Objects Objects 1 hitori ippon issatsu ichimai 2 futari nihon nisatsu nimai 3 sannin sanbon sansatsu sanmai 4 yonin yonhon yonsatsu yomai 5 gonin gohon gosatsu gomai 6 rokunin roppon rokusatsu rokumai 7 nananin nanahon nanasatsu nanamai 8 hachinin happon hassatsu hachimai 9 kunin kyuhon kyusatsu kyumai 10 junin juhon jussastsu jumai Houses, Small Objects Animals, fish, ## Buildings (either list) Insects, etc. 1 ikken ikko hitotsu ippiki 2 niken niko futatsu nihiki 3 sangen sanko mittsu sanbiki 4 yonken yonko yottsu yonhiki 5 goken goko itsutsu gohiki 6 rokken rokko muttsu roppiki 7 nanaken nanako nanatsu nanahiki 8 hakken hakko yattsu happiki 9 kyuken kyuko kokonotsu kyuhiki 10 jukken jukko tou juupiki 3.6 Time and Date "As the hours and the days and the weeks and the months and the years roll by." - George Formby, "As The Years Roll By" Time and date are fairly straightforward, but please note that none of these (dates, months, hours, etc.) are capitalized. They can be, but it is not required. 3.6.1 Days Of The Month English has two ways of referring to a number of days and a specific day. (First of the month/one day.) Japanese uses the same term regardless of which of these is the case. English Japanese 1st/one day tsuitachi 2nd/two days futsuka 3rd/three days mikka 4th/four days yokka 5th/... itsuka 6th muika 7th nanoka 8th youka 9th kokonoka 10th touka 11th juichnichi 12th jininichi 13th jusannichi 14th juyokka 15th jugonichi 16th jurokunichi 17th jushichinichi 18th juhachinichi 19th jukunichi 20th hatsuka 21st nijuichinichi 22nd nijuninichi 23rd nijusannichi 24th nijuyokka 25th nijugonichi 26th nijurokunichi 27th nijushichinichi 28th nihachinichi 29th nijukunichi 30th sanjunichi 31st sanjuichinichi 3.6.2 Days Of The Week Just as most european languages use common things to name the days of the week, (Monday, Lundi, Montag, Lunedi, and El Lunes, to name a few) so do the Japanese. Once you know which element or body represents each day, they become very easy to remember. English Japanese (kanji meaning) Sunday Nichiyoubi (sun) Monday Getsuyoubi (moon) Tuesday Kayoubi (fire) Wednesday Suiyoubi (water) Thursday Mokuyoubi (wood) Friday Kinyoubi (gold) Saturday Doyoubi (earth) 3.6.3 Months Of The Year European names for months come from the ancient Greek and Latin names, so the Japanese don't have the same history or tradition. The month names are simply the number of the month with the suffix "-gatsu", meaning month. Just for the sake of curiosity, September, October, November and December are adapted from the Latin names for 7, 8, 9, and 10, but the ancient Romans adjusted the old ten month calendar to have two more months: they were named after the two greatest Roman caesars, Julius (July), and Augustus (August). English Japanese January ichigatsu February nigatsu March sangatsu April shigatsu May gogatsu June rokugatsu July shichigatsu August hachigatsu September kyugatsu October jugatsu November juichigatsu December junigatsu 3.6.4 Time Of The Day English Japanese 1:00 ichiji 2:00 niji 3:00 sanji 4:00 yoji 5:00 goji 6:00 rokuji 7:00 shichiji 8:00 hachiji 9:00 kuji 10:00 juuji 11:00 juuichiji 12:00 juuniji 12:30 juuniji han 12:45 ichiji jugofun mae desu (1:00, 15 minutes before) AM gozen PM gogo 1 minute ippun 2 minutes nifun 3 minutes sanpun 4 minutes yonpun 5 minutes gofun 6 minutes roppun 7 minutes nanafun 8 minutes happun 9 minutes kyufun 10 minutes juppun 11 minutes juu ippun 12 minutes juu nifun 23 minutes nijuu sanpun 34 minutes sanjuu yonpun 45 minutes yojuu gofun ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Appendix 1: Quick and Dirty Fanfic Writing Advice "Appendix - remove if rumbling" - Eric Nicol If you don't have the time to peruse and take in all the advice I have collected on this site, then at least take this single page away with you. What you'll find here are the most basic ways of improving your fanfiction with the least amount of effort. None of these are difficult, and none require more knowledge of you than a sixth grade education. 1.Spell check your story This is by far the easiest and least time consuming way to improve a story. With only a few keystrokes, a writer can correct dozens of errors in seconds, and a 100K story can be completely corrected within five minutes. What's that you say? Too long, not enough time to run a spell checker? Even the most prolific writer can only do about 5K of text per hour, so there is no excuse for a method of correction that takes seconds. Good spelling won't make you look smart, but bad spelling will make you look stupid. 2.Grammar check your story True, this is more difficult than spell checking, but it's still necessary. A spell check will not find errors when the wrong word has been used. However, you don't need to go to any great lengths to correct a story's grammar; all you need is to do but two things: * Never use contractions * When in doubt, check the word out (especially homophones) These two simple steps will catch more than 80% of all grammatical errors (mostly "your" and "you're", or "it's" and "its"). 3.Leave one blank line between each paragraph It requires only one extra keystroke to leave a blank line in a file. Even in a 100K file, this will add no more than 1K of extra characters, yet will go a long way to improving the story's legibility. With no blank lines, the reader can easily be confused about which line he is reading. Every time this happens, the reader can become more disheartened, possibly giving up on the story. To add a blank line requires no extensive effort by the author, yet adds so much to the story's readability, that the reward far outweighs the effort. 