Japanese Language

## Introduction

I'll try to introduce Japanese Language for reading the original text of One Piece, with handwritten background SFX. Japanese Manga has a lot of vivid SFX, remarkably One Piece.

One Piece is full of impressive sound drawn as if they are vision we can hear and see. This magic is supported by Japanese mora sound system.

I plan to show mora sound system, sound symbolism, color space in Japanese, and so on.

**References**

##### **Learning and Teaching Japanese in ThoughtCo.**

https://www.thoughtco.com/japanese-4133062

## Basic System

Japanese is known as an agglutinative language, on the contrast to inflectional language (such as Indo-European languages) and isolating language (such as Chinese language), in the traditional linguistic typology.

Japanese is like a play of LEGO made with plastics. Sound (of speech) is plastics. Phoneme is a block. Kana Mora is a basic convenient combination of some blocks. Morpheme is a bigger combination of small basic combinations, which has a unique meaning or grammatical role, as a part of building.

> Sound (音) -> Phoneme (音素) -> Kana Mora (音/拍) -> Morpheme (形態素)
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**Japanese Language Basic System**

## Japanese Kana Mora Sound System

Japanese language is a mora-timed language. It has a mora system which is different from a syllable system. Japanese is usually spoken (and written in kana) based on the moraic sound system.

**Japanese Kana Mora Matrix**

## Japanese Sound Symbolism

Japanese language has a lot of Mimetic expression like music or a picture (such as interjections, onomatopoeia, mimetic words, humming, roaring, crying, laughing and smiling emoticon) and they are still born one after another, in Manga, Anime, TV shows, games and online chat.

**Words for sensations**

#### **References**

##### **Sound symbolism**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound\_symbolism

## Japanese Color Space

Japanese language has an unique color space. It has only four colors as i-adjective word. あかい:red, くろい:black, しろい:white, あおい:blue/green. But, it is OK. Four is necessary and enough to make the coordinates of colors, 2 \* 2 contrast poles.

**Japanese Color Space**

Actually, there are a lot of names of color traditionally.

**References**

## Japanese Ko-So-A-Do

Japanese language has various demonstrative words or phrases, remarkably for persons.

**Template:Japanese\_Ko-So-A-Do**

They are usually called こそあど[Ko-So-A-Do]. They often appear in Manga/Anime because we can see the relationship between Ko-So-A-Do words or phrases and their target on the pictures.

**Ch:911**

**Luffy: - by Mr. Google.**

> **ここ**は　滝の上か？
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> *Is this the waterfall here?*
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> **あれ**!?　\*If "あらら" of Ao-Kiji, then Mr. Google tells "Oops"...
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> *That!?*
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> **ここ**に　いつも　挟んでる　ビブル　カードが　ない!!
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> *I do not have a Vivre Card that is always caught here!!*
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##### **国語の文法：指示語（こそあど言葉）**

https://www.kokugobunpou.com/文法の基礎/指示語-こそあど言葉/

## Japanese O prefix

I've found some posts about Japanese O prefix, such as O-Robi：おロビ, O-Tama:お玉, O-Tsuru:お鶴, O-Kiku:お菊, etc. in the topic of One Piece among fans! Thank you for your questions about Japanese O prefix! They are really interesting questions and suggestions!

Japanese "お-:O prefix" is one of "御-" prefixes.

##### **御**

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/御

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/御#Japanese

 御 is read with み[Mi]、お[O]、おん[On]、おほん[Ohon]、おほむ[Ohom]、おほみ[Ohomi]、ご[Go]、ぎょ[Gyo].

If it is written with "お-" in modern Hira-gana system, then it is used lightly and casually for everyday politeness or respect, like おーい　お茶(ちゃ).

##### **お**

https://ja.wiktionary.org/wiki/お

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/お

I'll try to note something about O prefix while using examples of Wano language in One Piece!

It is usually used with やまとことば[Yamato Kotoba] or 和語(わご[Wa-Go]), with some exceptions.

##### **大和言葉(やまとことば[Yamato Kotoba]) or 和語(わご[Wa-Go])**

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/大和言葉

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wago

It was originally a language for Waka poetry, or used among court ladies in the Palace.

I usually call it as native Japanese (language), because it is still hard for us to know about older native Japanese (language) before Waka poetry.

和語 is a coined word for やまとことば on the contrast to 漢語(かんご[Kan-go]):words from Korea, China, India, etc on the Silk Road before middle age, and 外来語(がいらいご[Gairai-go]):words from other area after middle age.

##### **漢語(かんご[Kan-go])**

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/漢語

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Japanese\_vocabulary

##### **外来語(がいらいご[Gairai-go])**

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/外来語

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gairaigo

Japanese is a hybrid language, or チャンポン:mixed-up something native and something from abroad. I wish it is not チャランポラン, like me...

By the way, this section was originally on Sandbox\_Fantastic\_Voyage. It came from Discussions with Kakashi loves subzero who often offer interesting topics to this wikia! Thank you so much, my funny Kakashi! 🐤

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