4.Limit all lines of text to 70 characters in length Many news and mail reading programs still only accept 72-80 characters per line of text. When lines go over this limit, the text is wrapped, making it far more difficult for readers to keep their place on the screen. Would you describe this paragraph as easy to read? Reformatting text to 70 or fewer characters per line is neither difficult nor time consuming. As with spellchecking, it can be done automatically by software in a matter of seconds. 5.Use only the standard 7-bit ASCII set Did you know there are more than a dozen differenct extended ASCII character sets throughout the world? That each is unique? That a character that may look right on one person's computer won't look right on another's computer? A writer cannot assume that everyone uses the same computer, so why should the writer expect the reader to have the same software, the same language, the same configuration as he? It's an impossible request. By using standard 7-bit ASCII characters, it is guaranteed that the author's story will show up on all computers everywhere...well, except for EBCDIC based computers. Don't use smartquotes, don't enter anything into your story that you cannot produce with the typewriter keys or with the shift key. The following characters are all you ever need to tell a story: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890!@#$%^&*() -=_+`~[]{}\|;:'",.<>/? 6.Limit all sections of your story to 32K in size Not all internet users have the newest news and mail reading programs; in fact, many still use software that is (by internet time lines) ancient. This is often not by choice. Many either cannot change their software (because their computer is old, or they don't know how) or do not want to (I still use certain 1980's DOS programs because they work the best for me). If your story is over 32K in size, some software will not show or store the e-mail properly or at all. If the reader is not getting the mail, how can said reader possiblty read the story? There's no shame in having a story's subject header say "part 1 of 5". 7.Don't post stories as attachments Many older news and mail programs cannot handle files or attachments. As with the previous point, some authors don't have a choice as to which software they use, or don't want to change. Authors should be accommodating to their readers, not vice versa. 8.Avoid using any Japanese words except where absolutely necessary Even the most knowledgable anime fan may only know a few Japanese words. To assume many do, or to insist that they learn, is one of the surest ways to turn off a reader's interest. Don't try to bluff or feign that you are somehow more knowledgable of Japanese culture and language. People will see through it and be inclined not to read your story. If so, what was ever the point of writing? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Appendix 2: Recommended Books and Resources "Appendix - remove if rumbling" - Eric Nicol Here is a short list of resources, on printed and electronic media, that I highly recommend. Where known, the publisher's name is listed. Dictionaries: Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary (Signet) Webster's Dictionary Oxford Standard Dictionary Collins' English Dictionary Thesaurus: Roget's Thesaurus (Pocket) The New Roget's Thesaurus (Pocket) Encyclopaedias: Encyclopaedia Brittanica Compton's Internactive Encyclopaedia CD ROM Microsoft Encarta CD ROM The New American Desk Encyclopaedia Language and Writing: The Elements of Style, (MacMillan) Write Right! (Self Council Press) The Canadian Writer's Handbook (Prentice-Hall) Administratively - Write! (Prentice-Hall) Japanese Language and Culture Books: Vest Pocket Japanese (Owl Books) Barron's Japanese Language Series (Barron) Japanese Grammar Japanese Vocabulary Japanese Verbs Japanese Idioms Living Language Japanese-English Dictionary (Crown) Sanseido's New Concise Dictionary (Sanseido) Berlitz Japanese Phrase Book and Dictionary (Berlitz) A Guide To Reading And Writing Japanese (Charles E. Tuttle) Beginner's Japanese (Teach Yourself Books) Instant Japanese (Yenbooks) Language Learning Japanese (Laser Publishing) CD ROM Language/30: Japanese Fodor's Japan (Fodor) Reading Material: The Project Gutenberg Site This site is a searchable resource of books without copyright or that have been released from copyright into the public domain, from Shakespeare to Dickens to Chaucer, all freely available to read and download. Please support this non-profit organization. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Closing Notes: "Everyone complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it." - Mark Twain In this first revision of the guide, I found a lot of mistakes, poor language, and many things I am guilty of as I was pointing out. It goes to show that the struggle for better writing is a difficult one, but it is well worth the effort. I hope this guide will be of some use to you (especially since it is intended to be ^_^ ) and helps you to better write your next fanfic. As before, in future revisions of this guide, any helpful comments or criticism you might have are welcome. Happy trails, Shunsuke -||| January 1, 2000